Our Guide to Sprucing Up Your Guest Bathroom Before the Bell Rings

Whether hosting a dinner party or housing your in-laws for the weekend, entertaining your loved ones is always an opportunity for. But, before they ring that doorbell and kick off their shoes, a little house preparation is a must. Between cleaning and decorating, there are so many creative choices to make before your home is ready for visitors.

We believe that all spots in the home should be decorated to match your style… and that even includes spaces like the mud room, laundry room, and, of course, the bathrooms. Bathrooms are high-traffic areas, especially those closest to your most-used entertaining spaces. Since your guests will no doubt frequent the room, spend the time and effort to make it aesthetically pleasing. Luckily, with a few carefully chosen decorations like bathroom hand towels, sprucing up your space before guests arrive is simple.

Why We Decorate the Guest Bathroom

How often do guests excuse themselves to the restroom to powder their nose? As one of the rooms with the highest foot traffic in both day-to-day life and special gatherings, there’s an enormously high chance that your loved ones will need to visit the bathroom while inside your home. We meticulously decorate the obvious entertaining rooms in our home, so why should the guest bath be any different?

A well-decorated bathroom enhances the overall appearance of your home, tying each room together. Carefully chosen items can help reflect your sense of style and add sophistication to the space, making a bathroom visit a more pleasant experience. Anything, from extra-soft bathroom hand towels to an accent rug to ambient lighting, can transform your bathroom into a comfortable and inviting space, whether you want to encourage spa-like relaxation with calming colors or use funky wallpapers and decorative bathroom towels. 

Decorative elements in the bathroom can also serve practical purposes. For example, adding stylish hardware shelving or rattan storage solutions can help keep the space organized and make it easier for you and your guests to find and access toiletries, from extra toilet paper to a new bar of soap. Every item you add makes the space look and feel unique, so you might as well choose multifunctional décor to enhance the vibe.

 

When Should You Re-Decorate the Bathroom?

As a general rule of thumb, if you’re hosting any kind of gathering, you must put special care and attention into sprucing up your bathroom décor. In our family, our go-to way to bring seasonal décor into the bathroom is by hanging a layered display of coordinating bathroom hand towels on the towel bar. It's so easy, so functional, and it makes guests feel extra welcome. When it comes to switching out the trinket tray or choosing a new soap dispenser, consider redecorating your bathroom for occasions such as:

• Holiday gatherings
• New seasons
• Special occasions {like a bridal shower}
• To match your everyday home décor
• Whenever the mood strikes

7 Ways to Decorate the Guest Bathroom

With years of hosting and home decorating under our belts, we’ve determined the seven tried-and-true ways to customize a bathroom just how we like it. It doesn’t matter if your home's style is more traditional and neutral or contemporary and colorful — you can find inspiration from one {or all} of these ideas: 

1. Add Stylish Bathroom Hand Towels

Hand towels are more than a necessity for drying freshly washed hands—they’re a key decorative element to any bathroom. With so many colors, sizes, and patterns to choose from, bathroom hand towels are essential linens that instantly transform the overall look of the space. Whenever we have guests coming over, we make sure to choose decorative bathroom hand towels that set the scene. 

We’ve designed a wide range of stylish, functional hand towels perfect for any bathroom in your home. Choose between subtle shades and bold patterns to find one that suits your personal style and the event. Then, hang them on your towel bar or lay them out on the counter for easy access throughout your event.

Pro tip: if you want to create a cohesive look throughout your home, consider matching your decorative bathroom towels with the everyday or seasonal décor in other key rooms.

How to Choose Bathroom Hand Towels 

Made from a high-quality blend of linen and cotton, our decorative bathroom towels are designed for everyday use, getting softer with each wash. Don’t be afraid to get creative with which ones you hang—in fact, we tend to choose them based on three main factors:

#1. Match Your Everyday Home Décor

Swapping out unexpected items for more stylish options is an easy way to elevate your everyday life, so even if you don’t have any plans for out-of-town guests to visit or intimate dinner parties to host, we urge you to match your decorative bathroom towels to your everyday décor. Whether you prefer the soft pink tones of the Blush Arabesque hand towel or the elegant scallop edge of our Deco Gold hand towel, making this simple switch will elevate your bathroom and add a level of sophistication to a small moment in your day.  

#2. Hosting? Pair Bathroom Hand Towels with the Theme of the Gathering

Expert hosts fully lean into the theme of the gathering to create an experience for their guests, but most people stop at the table setting or menu. Bathroom hand towels are a simple way to carry the theme throughout your home décor. 

For a summertime soirée, replace your everyday linens with citrus print hand towels to bring fresh and fruity vibes to the powder room. If you’re hosting an oyster roast, switch to oyster print hand towels to match the seafood menu. With so many daring and colorful designs, your choice of on-theme decorative bathroom towels is endless.

#3. Celebrate the Holidays with Seasonal Bathroom Hand Towels

With so many opportunities throughout the year to host holiday gatherings, we embrace every excuse to replace our day-to-day hand towels with seasonal designs. Find ones with festive colors or classic figures—the choice is yours. 

Our Seasonal Decorative Bathroom Towels:

• Turkey Silhouette Large Hand Towel 
• Give Thanks Medium Hand Towel 
• Christmas in the Village Town Small Hand Towel 
• Balsam and Berry Tree Large Hand Towel 
• Speckled Rabbit Ears Medium Hand Towel 
• Speckled Rabbit Large Hand Towel 
• Stamp of Love Medium Hand Towel 
• XOXO Large Hand Towel 

2. Place a Trinket Dish on the Counter

Beautiful and functional, trinket dishes are versatile works of art, making them a must-have accessory for any guest bathroom. This easy and stylish addition elevates the curated look of your bathroom while keeping your loved ones' belongings safe and sound. Just place your dish near the sink so guests can set their rings or watches on it while washing their hands. 

Our trinket dishes are available in a wide variety of funky shapes and patterns, making every bathroom counter feel extra personalized. Add nature and greenery to the space with a Palm Trinket Bowl, or add our Orange Tray for a bright accent. A trinket dish will elevate the space as long as it reflects your style or matches your decorative bathroom towels.

 

3. Style a Plate as a Soap Dish

We love any chance to use our favorite dinnerware designs around our home  —  guest bathroom included. Set a small appetizer plate or bowl near the faucet to corral your bottle or bar of soap. Using a dish to hold your soap is both stylish and organizational. 

Pro tip: When decorating for an event, use any extra matching or complementary plates and bowls as a soap dish to carry your tablescape theme throughout the house. 

4. Hang Decorative Plates on the Wall

We love hanging decorative plates throughout our home, and the bathroom is no exception. Whether you’re only hanging plates and platters or adding a few pieces in with traditional wall art, decorative plates add texture and depth to your wall. Choose designs to showcase for everyday décor and switch them out all year long. Display plates around the bathroom mirror for layered texture and décor - especially over patterned wallpaper.  

What’s the Best Way to Hang a Plate?

The most secure and most stylish way to hang a plate on the wall is with a high-quality plate stand. With a few simple screws and expert design, you can easily hang plates on your wall and take down, as many times as you want, without fear of breaking them. 

5. Fill a Vase with Flowers 

Flowers don’t have to be reserved for the table. One of our favorite ways to add personality to our guest bathrooms before a big event is to fill a vase with fresh florals. Choose seasonal blooms, whether they’re plucked from your backyard in the summer or a store-bought bouquet of peonies, and pair them with a go-to white vase that matches every style. Place it on the back of the toilet, on the counter, or on your shelves.

6. Personalize the Room with Picture Frames and Art

Add your personal touch and tell the story of you by adding picture frames to your bathroom décor. Weddings, engagements, new babies, holiday photoshoots, and more — with so many things to celebrate, you have endless choices for the photos you choose to display. Hang a blue gingham picture frame on your gallery wall or prop a Mr. and Mrs. frame up on the counter—either way, your guests will love the inside look into your lives.  

You can also pick out artwork that goes along with the photo theme or color scheme of the bathroom. For instance, for a neutral-colored bathroom that is supposed to be minimal and relaxing, consider hanging a minimalist painting. If your home décor style is more colorful, choose a vibrant statement piece that ties your decorative bathroom towels and trinket dishes together. 

7. Add Little Extras to Enhance the Bathroom Experience

When it comes to readying your space for guests to come over, even the smallest details can make a difference. That’s why we love to add these personal touches whenever possible:

• Homemade potpourri—place your homemade floral mixture in a small open bowl or vase to keep your bathroom smelling fresh throughout the event.
• Candles—light a candle or two to add ambient lighting and a signature scent to the space right before your gathering begins.
• Eucalyptus—when guests are staying over, we love to hang a freshly rolled sprig of eucalyptus in the shower to give a spa-quality steam.
• Plants—add a plant to the window or counter, from helpful plants that clean the air to colorful orchids for style.
• Fragrance diffuser—for even stronger odor control, plug a fragrance diffuser {we love Pura} to continuously freshen up the air. 
• Mints—place a small bowl of breath mints on the counter {especially if your menu includes a lot of garlic}.
• Lotions—corral lotions or other toiletries on a serving tray to add a nice, homey touch to the bathroom. 

Keep Your Bathroom Clean

Completing basic cleaning tasks on the regular can help ensure that the guest bathroom is always guest-ready. Without getting into the nitty gritty details, we recommend adding a regular deep clean of any and all bathroom surfaces to your weekly routine. You should also fill the soap container or replace the bar whenever it starts running low and empty the trash can as needed. These simple tasks will keep your bathroom clean, so preparing for guests is never a hassle.

Before Your Guests Arrive, Remember To:

With so many tasks on the host’s party prep timeline, we recommend decorating your bathroom with hand towels and dinnerware long before the party begins. But, right before guests walk through the door, make sure to accomplish these last-minute bathroom details:

• Restock the toilet paper roll {and fill the easy-to-find location for spares}
• Hide any personal toiletries in the cabinets or drawers
• Add a fresh bathroom hand towel to the rack
• Light the candles or plug in the diffuser
• Sweep the floor or fluff the rug

From decorative bathroom towels to festive trinket dishes and everything in between, there are countless ways to decorate your guest bathroom to reflect your personal style. With a few simple upgrades, your bathroom will be ready for visitors in no time.