Rethinking the Towel Rail

Boat fittings, reclaimed architectural hardware and traditional metalworking offer alternatives to conventional bathroom towel rails. Objects originally designed for entirely different purposes can find a practical second use in contemporary interiors.

A boat cleat is a good example. Originally developed to secure ropes on boats and docks, its two projecting arms also make it suitable for hanging towels. Mounted individually or in a row on a wooden board, these fittings provide a practical alternative to standard bathroom hooks.

Other designs take inspiration from industrial pipework, bent metal rods and traditional wall brackets. Their construction is often simple, but the choice of material and fixing method determines how well they perform.

Reclaimed Hardware

Architectural salvage offers another approach to bathroom fittings. Brass rails originally installed on church pews to hold umbrellas, for example, can be repurposed as hand towel holders.

Water and Wood has offered reclaimed brass rails of this kind, preserving their original construction while giving them a new domestic function.

The pieces retain signs of their previous use, including small marks and variations in the metal. Unlacquered brass also develops a patina over time, although regular polishing can maintain a brighter finish.

Contemporary Metalworking

For newly made pieces, Aurulent produces solid brass towel rails by hand in Suffolk, England.

Its designs are available in raw and antique brass finishes, with custom lengths offered on request. Raw brass changes colour naturally through use and exposure, making the material itself part of the design.

These examples show two approaches to bathroom hardware: adapting an existing object for a new purpose or commissioning a functional piece made using traditional metalworking skills.

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