In my post about traveling with only a carry-on, I mentioned packing hotel toiletries instead of buying them at your destination or packing full size bottles. Another great use for them is in your guest bathroom…
I keep a jar filled with all kinds of hotel goodies and disposable razors, in case I have friends or family over and they have forgotten something. It’s convenient for them because they don’t have to ask for anything or waste ten minutes in the shower (while the hot water runs out) trying to squeeze the last few drops out of a shampoo bottle that I keep forgetting to replace. Cold, half-washed guests are much less cheerful, I’ve found.
I don’t get credit for this idea, though. I stayed with my cousin in her student flat and when I went to use the shower she said, “Here is my shampoo and if you need anything else, you can probably find it in here.” Then she opened a little jar filled with an assortment of whatever toiletries anyone could ever need. Brilliant! She’s a smart one, that cousin of mine. There are a lot of benefits to doing this.. It makes you seem like a much better host than you might actually be. It gives a purpose to any empty jars lying around your house. Most importantly though, it dresses up your horrendously peachy, 1960’s style bathroom… OK, maybe those three things are directed mostly at me and my hospitality ineptness, obsession for ground glass jars and my out-dated bathroom… but you get the idea…
I’m still looking for the best way to dress this bathroom up and the jars are a good start. If anyone else has any suggestions, I would love to hear them!
Two Thumbs 
My grandmother does the same thing with her guest bathroom, it’s a great idea. If you want to change the color scheme you could look into painting the tiles. I’ve seen that done and it looked really good. Also a really hardy houseplant that likes the shade, either on the counter, back of the toilet, on a shelf or in a hanger… or a fake plant. And wall art.
Grandma’s always have the best hospitality instincts! Painting the tiles is a great idea, I’ll have to do some research on that and I LOVE the idea of putting a plant in there. That would make it much cozier. Thanks for the great suggestions! 🙂