How to Decorate a Double Vanity Countertop

Published on January 14, 2020

We had house guests over the holidays. As I was preparing the recently-renovated upstairs bathroom (also my girls' bathroom) for them, I realized that the counter top situation needed some attention.  I polled my girls on what they felt they needed to keep on the counter top, and then asked our house guests the same question.

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Feedback From My Girls, Guests, and IG Friends

Here are the answers I received from my girls, my guests, and my Instagram friends about what should be kept out on a double vanity counter top (or any bathroom counter really):

Girls

• A towel they are allowed to use to wash their faces or wipe their dirty hands on (I don't allow them to use the pretty hand towels for these things...those are only for drying wet hands).
• Qtips
• A dish for retainers (only when guests are not staying with us)
• Flowers (requested by my Noelle)

Guests

• Soap pump at each sink
• Extra hand towels that the girls don't use (Believe me, I get this one)
• Extra wash cloths
• Qtips (this is my input as a guest...I ALWAYS need Qtips)
• A box of Kleenex

Instagram Friends

• Cotton balls
• Extra wash cloths
• Qtips
• A box of Kleenex
• Flowers
• Extra toiletries (travel-sized ones like in hotels)
• Lotion
• Candle

Double Vanity Counter Top Ideas on Pinterest

After compiling all that information, I set out to find examples of how to decorate a double vanity counter top on Pinterest.  However, most images I found were staged and really only provided examples of where things should go, rather than what items should be on a bathroom counter. Here are the different ideas I pinned:1. || This idea isn't super practical, but it's beautiful. I feel like all those smaller things should be corralled onto a tray next to the potted olive tree. 2. || I love the composition of everything on this double vanity counter top, though I wouldn't select sponges and bars of soap for those beautiful apothecary jars (just not practical). It covers all the bases except Kleenex, which could easily replace one of the extra silver objects in the middle.3 ||This one is far too minimal for everyday use or guest bathroom purposes. I thought the idea of placing a vase of fresh greens or flowers behind  a tray full of practical items was genius though!4 || This look is nice and clean, but covers most of the bases. I think the only thing that's missing is some greenery. Having that center towel ring is really practical and pretty as well.5 || If you don't need to keep daily things out, this beautiful setup by Studio McGee might work for you. It also gives you an idea of how to arrange similarly-sized objects. 6 || I included this image because it's another good example of how to arrange things on a double vanity counter top. I love having something fresh (greens or flowers), but then leaving room for the practical stuff and placing the soap pumps off to the sides.

What I Placed on Our Double Vanity Counter Top

After all my searching and inquiring, I finally decided on the items I felt were necessary as well as nice to have out on the double vanity in my girls'/guest bathroom. It's a conglomeration of all the above ideas without being overwhelming or impractical.It's nice and tidy, but that woven tray holds everything my girls and guests need. Anything else I thought would be nice to have on hand is on the shelves above the toilet.

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A Closer Look at the Items I Chose

• Kleenex in a beautiful marble cover
• candle
• extra wash cloths (white so they can be bleached)
• Qtips
• fresh greenery
• soap pumps at each sink
• woven tray from Target to corral everything (not offered online - here are my favorite woven trays)

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I chose not to put lotion out on the counter because we don't have enough guests stay with us to warrant having that out all the time. Also, nobody in my family really uses cotton balls unless we are taking off fingernail polish. Here's an overhead shot so you can get a better look at how I arranged the tray.

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I'm so happy with how this turned out because I finally feel like I can stop thinking about what to put between these two sinks!I hope these ideas for how to decorate a double vanity counter top truly are helpful. I try to see gaps in what's out there (especially via Pinterest search) and fill them with practical information you can apply in your own home. Personally, this process has been so helpful because now I know the upstairs bathroom is serving my girls' everyday needs but is also prepared for any house guests we might have.I'd love to hear what you think of these ideas in the comments below!*Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest for even more inspiring images and ideas!CLICK HERE FOR ALL SOURCES FOR MY GUEST/GIRLS' BATHROOM