Housekeeping becoming a luxury at hotels

[Jenny]

And here I thought it was important to decorate for visual appeal *and* practical use. Silly me.

[Really]

I don't have a guest bathroom. Or guest towels. I must be a cretin. My bath towel dries on a hook hanging on the door. I have hand towels on the rack that whoever uses the bathroom uses to dry their hands.

[milanessa]

Pretty is in the eye of the beholder. My bathrooms are decorated, I guess, but it's with lithographs and plants. Oh, and there's a copper birdbath with Florida seashells in it in the half-bath.

[Prancer]

I have them. I thought everyone had them. Does this mean guests don't know they aren't supposed to touch them?

I think a lot of people think they are there for decoration.

And then there are people like me who don't like to use them because they are invariably much prettier than they are effective .

[allezfred]

allezfred, if you've never seen decorative bath towels in bathrooms, you must not get out much . Almost every home I've ever been in has them.

Oh, I get out enough. I just dry my hands with whatever towels are available in a bathroom no matter how decorative they look. I bet there are people who do the same when they come around to your place.

[genevieve]

And then there are people like me who don't like to use them because they are invariably much prettier than they are effective .

True.

And I thought curtains were to be used too (er...not to wipe hands on ).

This thread did inspire me to do a deep clean on my bathroom this afternoon

[Southpaw]

My grandmother used to make these gadgets to hide the toilet paper.

[genevieve]

Were the guests allowed to touch it?

[milanessa]

My grandmother used to make these gadgets to hide the toilet paper.

Oooh - so did mine - and it sat on top of the tank.

[Jenny]

Mine too - no doll though, it was shaped like a straw hat with a ribbon and fake flower in the band. I guess TP was something ladies did not acknowledge back in the day.

[Southpaw]

Oooh - so did mine - and it sat on top of the tank.

But of course. Where else to put it?

[milanessa]

In pink.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=318121.0

[Southpaw]

Crap. Now I want to pull out my knitting needles.

[Karina1974]

I think I'd rather hang wet towels there to dry than have all that "pretty" spoiled by the very attractive towels on the door knobs you mentioned.

Exactly. That's why towel racks are put in bathrooms, to give you space to hang up your wet towels, unfolded, to dry.

I don't have "decorative" towels in my bathroom, and neither do my parents. Neither did my grandparents either, and, considering they would all be in their 100's if they were still alive, they were far more "old school" than anyone here (for the poster who thought this was a '50's thing). There were 5 people in my house when I was growing up (3 bedrooms -- I slept in the attic -- and one bath), and 10 in my paternal grandparents' -- you learn very quickly to use wisely whatever space you have and not to waste it on frivolities like fancy towels and the like. I've picked up on that, because I don't have them either, and I live in a household of one.

[Norlite]

My next door neighbor has them but she's 85 years old. I always thought it was a 50's household thing. Other than next door I don't know anyone else that does.

This was done in the 70's, when I first got married. By almost everyone I knew. I'm sure it was a decorating leftover from my parents generation.

No one I know still does it though. Except perhaps people my parents age. (and apparently a couple others)

[cruisin]

I think I'd rather hang wet towels there to dry than have all that "pretty" spoiled by the very attractive towels on the door knobs you mentioned.

My grandmother had those, but had another rack for towels to dry.

I have wall mounted towel bars. And the only doorknob that gets attacked with wet towels is the one in the master bathroom. I always take it off and put it in the hamper, my husband is just lazy . But that bathroom holds the dampness and nothing dries. That hopefully will change soon though, we are gutting it. The shower is leaking into the sub floor. We are putting a new window in, one that opens!

I don't have a guest bathroom. Or guest towels. I must be a cretin. My bath towel dries on a hook hanging on the door. I have hand towels on the rack that whoever uses the bathroom uses to dry their hands.

I have hand towels on a ring next to the sinks. They are used. It is the big decorative towels that are not used. And I have a linen closet full of regular towels, right next to the master bath stall shower. No one uses the tub shower in the main bathroom, and there is no shower in the downstairs bathroom, it's just a powder room.

Pretty is in the eye of the beholder. My bathrooms are decorated, I guess, but it's with lithographs and plants. Oh, and there's a copper birdbath with Florida seashells in it in the half-bath.

I have water colors on my bathroom walls, but no plants, not enough light. And I have a brown thumb, I am terrible with plants.

I had no idea that my decorative towels would cause such a commotion
As I already said - to each his own.

[my little pony]

I had no idea that my decorative towels would cause such a commotion
As I already said - to each his own.

I blame you for outing me

[cruisin]

I blame you for outing me

Sorry! But someone has to buy and display all of those "pretty" towels ! We're just too cool, that's it!

Okay, I never had a toilet paper cover, my grandma did, she also crocheted them for church fairs. I never had a tissue box cover either.

Does anyone remember the trend for making big caftan style robes out of oversized bath towels? That was quite the rage in the 60s. The more psychedelic the towel, the better. http://www.flickr.com/photos/barbian...765026/detail/

[Prancer]

Does anyone remember the trend for making big caftan style robes out of oversized bath towels? That was quite the rage in the 60s. The more psychedelic the towel, the better. http://www.flickr.com/photos/barbian...765026/detail/

My mom made me one like this as a swimsuit coverup: http://www.flickr.com/photos/barbian...in/set-765026/

I don't know where she found the towels, but that thing weighed about 10 pounds and I weighed about 40 or so. I don't think I ever wore it anywhere, but sometimes I put it in on in the winter after a bath.

[Japanfan]

I had no idea that my decorative towels would cause such a commotion
As I already said - to each his own.

Well, not everyone has the luxury of an en-suite or second bathroom.

My towels match the colors in the bathroom and are also functional in that they serve their purpose as towels.

If I had a second bathroom I would probably again have towels that matched the colors of a room. But I think I'd draw the line at decorative borders - a towel is a towel is a towel. A fluffy towel is nice, but only when you use it.

And if you have a decorative border on your towels in the second bathroom, I would assume you anticipate people using that bathroom and admiring the towels? But wouldn't they also need to use those towels, given that they used the bathroom?