Ditch Your Bath Mat for This “Delicious” Alternative, Says a Pro Stager

Hear me out: I don’t have a bath mat in my bathroom. For starters, the room is tiny. So I’ve always thought a mat would make it look smaller. And truthfully, I’ve never fully fallen in love with any mats. Throughout my life, I’ve had them outside of showers and tubs, and they’ve honestly caused me more stress than relaxation (isn’t that what you’re supposed to feel in a bathroom?). They’re so easily stained, and they bunch up, too.

But what if I’ve been thinking about bath mats all wrong? In the fourth episode of Styled to Sell, professional stager Jason Saft of Staged to Sell Home explains that he never uses bath mats in his projects. His reasoning might surprise you. 

In the episode playing above, Saft is tasked with staging a pre-war apartment in Brooklyn Heights, and one of its charming features is the oversized primary bathroom. This expansive space encouraged him to create a “big, dreamy bathroom,” in his own words, by including a skirted swivel chair and  — wait for it! — a wool rug instead of a traditional bath mat.

“Never use a bath mat,” Saft explains in the video. “I love a big, wool rug in the bathroom, and, while we’re only staging it, I always think of the idea that you’re getting out of the bathtub, and you want your feet to hit something soft and delicious, and so that’s the wool rug.” Of course, he has ample space here for a sizable rug, but you can find smaller wool flatweaves in standard door mat sizes (2’ by 3’) or even smaller — especially if you shop the vintage market or look on Etsy. 

When approaching a bathroom project, Saft says he likes to make the room feel less sterile and more like other, more decorated areas of the home. A wool rug used in place of a traditional bath mat supports this overall vibe. However, Saft also encourages people to put artwork in their bathrooms, too. Just be careful about the medium of the art; he says canvas pieces will stand up to steam or water no problem.

Thinking about how a bathroom could and should be a place for relaxation and recharging makes me want to use a wool rug instead of a bath mat in my apartment. Saft is right: Stepping out of the shower or tub onto a comfy, or “delicious,” surface, as he put it, sounds like a dream.