Not A Ladder: The Clever Way To Store Blankets And Keep Them Off The Floor

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Blankets seem to have a way of ending up everywhere. Draped over the back of a couch, stuffed in a basket, or accidentally puddled onto the floor, they can make a living space feel more cluttered than it really is. While blanket ladders have become popular, they're not the only stylish option for keeping throws organized. Towel bars are an underutilized storage item for bedroom and living room storage that can offer a dedicated place to store throw blankets.

Wall-mounted towel bars can hold blankets nicely, without the extra bulk of a ladder. They have a few pros over ladders, baskets, and even a similar curtain rod hack for blanket storage. Unlike ladders and baskets, a wall-mounted bar doesn't take up any floor or shelf space. You can mount bars over a console, credenza, or short bookcase, without impeding on existing storage. The single bar has less visual weight than a ladder, so it puts more focus on the blankets if you want them to double as decor. 

With options to fit cramped bathrooms, you can find plenty of compact towel bars. They're a better small-space solution than curtain rods. Just keep in mind that these products are designed to hold towels, so you don't want to overload them; they're better for lighter throw blankets than hefty quilts. For heavy blankets, curtain rods tend to hold more weight but are also often longer. Towel bars are suitable for light blankets, are ideal for smaller spaces, and have some design features and configurations that might make them your top pick for blanket storage.

On top of the aesthetic look and compact size, towel bars can offer all sorts of design features you won't find in ladders and other organizers. Since they're mounted on the wall in a living space, you want them to match your style. Towel bars are usually made of metal and available in a variety of metal finishes, matte neutrals, and colorful options, too. It's also possible to find wood towel bars, like the SeaTeak Wood Towel Bar. If you want the bar to be even more of a design feature, look for bars with artistic embellishments, like the Ida Peacock Towel Bar. You can even find products that look more like a work of contemporary art, like the Ferm Living Curvature Towel Hanger.

Style is important, but so is functionality. If you have a lot of blankets, consider a multi-towel bar. A swivel towel rack like the Near Moon Swivel Towel Rack can hold several blankets and stack them in a small footprint. Even if you're a renter, you have options: try an adhesive version like the Command Towel Bar. There's a surprising amount of variety when it comes to choosing a towel bar. Not just for stylish towel storage, they offer a more distinctive and compact place to put blankets than ladders or baskets.