Of all the available woodworking supplies, dowel is perhaps one of the most remarkable. In addition to being quite versatile, it is also equally economical. With this unique and beneficial combination comes the opportunity to craft home decorum or woodwork home improvements. The uses of dowel can be implemented in all areas within the home, even the bathroom. Here are some ideas for using dowel to improve your bathrooms.
Use a sturdy wooden dowel to hang a shower drape. Often the fabrics used for shower drapes are quite bulky and enhance the aesthetics of perhaps one of the typically more mundane rooms of a house. A shower drape adds beauty to a shower and the overall decor of a bathroom, while also providing additional privacy. The same concept is applicable to curtains or valances in the bathroom. Depending upon the weight of the fabric, a dowel can be used to add both beauty and privacy within the bathroom. With little more than the purchase of the necessary fabric, a dowel, and some mounting supplies, an improvement can be made quickly and relatively inexpensively.
Consider using wood dowels for storage as well. In a similar fashion, a free-standing towel storage rack can be made much like a quilt rack. If doing laundry is off by several days or is delayed, this nifty contraption provides a great way to allow wet, freshly used towels to dry, thereby avoiding a mildew mess.
Avoid the clutter that comes from using the back of a toilet as a means of storage. Use wood dowel to craft a small magazine, book, or newspaper rack. For bathrooms with limited space, consider adding the rack to the bottom of the towel storage rack. Such a contraption serves a dual function, saves already limited space, and allows the craftsman to explore many creative options that result in the finished item.
Again for bathrooms with limited space or for those whose storage or linen closets may be housed outside of the bathroom itself, consider a novice craft for storage by creating a toilet paper dispenser. A dowel can be used as a free-standing towel paper dispenser. Mount the dowel to a wooden base and place extra rolls of toilet paper one on top of the other on a nine to 12 inch piece of dowel. The crafter is able to determine the size best suited to his or her family’s needs and bathroom decor. Consider woodworking a back that is attached to the wooden base and runs vertically parallel to the dowel itself. The back can be ornate or simply carved, painted or stained.
Another simple means by which to provide some storage is by crafting an over- the-door hanger. Use wood dowel as pegs on which to hang bathrobes, pajamas, or a change of clothes. A pegged over-the-door hanger can also be made and used as an alternative for, or in addition to, a free-standing towel rack for hanging towels.
These are just a few simple ideas for using hardwood dowel to improve one’s bathroom decor or storage. However, so many more creative possibilities exist. Using dowel, your imagination, and your woodworking skills, great things can happen!