Elevate The Look Of Your Pantry Shelves With A Towel Bar Hack

Some homeowners hide their pantry behind a door, but if you're an ambitious interior designer, you can opt for open shelving instead. This idea requires a bit of organization. Any pantry clutter quickly becomes an eyesore that's visible from anywhere in your kitchen — or further afield if you have an open-plan living space. If you go this route, there are things you might regret organizing on open shelves, such as old appliances, cleaning products, or fragile dishware that's prone to breaking if it falls. You can pop the former in cabinets to hide them. If the latter is nice, you want to display them. One way to keep them protected (and add a little pizzazz to your pantry shelves at the same time) is to mount towel bars as shelf guard rails.

These rails serve a functional purpose: they stop items from falling off your open pantry shelving. However, they also transform plain shelves from utilitarian to high-end. For this project, you'll need to pick the right towel bars for your kitchen's aesthetic. For the most subdued, affordable alternative, repurpose some cheap towel bars — for example, these black LFSEMINI 24-Inch Stainless Steel Towel Bars are just $6 each. Metallic rails are arguably the fanciest option. For example, bronze bars look great in rustic kitchens, because they age imperfectly, developing a patina over time. A four-pack of gold-finished SHYP Aluminum Shelf Rails costs almost $110 and looks undeniably luxe. If you have stainless steel appliances, get a two-pack of SOBS 22-Inch Stainless Steel Shelf Front-Fence Guard Rails for about $70 to match. You'll also need a drill, pencil, and a tape measure to complete this easy project.

Mounting a shelf rail — whether purpose-made or originally designed for hanging towels — is much easier than mounting bars to a wall. You don't need to fight against gravity. You should have already measured your shelf and selected rails that fit. If your shelf is really long, you can use more than one rail — space them evenly along the edge. Then, measure the thickness of the shelf board and make sure the screws you use to attach the rails are just a little shorter than that measurement. Lay the rail on the shelf and use a pencil to mark the location. Once you've confirmed the look, drill the rail (or rails) into place.

If you have an older home and prefer home décor with a bit of life to it, skip the hardware store or online retailers and shop for your rails secondhand. It may take longer, but you can come across some unique items, such as the vintage brass rails featuring faux faucets and authentic verdigris found by YouTuber and passionate upcycler Jami Ray Vintage. Open pantry shelves aren't the only clever spots to use thrifted towel bars to organize your home, either. For example, you can mount a long rail to a shelf in your entryway. Add some hooks and woven baskets, and it becomes a coat rack and drop zone. Towel bars are the secret organization weapon your closet needs, too — install them as guard rails on shoe shelves to keep your footwear in place.