great picture, but I agree it will look better hung where the towel bar is now. Remove towel bar, hang picture in its place, and install some type of hooks for your towel on that vertical wall left of shower door. Pretty bathroom.

Hi, Aunt Jen .... congrats on your new house! (We chatted on the old GW board a while back, I live just west of you. I went by MizM, but rarely posted.)

I removed the towel rack from over our tub, and had a smaller one put to the side. Our shower also doesn't have a place for one near it.

My picture is canvas, and even after 10 yrs, it hasn't had any damage from humidity.

Attempting pics......

Another vote for removing the towel bar. I'm guessing it's the last thing you really want to do right now... But I agree that the picture will look really nice in that spot and that the bar is not ideally placed or essential.

I much prefer pegs or hooks to horizontal bars. Our home came with those towel bars hung in the most conspicuous places. I disliked them because it made the whole place look messy unless used towels were folded on them "just so." So I ended up just using them to hang decorative towels that we didn't use, which just collected dust.

When we repainted the bathrooms last year we finally took them down & patched. It was like a breath of fresh air. We attached a hook on the wall beside the tub to hang a towel while bathing or showering & put 2 on the back side of the bathroom door to hang them on afterwards.

Curious minds ... is that an outlet up by the ceiling?

Oh, wow! MizG (hi!), I think you've hit the nail on the head! Your set-up would work perfectly, and would actually put the towel in a more accessible place. I REALLY like that. I don't think a hook or peg will work on the narrow wall between the window and shower, as the shutters have yet to be installed and there will be an exterior frame of some sort added when they go in that will reduce that space even more. But MizG's fix looks ideal to me. Thank you so much!

CindyMac, that is an outlet by the celing! It's for a wall-mounted TV, which I really cant' imagine actually installing (particularly since there will be one in the bedroom just outside the bathroom door!) - but the more I THINK about it, the more I can envision a small one up there to keep me company while I'm in the shower. Ha!

I used Command hooks outside my shower. The towel bar was across the room between the tub and toilet. I removed the towel bar to hang a large format gros point (art work 1; towel bar 0). Here are the hooks I used. They've been in use about 6 years.

Command, huh? Those look really nice!

In many new homes they don't install towel bars. We built our home 20 years ago but in recent years have removed all the towel bars.

We don't have towel bars in any of our bathrooms. We have hooks. We only had space for one hook in our master bath, so my towel goes there, and DH actually uses a hook on the back of our bedroom door. My kids also keep their towels on the backs of their bedroom doors.

I love the double towel bar in our main bath. It's a small room and the bar keeps the towels looking neater. I use hooks for our robes.

I keep meaning to ask ... have you checked the outside view through the glass blocks at night? The girl next door put glass blocks in her master remodel and the guy living on the other side can see shapes when she has the light on.

My problem with hooks and knobs is that it would seem used towels would not dry and thus get smelly. On a towel bar they're spread, so more circulation for them to dry. No???

i don't have a towel bar near shower and I miss it greatly. Shower is next remodel project and I'm looking hard for a way and space to install a bar. @suntjen, I like mizGs idea as a solution for you. I have 3 framed pics in bathroom and moisture has never been a problem

That particular picture should be seen straight on, don't you think? It's at the wrong end of the tub for that, and maybe the wrong angle from the vanity. You'd only be able to see it properly from the shower, an I'm not sure which way you'd be standing (and I'm blind in the shower without my glasses anyway)

Actually, the visibility of the picture will be just fine over the tub, and I'm discovering this is probably the best place I'm going to have for it in the house. I'm going to use my English artwork in the master bedroom and bathroom, instead of interspersing it with my Native American stuff throughout the rest of the house. I know - I'm weirdly eclectic. ;-)

Re being able to see shapes through the glass block: I think I've become immodest in my middle age, because honestly, if someone is THAT desperate to catch a glimpse of a human shape, I say let 'em look! ;-) Seriously, though, on the outside of that glass block window is our backyard - within our privacy fence - so in order for someone to really be seeing anything, they would have to come into the fence and be boldly standing back there, trying to catch sight of something. All of the homes in our small neighborhood have glass block bathroom windows, so I'm thinking there are surely more alluring people around me to attract the peeping toms.

Thank you all so very much for input. You've really helped me to think this through!

the picture will look good there (once the towel rod is removed! :)

I have never had a tv in the master bath, but would probably put one in if there was an outlet there too... I would turn on the morning news and have it on when cleaning the bathroom! (as long as you don't hang in the bathroom every night watching the new late show with Colbert! :)

agree about the glass block... indistinct images wouldn't bother me either! who cares. everyone knows there's a naked body under our clothes... someone's imagination would see something a lot more vivid than what can be seen behind glass block... dim the lights and quickly get seated in the tub if concerned!

You have plenty of room to hang the picture above the towel bar without it interfering with putting towels on or off the bar. Just separate the two items by 18" or so. That said, I think the picture is a little too small for the space.

It's funny, but in person the painting doesn't look small for the space at all. I think the photos just aren't "translating" properly here. But hey, if I put it up and it DOES look a little small, that will be my arguing point for getting a little TV hung up above. (See how I worked that?) ;-D

I have the same window over the tub and tried putting a watercolor print in the same spot. It is framed with glass, and you could never really see the picture good because of the sunlight glaring on the glass. Ended up moving it.

I've been having second thoughts about the painting I was SO keen to hang over the tub. I love it, BUT - I'm now thinking that I don't want anything there that will be too large. I want the focus to be on the glass block window. I feel I DO need SOMETHING there, but I'm just not sure what. Perhaps a painting, photo, or print that is longish and narrow, just enough to add a little pop of color and interest to the wall. I really like the abstract seascape in the link below, but it's waaaaaay too big for the space. There is something about an abstract seascape that greatly appeals to me for this area though. Any suggestions?

Waves at Dawn

how about a shelf to hold folded towels, washcloths and products in pretty containers?

Sure put it up over the towel rack and get tan towels so as not to detract from the picture. I have art in all my bathrooms, no need to take out the rack.

ditch the bar and hang the painting! Much more satisfying.

I agree bars function better than hooks, but only if people bother to use them properly; most dont

And some of you would have a heart attack; my tub is in a picture window alcove on the ground floor. And I only reluctantly hung WT about a yr ago. The gardener is unusually friendly to me, though.

I'm not sure why I'm so obsessed with this space over the tub, but I am. I go back and forth between thinking I need something hung there (heck, I even found a 40x40 canvas that I liked a little while ago - talk about not being sure of what I want!), and thinking I'll just leave it bare and let the glass block take center stage.

If you are that indecisive, I would wait a while. Focus on other areas of the house and I'm sure you will eventually decide what you want above the tub.

I decided to put this over my tub so I can relax and pretend I'm at Grand Canyon. I think I need a shelf on the left wall .

Ohhhh, I like that very much! I've got some canyon paintings too and I also like to pretend I'm there. :-)

I was a consignment shop purchase - $29.00! I couldn't believe it hadn't been snatched up. I was so excited to find it. I wish I knew more about the artist.

Is this a contender at all for this space?

The frame color is a contrast to the ORB fixtures but is sort of a champagne shade that works well with the tile. Not the seascape direction I thought I'd go, but I already HAVE this painting and I really do like it.

Absolutely yes - love it! I'm seeing a painted wooden shelf with a towel bar attached to tie in the colors of the frame with your room.... Girl - you have some artwork ;-).

Love that last one a lot! I mix gold with my ORB ... the ORB is a rubbed finish, with gold tones underneath (mine is, anyway). I think they mix very well. :)

Thank you! I hung it. I like it!

Now I'm wondering how THIS one would look hung in the space over the towel ring next to the window. It's a courtyard in Santa Fe, and I really like the rendering of the water feature. These would be the only two pieces of art in this room.

It's definitely a gold (wood) frame.

I'd go for it. I like the scenic paintings in your bath. I liked the first one, but like both of these better -- and they pair together nicely.

I hung the second one and I like it too! I don't know why it took me so long to even consider these. Does this one need to go up a bit higher?

Of course, the temp window shade isn't doing the room any favors. ;-)

A little closer up, you can see where it is in relation to the mirror. Maybe the height is ok?

Edit: I'm not sure why the color of my towels isn't translating well in these photos, but they seem to have a violet hue on my screen. In person, they are really more of a soft, faded denim shade. Kinda thinking a soft sage green might have been a better choice though.

I was SO excited about my new/old artwork that I felt inspired to keep "shopping" around the house, and now this little crystal candy jar that was tucked away in the cabinet is holding my oh-so-important cotton swabs.

I am such a dork, but this is fun!

rgrs, who is the artist of your painting?

Jen, it is Edith Iverson. I've searched several times online trying to find information about her. The painting was framed by a gallery in Arizona that is no longer in business.

I like the last painting you hung and it looks good where it is. You've inspired me - now I want to get something to go in that area in my bath. Crystal looks good in there. Isn't it fun to shop in your own stuff?

Notice the granite - LOL. I wish my mirrors were dark like yours.

I would remove the towel hook - don't use it anyway. I have two more at the end of the vanity for hand towels. I thought it was strange at first when we bought the house, now I like the clean look. They can't be seen from the doorway. I wouldn't have chosen the tile border or the corner tub. I would have put a clawfoot. Maybe next house will have one.

rgrs, your bath is so lovely! Very spa-like and serene, and I think those hooks are very pretty too. It really is fun to look at your own things in a different light and think about how you could use them as you haven't used them before (as in that little candy dish I "rediscovered"). I really want a pretty soap dispenser, but haven't found one that I like yet. You'd think that would not be such a difficult task, but it seems like when I'm actively looking for something specific, it's often not easy to find!

I searched for Edith Iverson too and came up empty handed. Sometimes you can find an obituary for an artist, but I can't link anything to yours. She remains a mystery! ;-)

rgrs - you could easily paint your mirror frames. Darker would look nice.

Jen, love your paintings and where you hung them. I think the vertical height of the one by the tub is better for this spot than the other you were considering. I do love that other painting too though. Shaping up very nicely.

rgps, I like your mirrors as they seem to blend well with your granite and hardware, but I can see where you might want something that has a finish similar to your cabinets.

Thank you, OutsidePlaying! I'll have to find a new location for the painting of the doorway. With the glass, it really didn't work next to the glass block anyway. I know I could've replaced it with non-glare, but I think the canvases work better in the room anyway.

I just searched for "crystal soap dispenser" and found several. Here is an interesting link.

repurposed wedding gifts

Love those repurposed crystal items! Especially like the decanter for mouthwash. Even if you just kept those items in a cabinet and not out on display, what a pretty treat you'd have each time you opened the door!

I saw the mouthwash and think it looked nice but I don't think it is a good idea to keep anything containing alcohol in leaded crystal. Maybe use for bath oil or something.

auntjen, I love your artwork! The two you've chosen for your bath work very well together.

Now you've got me thinking about what I could hang in my future bathrooms!