Vintage Inspired Shelf Towel Rack in Less Than 30 Minutes

Today we have a quick and easy project that can be done in less than 30 minutes. Gotta love that! I’m not a fan of the standard towel bar. Maybe it’s the neat freak in me, but I can’t stand it if the towels aren’t perfectly aligned. I prefer some sort of hook to hang my towels and I also like a custom look.

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I started with this vintage looking shelf that I found at Hobby Lobby. I loved the chippy finish as well as the pressed tin design. The knobs that I used for hanging the towels were also a Hobby Lobby find.

To begin with, I figured how far apart I wanted the knobs to be and marked it with a pencil. I spaced mine 6 3/4″ apart. I then drilled 4 holes for the threaded end of the knobs to go through.

The knobs I chose tread through from the front and are secured on the backside with a nut. I wanted the shelf to mount flush against the wall, so I needed to made a recessed area in the wood for the nut to go in. I used a 3/4″ wood bit to make this recessed area.

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screw coming through the back of the recessed area

In the first photo you can see the threaded end of the knob coming through the hole I drilled. I then placed a washer over the threaded end, see second photo. Finally the nutis placed on the threaded rod.

I then tightened all of the nuts with a socket wrench.

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all of the nuts tightened on the back of the shelf

On the back side of the shelf you can now see the 4 tightened nuts. Also notice the hollow area, this is where a 2 X 4 board will fit in for mounting.

mounting a 2x4 onto the wall to secure the shelf

I cut a 2 X 4 to fit the inside dimensions of the shelf. I then marked where studs were in the wall and skrewed the 2 X 4 piece of wood into the studs. This way it will be very secure and not fall off the wall.

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drilling through the top of the shelf into the 2x4 mounted on the wall for the towel rack

I next placed the shelf over the mounted 2 X 4 and put 2 screws in through the top of the shelf into the 2 X 4.

Now wasn’t that a simple and quick project! I love the way it turned out. I’m in love with the chippy finish and the mercury glass looking knobs. Not only is it pretty and functional for the towels, but its a fun spot to add a little decor.

If you would like to see the entire tour of this bathroom renovation click here. Displayed on the shelf is also one of our bathroom art FREE printables. The fabulous photography above the shelf can be found at Alex Dickson Photography.

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