20 Ways to Style Above Toilet

That awkward wall above the toilet can either look completely forgotten or become one of the prettiest little spots in your bathroom. I have found that ways to style above toilet spaces work best when they balance decoration with practicality. You do not need a huge renovation, a custom cabinet, or a bathroom the size of a hotel suite.

I have worked with plenty of small-space decorating ideas, and the wall above the toilet always gives me the same thought: why waste perfectly good vertical space? A few shelves, some artwork, a mirror, or even a little greenery can completely change the feel of the room.

And no, you do not need to put a tiny inspirational sign saying “Wash Your Hands” above it. We all know.

Why Should You Style the Space Above the Toilet?

The wall above the toilet often becomes an accidental dead zone. You have a perfectly usable vertical surface, but because the toilet already occupies the lower part of the wall, many people simply leave everything above it empty.

That approach can work in a minimalist bathroom, but most bathrooms benefit from a little visual interest. Above toilet decor can add storage, color, texture, personality, or even make a small bathroom feel more finished.

House Beautiful recently featured designers who take very different approaches to styling toilets. Some designers prefer to minimize the toilet visually, while others happily style the tank area with flowers, candles, and small decorative pieces.

“I almost always style the back of a toilet.”

— Leslie Davis, House Beautiful

I think that sums up the whole debate nicely. You do not have to decorate the space, but you absolutely can if you make the arrangement feel intentional.

What Looks Good Above a Toilet?

Before you start hanging random shelves and buying baskets, think about what your bathroom actually needs.

Do you need storage above the toilet? Add shelves or a cabinet. Do you want the bathroom to feel softer? Add artwork, wood, or greenery. Does the wall look painfully empty? A large mirror or framed print can solve the problem in minutes.

Scale matters too. A tiny frame floating alone above a large toilet can look lost, while an enormous cabinet can make a small bathroom feel cramped.

House Beautiful's bathroom design coverage repeatedly highlights the value of using vertical space in small bathrooms, including floating shelves installed above toilets for additional surface space.

So, what should you actually put there? Let's get into the ideas.

20 Ways to Style Above Toilet

Floating shelves rank among my favorite ways to style above toilet spaces because they combine decoration and storage.

Install two or three narrow wooden shelves above the toilet and use them for folded towels, small baskets, candles, plants, and decorative objects. Keep the shelves relatively shallow so they do not visually overwhelm the toilet.

I usually prefer natural wood in a bathroom because it instantly adds warmth to cold tile and white fixtures. If your bathroom already has black hardware, try a dark-stained shelf instead.

Keep the shelves lightly styled. A bathroom shelf does not need fifteen accessories competing for attention.

Who says bathroom walls cannot have personality?

A small gallery wall can make the area above your toilet feel more like a designed room rather than a purely functional bathroom. Mix two or three framed prints with different sizes while keeping a consistent color palette.

For a neutral bathroom, try:

• Botanical prints
• Vintage architectural sketches
• Black and white photography
• Abstract artwork
• Small vintage-inspired illustrations

I particularly like botanical artwork because it introduces organic shapes without making the bathroom feel visually busy.

House Beautiful notes that artwork can add warmth and personality to bathrooms, especially when the room relies heavily on hard surfaces and functional fixtures.

“It brings dimension to the everyday.”

— Linette Dai, House Beautiful

That feels especially true above a toilet.

You do not always need a gallery wall.

Sometimes one large piece of bathroom wall art looks much more sophisticated than several small pieces. Choose a frame that fills enough of the wall without touching the ceiling or making the toilet look visually tiny.

Try a muted landscape, abstract print, oversized botanical, or vintage-style artwork.

If you have a narrow bathroom, a vertical print can emphasize the height of the wall. A horizontal print can work better when you have a wider wall.

The trick involves choosing the artwork first and then resisting the temptation to add six more things around it.

A mirror can do much more than show you whether your hair survived the morning.

A decorative mirror above the toilet can reflect light and create the impression of more space, particularly in a small bathroom. Choose a round mirror for softer interiors or a rectangular framed mirror for a more structured look.

I especially like aged brass, warm wood, and black frames because they give a simple bathroom more character.

House Beautiful describes mirrors as useful tools for bouncing light, filling awkward wall areas, and making bathrooms feel larger.

If your bathroom lacks natural light, a mirror can become even more useful.

If your bathroom desperately needs storage, skip the purely decorative approach and make the wall work harder.

A recessed cabinet above the toilet can hold extra toilet paper, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and other bathroom essentials without taking up floor space.

A recessed design can also create a cleaner appearance because the cabinet sits within the wall rather than projecting far into the room.

Designer Zoë Feldman used recessed bathroom storage to maximize limited square footage in a compact bathroom renovation.

This option requires more work than hanging a shelf, but it can make a surprisingly big difference.

Want storage that looks warm instead of clinical?

Add woven baskets above the toilet.

Place two or three baskets on open shelves and use them to hide spare toilet paper, towels, toiletries, or other small bathroom supplies. Natural fibers can soften bathrooms that contain lots of tile, porcelain, glass, and metal.

I would choose baskets with slightly different sizes but similar textures. That gives the arrangement some personality without making it look chaotic.

For a small bathroom, choose shallow baskets so you can still reach everything easily.

Plants can completely change the mood of a bathroom.

A small pothos, snake plant, fern, or trailing plant can bring life to an otherwise hard-looking space. Place one on a shelf above the toilet or use a small hanging planter if your layout allows it.

Just make sure your chosen plant can handle the bathroom's light and humidity.

If your bathroom has no natural light, choose a realistic faux plant instead. There is no decorating medal for keeping a dying plant alive in a windowless bathroom.

A ladder-style shelf can give your above toilet decor a relaxed, slightly rustic appearance.

Choose a slim ladder shelf that sits close to the wall. Use its levels for rolled towels, baskets, small plants, and decorative accessories.

This approach works especially well in farmhouse, cottage, Scandinavian, and relaxed neutral bathrooms.

I would avoid filling every level. Leaving some empty space helps the whole arrangement breathe.

For a bathroom with character, look beyond ordinary wall art.

An oversized vintage frame can create a beautiful focal point above the toilet. You can leave the frame empty, place a small artwork inside it, or layer a smaller frame within a larger one.

Try this approach with:

• Antique-style gold frames
• Distressed wood frames
• Ornate black frames
• Carved natural wood
• Vintage architectural frames

This works particularly well in powder rooms because guests actually have time to notice the details.

If you want maximum impact without adding lots of objects, change the wall itself.

Wallpaper above the toilet can create a strong focal point while keeping the rest of the bathroom relatively simple. Choose botanical patterns, subtle stripes, vintage florals, geometric designs, or textured neutrals.

A small powder room gives you permission to experiment.

House Beautiful has highlighted powder rooms where designers use wallpaper to create a more immersive, jewel-box-like effect.

If you choose a bold wallpaper, keep the accessories simple. Let the wall do the talking.

A single long shelf can give you just enough space for useful items without turning the toilet wall into a storage station.

Install a shelf several inches above the toilet tank and style it with a combination of practical and decorative pieces.

Try:

• A small vase
• Rolled hand towels
• A candle
• A ceramic container
• A small plant
• A framed print

This option works particularly well when you have limited wall width.

If your dream bathroom looks like a calm boutique hotel, keep your above toilet styling simple.

Use a palette of white, beige, cream, taupe, warm wood, and soft green. Add one or two ceramic pieces, folded towels, a small plant, and perhaps a candle.

The secret involves repetition. Repeat one or two colors elsewhere in the bathroom so the display feels connected to the rest of the room.

House Beautiful has also highlighted neutral palettes as a useful approach for small powder rooms because they can prevent the space from feeling visually chaotic.

A wall-mounted cabinet gives you the best of both worlds: decoration and hidden storage.

Choose a narrow cabinet with doors so you can hide the less glamorous bathroom essentials. You know, the things nobody wants sitting on display.

White cabinets work beautifully in bright bathrooms, while wood cabinets add warmth to neutral spaces.

If your bathroom feels cramped, choose a cabinet with a shallow depth and simple hardware.

A candle can make a bathroom feel much more intentional.

Place one candle inside a ceramic, glass, or stone holder on a shelf above the toilet. Pair it with a small vase or decorative object rather than creating an entire candle collection.

I prefer understated scents such as linen, eucalyptus, cedar, or sandalwood for bathrooms.

Just keep candles away from anything flammable and never leave a burning candle unattended.

Ceramics add texture without taking up much space.

Arrange two or three small ceramic vessels above the toilet in different shapes but related colors. Cream, beige, terracotta, charcoal, and muted green all work beautifully in neutral bathrooms.

You can leave them empty or add a few dried stems.

This approach works particularly well when you want your bathroom to feel collected rather than overly decorated.

Black and white decor gives you an easy formula for a polished bathroom.

Use a black frame, white ceramic vase, black candle, and a small green plant. The contrast creates visual interest without introducing lots of competing colors.

This works especially well with white subway tile, black fixtures, marble, or monochromatic bathrooms.

And if you get bored later, you can change the artwork or accessories without repainting anything.

A picture ledge gives you more flexibility than traditional wall art.

Mount one above the toilet and lean several small frames against the wall. You can swap artwork whenever you want without drilling another hole.

I like this approach for people who constantly change their decor. You can move between botanical prints, seasonal artwork, family photos, or abstract pieces without committing to one arrangement.

Just keep the ledge secure and avoid placing fragile objects where they could fall.

Not every bathroom needs beige.

If your bathroom already uses white, gray, or cream, add one strong accent color above the toilet. Try sage green, dusty blue, terracotta, muted mustard, or deep olive.

You could introduce the color through artwork, ceramics, towels, or a small plant pot.

One accent color usually creates more impact than five unrelated colors. Ask yourself what color already appears somewhere in the bathroom and build from there.

A powder room gives you more freedom because you do not need to make every decorative choice ultra practical.

Try a bold framed print, dramatic wallpaper, an antique-style mirror, or a sculptural shelf above the toilet.

House Beautiful describes powder rooms as spaces where designers can experiment with stronger colors, patterns, artwork, and decorative details.

This is where I would take a few more risks.

A powder room can handle a little drama. Your primary bathroom may prefer a calmer conversation.

Sometimes the smartest styling decision involves doing less.

If your bathroom already has patterned tile, colorful wallpaper, dramatic lighting, or statement fixtures, adding more decor above the toilet can make everything compete.

Try one beautiful object instead.

A single large artwork, a simple mirror, or one floating shelf can create enough visual interest without cluttering the wall.

Some designers actually prefer this approach and recommend minimizing attention around the toilet itself. House Beautiful's discussion with designers shows that opinions differ considerably on toilet styling, which proves that you do not need to follow one decorating rule.

How High Should You Hang Decor Above the Toilet?

This question comes up constantly, and the answer depends on the object.

For shelves, artwork, and mirrors, leave enough clearance above the toilet tank so the arrangement feels comfortable rather than squeezed against it.

You also need to consider the toilet lid. Open it before finalizing your installation and make sure nothing interferes with its movement.

Before drilling anything, I recommend using painter's tape to mark the approximate position. Step back and look at the entire wall.

Does the arrangement feel balanced with the toilet?

Does it sit too high?

Does it look too heavy?

Your eyes usually answer those questions faster than a measuring tape.

What Should You Avoid Above the Toilet?

Styling this area sounds easy until you realize that bathrooms come with moisture, cleaning, and very limited space.

Avoid anything that creates unnecessary clutter or makes cleaning around the toilet difficult.

I would also avoid:

• Extremely deep shelves
• Heavy objects that could fall
• Fragile artwork in splash zones
• Too many tiny accessories
• Items that block the toilet lid
• Materials that cannot handle bathroom humidity
• Overfilled open shelves

Think about cleaning too. If you cannot wipe around your decor easily, you will eventually regret creating a tiny museum above your toilet.

How to Make Above Toilet Decor Look Expensive

You do not need expensive accessories.

The trick involves scale, repetition, texture, and restraint.

Choose one larger focal point instead of many tiny objects. Repeat colors from elsewhere in the bathroom. Mix materials such as wood, ceramic, glass, metal, and woven fibers.

For example, imagine a white bathroom with brass hardware. Add a warm wood shelf, cream ceramic vase, small olive-green plant, and one framed print with subtle brass tones.

Nothing there needs to cost a fortune, but the combination can still look considered.

“High style doesn't always mean high spending.”

— Zoë Feldman, House Beautiful

That philosophy applies perfectly here.

Final Thoughts on Ways to Style Above Toilet

The best ways to style above toilet spaces do not simply fill an empty wall. They give the bathroom something it previously lacked, whether that means storage, warmth, color, texture, or personality.

You can install floating shelves, hang artwork, add a mirror, introduce plants, use baskets, mount a cabinet, or keep everything beautifully minimal.

The important thing involves matching the solution to your bathroom. A tiny powder room may benefit from bold wallpaper and one statement piece, while a busy family bathroom may need practical storage instead.

And remember, you do not have to decorate every available inch. Sometimes one beautiful shelf looks better than a wall full of stuff.

So before you walk into your bathroom and stare at that empty wall again, ask yourself one simple question: what would make this space feel more like me?

Start there. The toilet can handle the rest.

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