When the hard, labor-intensive projects are completed, it’s easy to pat yourself on the back for a job well done and walk away from a newly renovated bathroom, relishing the fact that you’re 95% done and you deserve a break. While that is definitely true – you did a wonderful job, the room is looking amazing, and you DO deserve a break – it’s slightly premature. There are a few things you need to consider, some finishing touches, that will bring the room’s completion to 100% and also make it look every bit as amazing as it deserves to look.

Finishing Touch #1: What Happens with Towels?

The towel situation in any bathroom is key. We’ll look at finishing touches to take care of (a) hand towels, and (b) bath towels.

For a very easy DIY hand towel holder, acquire some heavy-duty (6-gauge, for example) brass wire. I had a spare 12” piece, which I bent into an isosceles triangular shape large enough to hold a folded hand towel. (Note: Learn tips for this method in this article for DIYing a toilet paper dispenser.)

To hang the hand towel holder, you can simply screw a brass screw hook into a stud in the wall. However, if your wall doesn’t have a stud where you want to hang the hand towel holder, you’ll need to install a drywall anchor that fits your screw hook.

Simply hook your triangle hand towel holder onto your brass screw hook.

Fold and hang a towel. Viola. Done.

Nicely done. This is an important finishing touch that helps to complete your bathroom makeover.

Now it’s time to take care of bath towels.

You can opt for a towel rod if you like and hang it near the tub/shower. Or you can find some towel or coat hooks that speak to you and match the vibe of your bathroom and install those. These black and white striped Anthropologie hooks are perfect for the vintage-modern vibe I’m going for in this bathroom makeover.

Use a studfinder to locate the studs in your walls. If there aren’t studs in convenient or sensible positions, use the drywall anchor method that was described for hand towels.

Attach the hooks to the wall studs (or drywall anchors), taking care that they are straight and level with each other.

These hooks had to be high enough on the wall that hanging towels wouldn’t hit the baseboard heater but low enough that young children could reasonably be expected to keep their bath towels off the floor. Done. Hand and bath towels have been taken care of.

Finishing Touch #2: Does the lighting enhance or detract?

Great lighting is important in a bathroom, both for form and function. The above-vanity light fixture in this bathroom was exchanged for something vintage-inspired yet with a modern edge. However, there was still the main ceiling light that, in its generic builder-grade glory, felt completely out of place with all the other customized updates. The bathroom, with its ceiling-mounted shower curtain, needed something particularly bright, flat, and practically invisible. Enter: a flush-mount LED light.

Begin by flipping the breaker and ensuring that the electricity is off to the bathroom. Remove the existing light fixture’s dome and light bulbs, then unscrew the main nut on the mounting post a little way.

Rotate the entire base counter-clockwise so the two mounting screw heads fit over the larger part of the mounting holes. When the screws are positioned, pull the fixture away from the ceiling.

Remove the wire nuts, which join the fixture wires to the house’s wires. Be sure to hold the weight of the light fixture as you unscrew and remove these, so it doesn’t come crashing down.

You should notice three separate wires in the electrical box now – a white (or light) wire, a black (or dark) wire, and an uncovered wire. Tip: The color references pertain to the coating on the wires, not necessarily the wires themselves.

It’s almost time to begin hooking up your new fixture; however, you’ll want to adjust the depth of the mount screws if there is a large discrepancy between the old and new fixture. This is especially the case when you’re moving to a flush-mount LED light, as the base of those fixtures tends to be quite thin.

Lift the new fixture up to meet the wires in the ceiling.

Attach wires together with wire nuts (white to white, black to black, and ground to ground, which can sometimes be green-coated), then wrap electrical tape around the openings of the wire nuts for added insulation and protection.

Gently push all wires and wire nuts up into the electrical box to make room for the flush mount light.

When base can mount flush to the ceiling, push it onto the mounting screws, rotate clockwise, and tighten the screws. Then attach new fixture’s dome.

This flush-mount LED light fits the bill perfectly – it doesn’t distract or detract from the feeling of verticality in the bathroom, it is all white (and therefore minimally noticeable), and it is quite bright, which helps those bathing with the shower curtains pulled closed.

Finishing Touch #3: Can I fit in artwork on the walls?

Every bathroom could benefit from some form of wall decoration, particularly artwork. In this bathroom makeover, we wanted artwork that would both continue the vertical emphasis and bring in a bit of color. To facilitate the eye’s ability to travel this small space vertically (and thus make it feel larger than it actually is), we added in two small black-and-white chunky striped square mirrors above the towel hooks. These simple wall decorations connect the hooks themselves with the rest of the space beautifully.

In order to bring in a bit of color without counteracting from the entire white, airiness of the bathroom, a vintage-inspired poster was framed and mounted on the blank wall above the toilet. The poster is Mineralogie, a decorative paper by Cavallini& Co. The content is simple and graphic, with colors that are rich yet muted and surrounded by plenty of white space. All in all, this poster is a perfect blend of vintage + modern, which makes is a lovely artwork choice for the bathroom.

Finishing Touch #4: Do accessories have form + function?

Bathroom accessories can range from complex vignettes atop bathroom shelving to a simple soap dish on the countertop…and everywhere in between. The important thing to consider when incorporating bath accessories into your updated space is their ability to add beauty and/or usefulness to this function-focused space. A rug, for example, will always look well in the bathroom, although it should probably be 100% cotton to increase its easy cleanability. And a simple vintage brass bowl works great for holding a soap bar at the sink. Just take care to keep accessories well edited so they don’t overtake the space.

Note: The author is an experienced, although not professional, DIYer. Neither the author nor Homedit is responsible for any injury or damage that may be a result of following this tutorial.