Living Well

How to Display Your Towels

There are many ways to display one’s luxury towels in the bathroom—rolled in a basket, draped over the side of a sink, stacked on a shelf, layered on a towel bar. It’s fun to experiment, and you can look at our Towel Play board on Pinterest for ideas.

Matouk towel sizing and monogram placement guide showing three panels: (1) Towel Sizes — washcloth 13x13", fingertip towel 14x21", hand towel 18x32", bath towel 30x52", and bath sheet 36x75", each shown as nested rectangles; (2) Monogram Size + Standard Placement — a hand towel and bath towel illustrated with monogram sizes and vertical placement measurements from the hem (2.5" monogram at 2" from hem, 3.5" at 3", 5.5" at 4"), plus a folded bath sheet with a 6.5" monogram placed 5" from the edge; (3) a bathroom scene with a clawfoot tub, sink, and shower curtain showing standard monogram placement across a full set — hand towel (2.5" monogram, 2" placement), bath towel (5.5" monogram, 5" placement), a 72x72" shower curtain with a large centered monogram (15" from the top rod, 12" monogram size), and a 24x36" bath mat with a 5.5" centered monogram. Matouk logo in the bottom left corner.

Above, our comprehensive towel display chart provides a fail-safe guide, along with the following bath towel sizes and monogramming measurements:

 

Washcloth

Fingertip
Towel

Hand
Towel

Bath
Towel

Bath
Sheet

Standard Towel Sizes

13x13"

14x21"

18x32"

30x52"

36x75"

Monogram Height

 

2.5"

3.5"

5.5"

6.5"

Monogram Spacing from Edge

 

2"

3"

4"

5"

 

Our Matouk Newport bath items. Our Auberge towels.

Our Matouk Newport bath items. Our Auberge towels.

[shoppable-image-products=newport-towels,auberge-towels]

Mindy Matouk talks us through two bathrooms displaying Matouk Newport (on the left) and Auberge (on the right) towel designs – alongside luxury shower curtains, fine bath rugs, and more.

In regards to the bathroom on the left Matouk says, "It makes me want to do all future bathrooms in this classic, New York City pre-war apartment style. I love how the owner of this bathroom has reinforced the classic black and white tiling with the accented towels and curtain." Matouk points out all the careful details that made what is probably not a huge bathroom look absolutely perfect: "The actual bath towel has a simpler line which follows the wall accents, while the accent pieces (curtain, bath mats, and hand towel) have the more elaborate Newport stripes. The length of the shower curtain is custom-cut in order to avoid messy draping (which would also make the room appear smaller) and to show off the beautifully painted tub. The striped stool adds another layer of interest to the mix, along with the tiny pops of color from the jars and bottles." Finally, she says, "The paint color on the wall plays off the black and white perfectly. The look is classic and charming, while still maintaining a hint of modern edge."

As for the subtly monogrammed Matouk Auberge towels she says, "This is a great example of the successful juxtaposition of opposites: simple versus ornate; modern versus traditional; white versus color; solid versus pattern. The strong clean lines of the Auberge towels pop wonderfully against the curvilinear design of the floral wallpaper; each element compliments the other. Overall this is a clean and powerful vignette that would be difficult to achieve if all the elements were of the same genre."

 

Left image: "Open bathroom shelving with woven baskets holding folded white towels, beneath a wood vanity with wall-mounted lighting."  Right image: "A freestanding soaking tub with a black floor-mounted faucet, set against a reclaimed wood accent wall with a woven basket of towels and a wooden bath mat nearby."
Left: Photo by Michael J. Lee | Right: Photo by Dane Cronin

Left: Jamie Herzlinger, an interior designer based in Scottsdale, Arizona, uses large scale, Art Nouveau-style monogramming on white towels displayed on a handy, portable towel rack in a neutral bathroom with contemporary soaking tub and marble floor.

To Adelene Keeler Smith, an interior designer in West Palm Beach, Florida, monograms symbolize a sense of pride and place and help guests feel special and honored. However, she cautions that the use of monograms should be subtle. She says, "It is best, such as in this master bathroom, to use a matching set of towels, bath mat, and rug with only one item featuring a monogram." Here, it's a crisp fresh white cotton bath mat hung over the freestanding tub. She adds, "Color is also a factor. Note here how bright white linens are selected for the neutral surround. Select a coordinating color for the monogram thread. Less really is more."

Boston-based green architecture firm Zero Energy Design shows how open shelving can provide functional storage—and a welcoming aesthetic—if kept well organized. This bathroom includes the clean look of a custom bamboo vanity and shelves with an engineered quartz countertop. "The best way to fold towels on display are first in half, and then in thirds like a letter, facing the single clean fold toward the room," says Stephanie Horowitz, AIA of Zero Energy Design. She adds, "Tightly-woven baskets can also provide a functional, yet elegant contrast to the crisply-folded stacks."

In the bathroom on the right, designed by architect Brian Fuentes of Fuentes Design in Boulder, Colorado, a colorful straw basket is used to hold rolled towels. This is an easy and more casual way to store and display towels in a bathroom or even for an outdoor shower.

Zero Energy Design is also behind this contemporary master bath, which pairs a platform shower with a freestanding tub alongside a wall-hung vanity in order to open up the space. Principal Stephanie Horowitz says, "A custom trough sink allows for draping a hand towel over the edge, achieving both personalized style and easy access."

Modern spa-style bathroom with dark gray tiled walls, dark wood-look flooring, and a white ceiling. A freestanding oval white soaking tub sits at left near a window with plants and folded towels on the sill, with a monogrammed cream towel draped over its edge. A glass-walled walk-in shower with a rain showerhead and handheld sprayer sits in the center. On the right, a long white floating vanity with an integrated sink and wall-length mirror holds bath accessories and a cream towel monogrammed with the letter "M" hanging from the edge.
Photo by Eric Roth
Left: A marble double-sink vanity with silver faucets, below monogrammed white hand towels with chartreuse embroidery and trim, against blue geometric wallpaper. Right: A vessel sink on a live-edge wood shelf with a striped hand towel, set against a pebble-tiled wall and floor, with a freestanding tub in the corner.
Photo on right by Nick Smith

In the bathroom on the left, Jenna Buck Gross of Colordrunk Designs in Decatur, Georgia, layers white fingertip towels with fanciful chartreuse monogram over towels in that same accent color on a towel bar hung beside a built-in vanity.

Hannah Brown, co-founder of London-based design firm Amory Brown, designed the spa-like bath on the right, which is the master ensuite of a period loft conversion. She says, "We used soft muted colors and organic materials such as the pebble tiles and the fossilized wooden handles to achieve this effect." The striped Turkish cotton towel draped over the sink fits perfectly with the room's relaxed overall feel, which Brown says is reminiscent of a Hamman.

On the left, a powder room with a floating wood vanity designed by cabinetmakers Mi-Kin Creations, Inc outside of Atlanta uses a simple towel bar to display monogrammed luxury guest towels.

West Hollywood-based Elizabeth Dinkel Design Associates hangs white hand towels on a towel bar, using just one with a monogram as an accent.

Left: A powder room with a live-edge wood vanity and floral botanical wallpaper, featuring a monogrammed guest towel and a small vase of blue delphiniums. Right: A bathroom with pineapple-motif wallpaper, a bamboo-framed mirror, and a monogrammed hand towel hanging beside a marble vanity.
Left: Stacked white towels and a bath mat monogrammed 'GMB' with navy piped trim, displayed on a chrome stand beside a matching curtain. Right: White towels and a bath mat with scalloped tan trim, monogrammed 'CHS', draped over a cream upholstered chair.