Towel Rail

Single, double or ladder

A single rail is the neatest and suits an ensuite or a powder room with one or two towels. A double rail holds twice as much in the same wall width, which is the practical choice for a main bathroom. A vertical ladder rail uses height instead of width, so it works on the narrow piece of wall beside a vanity or door where nothing else fits.

Work out the drying length you need

A bath towel needs roughly 600mm of rail to itself to dry properly, and towels hung on top of each other stay damp. Count the towels the room has to hold, allow that length, then pick the combination of rails that gets you there. Adding a hand towel rail near the basin keeps the main rail free for bath towels.

Height and position

Mount rails around 1200mm off the floor for adults, lower in a children's bathroom. Keep them clear of the shower spray and the door swing, and leave enough space below a rail for a full-length towel to hang without touching the floor or the toilet. Fix into solid backing or use appropriate wall anchors, because a wet towel on a loose rail will pull the fixing out.

Match the finish to your tapware

Towel rails are tapware, not furniture, so match them to the mixers rather than to the vanity. Chrome, matte black and brushed nickel are consistent enough across brands that you can mix. Golds and gunmetals are not, because every brand mixes its own tone, so take the whole set from one range if you are going warm.