How To DIY An Industrial-Looking Towel Rack Using Pipes

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If you like edgy decor that looks like it came out of a New York boutique hotel or renovated warehouse loft, you'll love this project. With a few pipes, you can create an industrial-style towel rack that adds character to any bathroom. All you need is a bit of creativity, and you'll turn a piece of hardware into a functional statement piece that's perfect to keep your towels tucked away and organized.

The idea is to use pipes and angle elbows to create a towel rack on a wall of your bathroom. But we're not talking about a regular horizontal towel rack for drying — this is a much more unique and interesting towel organization solution. For this, you'll place two parallel pipes vertically on the wall. Then, these can be used to fit rolled-up towels in between the wall and the pipe, making it a great place to keep extra towels organized in style.

For this hack, you'll need a few supplies that you can find at your local home hardware shop. These include four pipe floor flanges and four angle elbows. You'll also need six pipes in total: two long ones (around 36 inches) and four short ones (around 6 inches). You can also buy a can of spray paint to color the pipes, or skip this step if you like the look of exposed metal. Finally, to attach your DIY towel rack to the wall, you'll need a drill and screws. 

If you've chosen to paint the pipes, do so first. Lay the pipes, elbows, and floor flanges on a piece of cardboard and spray paint them.  To make spray paint DIYs much easier, you can invest in a Siebwin portable paint tent to avoid getting paint on your floor. When you're done and the pipes are fully dried, assemble the pieces. 

@pare.home

#smallbathroomdesign #bathroomstorage #towelstorage #bathroomremodel #diybathroom #bathroommakeover #diyhomeprojects #diygirl #diyhomeimprovement

♬ Shine On Top – Surfaces

The goal is to create two identical pieces or arms that stick out from the wall, roughly in a boxy C shape. Place one long pipe in the center, elbows on each end connecting to the shorter pipes, and floor flanges at the ends of the shorter pipes. These floor flanges are what will connect the pipes to the wall and hold it in place. They come with pre-made screw holes that you'll use to secure the two pipe structures vertically, parallel to each other, on your bathroom wall. Ideally, you'll want around 10 to 15 inches between the two racks, but it depends on the size of your towels. To be sure, properly fold a bath towel with the spa roll method and measure the roll's length. Subtract 6 inches from that length to find your ideal pipe distance (this will give your towels around 3 inches on each side once placed behind the pipes).

To customize this DIY, you can switch out paint colors. Or, use different colors for separate pieces: make the pipes black with the elbows golden, for example. Another option is to customize the size of the towel rack by choosing shorter pipes for the vertical pieces. With a shorter rack, fewer towels will fit, which is better suited for small apartments with one or two residents where you don't need that many towels.