The bathroom is often the last room we think about styling, yet it's the first space we use every morning and the last at night. The good news is that you don't need new tiles or a new vanity to change how it feels. A handful of well-chosen accessories can turn a purely practical room into something that feels calm, warm and a little bit luxurious.

1. Clear the counter first

Nothing makes a bathroom feel more stressful than a cluttered vanity. Before adding anything new, take everything off the counter and only put back what you use every day. Everything else goes into a cupboard, a drawer or a lidded basket.

2. Corral the everyday with a tray

Once the counter is clear, group the daily essentials on a tray. It instantly makes a collection of bottles look intentional, and it makes cleaning far easier because you lift one thing instead of ten.

The Vanity Rectangular Tray (pictured above) is sized for a basin counter. For a double vanity or a bath ledge, the larger Rectangular Woven Tray gives you room for candles and a small vase too.

3. Hide the packaging

Branded bottles and cardboard boxes are visual noise. Decant hand soap and lotion into plain dispensers and sit them in a Soap and Lotion Bottle Caddy. Slip a Tissue Box Cover over the tissues, and keep cotton wool and buds in a lidded Cotton Wool and Cotton Bud Holder. These are small changes, but together they make the room look considered rather than cluttered.

4. Why woven works so well in bathrooms

Bathrooms are full of hard, cold surfaces: tiles, porcelain, glass and chrome. Natural woven textures soften all of that and bring in warmth, which is exactly what makes hotel and spa bathrooms feel so relaxing. Woven pieces also tie the bathroom to the rest of the home if you have rattan, cane or timber elsewhere.

Care tip: Keep woven accessories out of direct splash zones, wipe them down with a dry cloth, and make sure the room is well ventilated so they can dry out after a steamy shower.

5. Make laundry look good

A plastic laundry hamper can undo all your other efforts. A lidded woven basket hides the washing and looks like a piece of furniture. The Laundry Basket with Lid works in a bathroom or bedroom, and a smaller Basket with Lid is perfect for spare toilet rolls or hair tools.

6. Invest in good towels and display them

Towels are the biggest soft element in a bathroom, so they have a big effect on the look. Choose one or two colours, ideally natural tones like oat, stone or white, and stick to them. Turkish Waffle Weave Towels dry quickly, which matters in humid coastal towns, and they bring a lovely texture.

If you're short on rail space, lean a Bamboo Ladder against the wall and drape towels over the rungs. It's practical and looks relaxed and natural.

7. Finish with something living

A plant or a few stems in a small vase is the final touch. Most bathrooms suit humidity-loving plants such as ferns or pothos. Even a single green stem on the vanity makes the space feel fresher.

The short version

• Clear the counter and only keep daily essentials out.
• Group those essentials on a tray.
• Decant and hide branded packaging.
• Use woven textures to warm up hard surfaces.
• Swap plastic hampers for lidded woven baskets.
• Choose one or two towel colours and display them well.
• Add something green.

Shop the full range of woven bathroom accessories at Exclusiv Spaces. Decor orders of R1,000 or more ship free in South Africa. Planning a bathroom refresh? Chat to one of our designers on WhatsApp.