There’s nothing like a house full of guests to make you want to get your sh** together! I’m frantically finishing off space after space in our house (guest room – check) before the holidays hit in full force. Even rooms that are “complete” can always use some seasonal upgrades. Case in point, our guest bath. It doubles as my son’s bath, which means it’s constantly a hot mess in there. But I decided I shouldn’t force my family to wade through a tub full of toys every day. Thankfully, just a few fixes helped transform my guest bathroom from babes in toyland…

To a gorgeous grownup retreat…

Step one is rather obvious – a serious bath toy purge. Thank goodness for large vanities and linen closets. After the clean up, creating a welcoming bathroom was simply in the details. I wanted to offer a soothing, calming space – the holidays are stressful enough as it is!

I started with the most important thing – brand new bath towels from my friends at Parachute (makers of my fave bed linens you might have seen here). Parachute reached out about showing off their new bath line at the perfect time. Because there’s nothing worse than staying somewhere with bad towels. You don’t want anything too thin or scratchy. Nothing that leaves you dripping wet no matter how many times you towel off. You have to have something super soft and super absorbent and the Parachute bath collection certainly fits the bill. I mixed and matched textures combing their classic towels in gray with the waffle weave in white and topped off the look with their classic white looped bathmat. It feels so nice and plush underfoot.

To achieve the desired soothing vibe, I stuck to a neutral palette with the rest of my accessories. This bathroom is a beautiful bright white, but natural materials and lots of texture; ceramics, bristle brushes, wood accents and brass hardware keep it from feeling stark. A few touches of darker details like a marble tray and vintage stool also add a graphic punch. It’s a good idea to have extra necessities at arms reach, so I added wooden baskets under the vanity for more towels and of course, toilet paper.

Since we’re lucky enough to have a nice large tub, I wanted to encourage our house guests to actually make use of it. A bath tray filled with accoutrements certainly make it hard to resist a good soak. The bathroom counter got cleared of its clutter, leaving space for a kickass circular vase that mimics the round mirror, a cute scrub brush and a vintage print. I’m a big fan of art in the bathroom (evidenced here). Parachute is also carrying robes and slippers which are a super luxe treat for guests. Because who ever travels with a robe!? All in all, I think I like my guest bath better than my master now! What do you think?

SHOP THE LOOK:  gray classic towels // white waffle towels // loop bathmat // slippers // robe / marble bath tray / swing lamp / fireclay floor and shower tile // storage baskets // bathtub tray// aesop soap

This bathroom turned out so purdy, we made a purdy little video about it. Give it a watch below!

original photography by andrea posadas 

This post is in partnership with Parachute. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thanks for supporting posts that have kept apartment 34’s doors open.