Part two of my “Must-Have Measurements for the Home Guide”: Where to hang towel bars, towel rings, hooks, vanity mirrors, showerheads, and more! ⟹
When we remodeled two of our upstairs bathrooms, it was a great feeling to be to the “hanging the towel rods and toilet paper holders” step because that meant we were done!
But since the former holes were either covered up or we had moved things around, we had no idea where the proper place for all of these bathroom accessories was. It’s something we see and use every day that seems at the right height for everyone but I had never even taken notice of where that “right” place was.
So in Part Two of my “must-have measurements for the home” guide, I’m sharing all of the standard measurements that I found in my research that I thought you might find helpful whenever you are sprucing up your own bathroom.
I’ve broken it down into four categories to make it easier to find what you are looking for and at the bottom of this post you can find the links to the other three parts…guidelines for placing lighting, artwork, and furniture. I’ve even included a cheat sheet with all of the basic numbers from each post in Part 4 that you can print and keep on file!
So where should we hang everything in the bathroom?
Part 2: The correct height for bathroom fixtures.
How high to hang towel bars.
The standard recommended height for towel bars is 48″ from the floor. This can vary depending on what’s on your wall space that you have to work around (light switches, plugs, counters, etc.) This height leaves room for the towels to hang freely and not touch the floor when folded over the bar and is easily accessible to most people using it.
How high to hang towel rings.
As with towel bars, towel rings will also hang 48″ from the floor to the bottom of the ring. Since towel rings are mostly used for hand towels beside the sink they often hang above a vanity. In this case the towel ring should hang 20″ above a counter to the bottom of the ring.
How high and where to hang toilet paper holders.
How about TP holders? These are supposed to be hung 26″ from the floor. The recommendation is also that they should be within 8-12″ from the front of the toilet seat. In a perfect bathroom world this is easy, but bathrooms can be one of those rooms where everything is forced into a small space. I have this issue in a couple of our bathrooms. When we remodeled my daughter’s bathroom we ended up putting the toilet paper holder on the same wall as the toilet. We all took turns taking a seat and acted out reaching for the TP and unanimously decided this was the best scenario even though it was a little strange for it to be behind instead of in front.
How high to hang robe/towel hooks.
The height recommendation for robe or towel hooks is 70″ from the floor. These hooks are so useful in the bathroom! In our master bath, there was no room for a towel bar beside the shower. We solved it by putting a hook there instead and whenever we get into the shower we hang our towel there so that it will be waiting when we come out. In fact, in smaller bathrooms, exclusively using hooks for bath towels is a great space saver! There’s no law that a full bath has to have a towel bar, after all.
How high to hang the shower rod.
For a standard length 72″ shower curtain, the shower rod should be 75-77 inches from the floor. This keeps the curtain from touching the floor while keeping the liner in the tub.
A designer tip when hanging shower curtains is to hang them higher up to create the illusion of a larger bathroom. I did this in both of our upstairs bathrooms. That along with taking the shower tile up to the ceiling really does make these bathrooms feel bigger! But remember you must have a longer than standard shower curtain to create this look. And also keep in mind whether you’ll be blocking out all of the light when the curtain is closed.
How high to hang vanity mirrors.
Here are a couple of ways to find the optimum mirror height:
- Hang the mirror centered between the vanity light and the counter if the light is already in place.
- Hang the mirror 5”-10” inches above the counter or a few inches above the top of the faucet.
You’ll want to take into account who will be using the mirror the most and put it where there is at least a foot of mirror above their eye level. So if you have very tall family members or small children adjust the height so they can easily see themselves.
How high to hang showerheads, valves, tub spouts, and wall faucets.
For showerheads, tub spouts, and water controls there are several considerations that need to be taken into account. Some areas have building codes for where the shower fixtures should be. The height of your shower and family members also figures in. Just like with the toilet paper holder, have family members stand in the shower and act out reaching for the water control knob(s) and take the average height that’s best for everyone as well as a height for where the showerhead will clear everyone’s head.
The general recommendations for these fixtures are:
- Shower valves (water controls) should be installed around 38″-45″ above the ground.
- For tub/shower combos, the valve should be installed 8″-18″ above the tub spout.
- Showerheads should be hung 80″ from the ground.
- Tub spouts should be placed 12″-18″ above the tub rim.
I adore the look of sink wall faucets, but have never actually had one. If you are lucky enough to be putting a wall faucet in over your vanity, the recommendation here is that it should be hung about 4-5” over the sink. Just make sure there is at least one inch between the bottom of the spout and the sink’s overflow hole.
Where to hang bathroom vanity sconces.
We also covered sconces in part 1 of the home measurements guide, but since they are something hung in the bathroom I wanted to add it here as well.
- Flanking a bathroom mirror: 60-65″ from the floor to the junction box and 36-40″ apart.
- Above a vanity mirror: 6″ between the top of the mirror and the junction box
- Above a counter: 60″ from the floor to the junction box and a minimum of 24″ above the counter
When hanging bathroom sconces beside the vanity mirror, the size of the mirror dictates how close together and how high the sconce should go. The placement of a sconce above the vanity mirror can depend on the space available above the mirror and the sconce’s size.
I hope you found this must-have measurements guide for the bathroom helpful!
Pin this for reference later:
In case you missed the other four posts, Part 1 was all about lighting…where to hang it and what size to choose:
Part 3 was about where to hang Artwork:
And Part 4 was about where to put Furniture and Area Rugs.
And don’t forget the free printable of the basic numbers from all four parts is in the subscriber only library in the footer menu. If you’re not already a subscriber, I hope that you’ll sign up so we don’t lose touch. I have lots of fun freebies in the library you may be interested in!
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