Goodbye Boring Towel Holders — This '80s Thrift Store Find Is A Cuter Way To Hang Towels

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Seashells have been having a moment in jewelry and fashion accessories — with, for example, shell necklaces adorning the necks of runway models and celebs. Now the motif is making its way into home decor. After all, if you take your inspiration from the ocean, you only need a few simple tweaks to make your bathroom feel like a resort. There's good news for thrifters, too. A towel ring that was popular 30 to 40 years ago is making a comeback. It's stylish, affordable, easy to find on second-hand sites like Etsy and Poshmark — or, if you're lucky, at your local Goodwill — and, perhaps most importantly, shaped like a scallop shell.

Unlike a basic, boring towel ring, you can think of vintage Homco shell towel rings more like jewelry for your bathroom. Made in the 1970s and 1980s, this seashell-adorned bathroom fixture measures nearly 11 inches long and almost 8 inches wide. The rings were produced through injection-molding from Syroco plastic, a lightweight, durable material that was usually light cream in color. To ensure you're getting an authentic Homco-branded product, turn the product over and look for the words "Made in USA" and "HOMCO." There should also be a picture hanger on the back of the shell. While you're shell-maxxing your outfit this summer, ditch your traditional towel holder for this fun and unique solution to bathroom storage, too.

The Homco shell towel rings almost always came in a neutral color, such as cream or white. Occasionally, you'll come across other colors, such as gold, blue, and brown. If you're not a fan of a pale hue and don't care about authenticity, there's no harm in painting your thrifted find. For example, crafty TikToker terrilovesdesign gave her towel rings a contemporary upgrade with metallic spray paint. If you want to go this route, these time-saving tips make spray painting projects a breeze. To ensure the paint sticks to the plastic, thoroughly clean the towel rings and sand them lightly with a fine-grit sanding block. This gives the material some much-needed texture. Then, head outside and apply a light coat of paint primer, like Rust-Oleum's 2X Ultra Cover Spray Primer.

Once the primer is dry to the touch, which can take up to an hour, you can spray paint the Homeco towel rings in your color of choice. If you like terrilovesdesign's result, paint brands like Rust-Oleum and Krylon have metallic finishes that can give your towel bar an upscale look — for example, Krylon General Purpose Metallic Copper Spray Paint. Other colors include gold leaf, gold, black stainless steel, and silver. Apply as many coats as you need to fully cover the shell and ring, allowing each coat to dry between applications. If you're using the Homco towel rings in a humid bathroom, go the extra mile and apply a protective layer of Krylon ColorMaxx Acrylic Clear Finish.