Lately we've been working with clients who all need more storage in their bathroom. They would like to add more shelving, but we don't want to fill the "small house" up or clutter the walls with another chipboard cabinet. Vintage towel racks of either the hotel or train variety are a nice solution. These ones above are not vintage, but easy to get your hands on.
The Lugarno ($299) and The Culloden Park are two really nice solutions that highlight Restoration Hardware's strength: hardware. While they have at least ten racks of various styles, we like these for their chic, simple lines and their ability to get towels and robes up out of the way.
Funny how different opinions can be. I used the Lugarno in a guest bathroom at my weekend house, and it does what it is supposed to. Whether it stays put is perhaps a function of how well it's mounted. Mine is the same today as when it went up 7 years ago in the plaster board and is flush, solid and straight. Admittedly, it has tarnished very slightly and may need replacing eventually. But frankly, $300 for what will probably 10 years of use is pretty good, I think. I mean, I didn't buy a nickel plated $800 high-end rack. Given how it has slightly tarnished, though, I wouldn't put it in a bathroom that gets everyday use.
I have the train rack, and have a problem generally with towel slippage from the hooks. It can be done, but takes skill and careful towel gathering at the top to get enough bite. But the shelving provides perfect storage for foldede towels (I have no closet). As for the mounting, I mounted it to a simple board, then to the wall, easier to find studs (and make up for not-quite-flushness).
For the budget-conscious there is this nice one from Bed Bath and Beyond:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=10983053
these two are really nice.
home depot can be another good source. i found the same exact shower head they were selling in restoration hardware for $98 for $45 in home depot!
hmmm...i've often wondered about these open racks for storing towels - dont the fresh towels get all soggy and unfresh from the shower/steam everyday in the bathroom - isnt it better to store them in a closet instead?
Many of the bath fixtures and accessories that Resto sells are from Sunrise Specialty. RH just repackages them and charges you more. You can buy direst from SS, or get many SS items through Vintagebath.com for less than at RH!
I had this type of rack in my bath for many years. It was coated brass, but it tarnished anyway (and not in the attractive way that uncoated brass does). You don't want to store towels on it for the long term (dampness, as you said), but for extra towels in the regular laundry roatation, it works fine. Also nice for drying laundry!
Sorry, I'm still having trouble accepting the idea of a $300 towel rack.
I almost got that culloden park one a few times, the one at my Restoration Hardware has it arranged with the shelves descending in size and it looks great. They had a bathroom sale a month or two back but that one wasn't in stock so I decided against it.
I'm still not sure if I need a rack like that, although my bathroom is indeed tiny.
There's the GRUNDTAL rack at IKEA:
http://tinyurl.com/akb6a
Can be used in the kitchen or bath. Holds pot lids. Has hooks you can buy to hang other things on. Can be used to store larger items (as long as they are large enough not to fall through the bars). Can be used as a regular towel rack too.
The cutlery caddy hung on the rail could be used in the bath for lotions. Shaving implements. Same with the spice rack. Either one of the dish drainers could be used to hold extra bath tissue.
$19.99 for the 31 1/2" long wall rack, and $26.99 for the 47 1/4" long rack. Made of stainless steel, and can be purchased online.
The style is different, do not look vintage, but will serve the purpose if you love open shelves.
I used to keep fresh towels on open shelving in the bathroom (one with not much ventilation, to boot), and I never had a problem with the dampness.
What's the trick to properly installing these type of shelves to TILED bathroom surfaces?
Unfortunately, the Lugarno is cheap Chinese-made junk. I bought one during a bathroom remodel, and the contractor alerted me to the fact that *only three legs could be made to touch a flat surface at once* -- that is, it was not square. He hung it anyway, using a wood spacer to compensate. Six months later the thing fell off the wall at a very bad moment.
Can't recommend this...
Gekko, for tile you need to put the fasteners through the grout line, not the tile itself. It's still not risk-free, but you make it easier if you: 1. drill small pilot holes; 2. enlarge the holes with the right-sized drill bit; 3. insert anchors; 4. then put in the screws. If you can fasten the rack to at least one stud,that makes it a lot sturdier.
I have an identical rack to the Lugarno which has been up in my bathroom for 6 years and looks as good as new. 30 bucks at Target. Shop around, $300 is crazy money for a towel rack.
We are Zhongshan Lisheng Bathroom Accessories Hardware Ltd. with our website at http://www.zslisheng.com,
and our products include stainless steel door handle, tower racks, tower warmers, grab bars, shower seats,
shower rod, handrail and so on. We are ISO9002 certificated.
If any requests, you can contact me directly.
My email is jack@zslisheng.com
My MSN: candhg124@hotmail.com
Best,
Mr.Jack
Zhongshan Lisheng Bathroom Accessories Hardware Co.Ltd
Chaqiao No.3 Industrial Zone, East District, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province 528400, China
Tel: 86-760-88813309 Fax: 86-760-88813310
Email: jack@zslisheng.com MSN: candhg124@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.zslisheng.com
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