Double Towel Bar Offers Simple Solution to A Damp Problem

Double Towel Bar Offers Simple Solution to A Damp Problem

It seems that wherever we move, wherever we visit, there’s rarely enough storage room for all our belongings. This seems most pronounced in the places that work hard for us-kitchens, garages, but especially in those workhorse rooms, the bathrooms. While it’s logical to add a third bay for more storage in a garage or build a kitchen spacious enough for to store all the gadgets and seating for an entire little league team, the bathroom often gets a shortchanged. A linen closet, great. Cabinets below the sink instead of a pedestal-another great storage solution. But, really, when it comes to the bathroom, getting creative with storage is necessary.

A friend and I visited the new home of an old neighbor, and we would be sharing a bathroom during our visit. When we got the house tour, I loved what she did to her guest bathroom. It wasn’t huge, but I could tell she took her time when she selected the bathroom hardware. When I was finishing my shower, I was delighted to see what Sally did to make a little better use of the space in there–she invested in a double towel bar. Linda and I did not have to wrestle for space to hang up our damp terrycloth. What a great idea!

When I got home I checked some websites specializing in bath hardware. I wanted to copy her good idea and improve the limited hanging space I had in my master bath.

What were my options? Like the traditional towel bars, I could find a double towel bar in all the standard sizes: 18, 24, 30 and 36 inches. I wanted one in a transitional style-with traditional lines but a contemporary finish. I found them with the newest finishes, like brushed nickel and oil-rubbed bronze. But if I wanted clean-lined stainless steel, I could find one of those, too. I saw traditional polished brass and antique reproductions-I could find a double towel bar to outfit any bathroom my taste desired.

My shopping curiosity was piqued, and I kept shopping online. I remember having a house with a short wall outside the bathtub-definitely not enough room for even the shortest towel bar. I found a double towel bar that swung out from the wall. It would have been a perfect solution to accommodate both mine and my husband’s wet towels.

I found another option, too-a hotel towel shelf with a double bar below. What a great storage idea-store folded bath towels and wash cloths on top, and hang the gently-used towels on the double towel bar below.

If you’ve got a linen closet for storing towels and still like this idea, you can get the hotel towel shelf with a double bar below, but instead of a rack, you can choose one with a tempered glass shelf. Install one of these near the bathroom sink, and you can place your cosmetics, a scented candle, and a pot of lucky bamboo, and you have a convenient place to hang a pair of hand towels. These, too, come in contemporary designs and antique reproduction styles.

I started thinking-why not take this idea outside the bathroom? I found a double kitchen towel bar that hangs inside the door of the sink cabinet. This gives plenty of room for drying dish towels after a big kitchen cleanup. What about a double towel bar in simple wood in the bath near the pool? There’s never enough room to hang pool towels, it seems.

A simple idea that solves a simple problem…