This Stunning Bathroom Detail Adds A Finishing Touch That'll Impress Your Guests

Napkin folding has been seen as the hallmark of fine dining since the 16th century, providing guests with an impressive display to appreciate before undoing their origami-like folds to wipe off their mouths. However, this kind of design work doesn't need to be locked to the kitchen or dining room table. Dubai-based home organizer Salam Shaban (also known as @tidymess_dxb) shared a "little guest towel inspo" on her Instagram page that shows how to design a decorative bathroom hand towel with added functionality: displaying a small houseplant. This finishing detail features a kangaroo-like pouch that Shaban uses to hold a sprig of leaves, with the flora visible while folded over her towel rack.

The bathroom display is relatively simple to accomplish when compared to similar activities like folding bed sheets. First, Shaban folds the towel halfway lengthwise, but doubles the edge of that fold back to layer two quarter-size strips. She then carefully takes the towel by its folded and flat ends around two-thirds of the way crosswise, making sure the first step holds as she flips the whole thing over with its one-third length now folded over the top. From there, the other side of the towel can be folded over and tucked inside the doubled-layered edge of that one-third length, ensuring the kangaroo pouch visible on the original top part of the towel can't easily come undone. With this simple design detail innocuously tucked into the corner for guests to discover, your bathroom will be ready to impress.

While Shaban's post presents a design idea that's sure to round out your bathroom's freshly laundered appearance ahead of a big dinner party, it does present one obvious concern: if your guest needs to dry their hands and no other options are available, it would be more cumbersome to remove the displayed plant before unfolding the towel (possibly with wet hands). In the comments, fellow home and lifestyle influencer @todoorganization recommended utilizing this folding technique for dining room napkins. Doing so opens up the option for hosts to display cutlery for their guests, especially important for flatware sets so pretty you almost don't want to eat with them.

There is plenty of competition to consider, as one might expect from an art form with over 400 years of history. Napkins can be displayed with shapes as simple as a pyramid to more complicated roses and flame patterns, whereas bathroom towels can be folded for flare akin to fancy spas, or with minimum creases to be preserved longer in storage. The way you fold your linens could vary based on the overall aesthetic of your bathroom, whether or not plants are involved, but don't feel like you have to wait on guests to get all fancy with it. Cleaning and decluttering regularly is a huge boon for your health and concentration, so a regular bathroom towel display may be just what you need to come home to after a long day.