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Forget disguising it, and forget any shelves. Leave well enough alone. You want to have that be front and center so that it gets used. Poor ventilation is the cause of so much moisture damage in bathrooms. You might even want to upgrade it.

But I really want to decorate that wall ! Lol it’s the only wall in my ensuite that is not covered by mirror

This is the wall

Other side

When you say vent switch, do you mean bathroom exhaust fan? If it is, that is a really weird spot for the switch. I would pay to have an electrician move it.

Looks like art would distract from the switch. The shelf would create several problems I think. The protrusion from wall would be awkward in the long narrow space. A shelf above the towel bar would make it awkward to put towels on the bar without knocking the shelf. So, I think that leaves art as the answer - something great to see in the mirror & maybe a gallery of sorts with different sizes so the switch blends in, I’d also find a paintable plate cover & paint it same color as wall. If there’s a better location for the towel bar that would also reduce emphasis on switch. Maybe even change out the bar to towel hooks?

Absolutely can't put shelves below it because you'd knock it every time you used a towel. It would be very irritating. I'd paint the outlet to match the wall color and mount the plate shelves above it. I'd put one shelf higher than the other and on the other side of the outlet, so your eye is drawn "up and away" from the outlet.

A large piece of art above the switch. Done.

Either hang art or hang wallpaper.

Paint the plate same color as wall. Hang art and then move on.

No to shelves, like others said that bathroom is too narrow for it. And you should absolutely not be hiding something as necessary as a vent switch.

You can relocate a switch by hard wiring a wireless controller to it. This would require anyone who feels comfortable dealing with wiring. It would be way cheaper than paying to have the wires moved, since no drywall work would need to be done. (The only thing is you would want to uninstall it when you sell, but that's easy.) Then you can cover up the old switch with artwork.

I have this one and it's great. The switch is wireless and you can put it anywhere you want. The blue "controller" is hard wired to where the old switch was, and is tucked into the electrical box. Then you just close it up with a blank plate, and hang artwork over it.

(The switch is the same size as a standard "decora" switch, so you can put any trim plate around it you want.)

How about a beautiful wallpaper or mural on that wall? That way you could decorate and "hide" the plate without having shelves stick out into a narrow space. Any art is going to look like just a thing hanging on the wall... clutter... from the side. Shelves will be worse and could actually hurt you.

Once again we shake our head and wonder who thought that would be a good place for a switch?

What is it venting to?

Have an electrician move it, then put in another towel bar. If you then feel you need shelves, you will need something longer than 22".

Looking at this again, I would either leave as it or wallpaper. Because the room is so narrow, art would be lost because you don't have a long view. Any art will just hang there, unappreciated. Or, add another towel bar as shirlpp suggested and get some colorful towels. The white ones are just blah.

Also, I would replace the art that is next to toilet with something that is more vertical. What is hanging there now is undersized for the space. It needs something that is about the same width but 2-3x longer/taller.

Not sure I agree with ci_lantro about the art above towel bar being unappreciated. True there’s no long view but seems it would be reflected in the mirror over the sink so you will see the art while facing mirror. Certainly a better view than the bare wall & switch plate. I do agree the small art over toilet is very undersized & that some pretty towels would add personality to space.

When you say “plate shelf”, do you mean you want to display plates in the bathroom? 2 thoughts: you want to display something that protrudes as little as possible (narrow bath), so a framed piece of wall decoration seems a better choice; the previous owners of our house had plates hanging on the walls in the primary bathroom, and I’ve got to say, it was really odd to us….plates in a bathroom? Just my thoughts……

What if you did away with the towel bar and put up hooks to hang your towels?

I just wanted to put shelves up to be able to put up some decor. It’s just a long boring wall. Not sure why they put the switch on the middle of the wall lol . I like the idea of removing the towel bar and just have hooks.

The plate shelves are just narrower than regular shelves. I don’t want to display plates. Lol I was thinking some small succulents and wall art. But I think there are better ideas shared here! Thank you!!!

I have not used towel bars for years , no one ever folds the towel properly so hooks are awesome. I agree have the switch moved then you can do waht ever you like on that wall.

Hang a nice picture or painting above it in a frame with glass to protect it from moisture. Can you use a small paint brush to paint the switch to match the wall?

Is that a vent switch or a humidity sensor? Do you activate the vent fan, or does it come on automatically? That annoyance may be important.

I pretty much asked the same question @Otter Play, and think this is a rental so they can't move the switch.

They make paintable switch plate covers. I'd get one of those and paint it the same color as your wall, then hang some art on that wall instead. As others have pointed out, you don't have enough width to add shelves.

I initially suggested artwork on the wall but then discarded it.

Reasons being that a large piece is needed which would be more costly and I wouldn't want to drop $$ in a space where it wasn't much appreciated. True that it would be reflected in the mirror. But one generally is not focused on decor when you're using the mirror. Discarded because the frame would likely get bumped constantly when the towels were placed on the towel bar. And, something that would accumulate towel lint and need dusting often.

Which isn't to say that I would not hang art there if I already owned a piece that would work and one that I would be too troubled about if it got damaged by humidity or by just being hung in a tough spot.

Perhaps soft art like a tapestry, weaving, decorative rug rather than framed art?

It’s a button to turn in my vent. I have an air exchanger that turns on when I push the button do not your typical bathroom “vent”.

Some humidity exhaust fans are wired to a humidity sensor which turns on the fan automatically.