Seven essential buys to elevate your bathroom

By MO Magazine

October 1, 2022

Small touches and smart product choices can turn your bathroom into a sanctuary. Prepare to impress guests with your hotel-level hospitality, following our seven essential tips.

Get the towels right

If you only buy one new thing for your bathroom, make it the towels. You could have a corner hot tub, a claw-footed roll-top bath or a bespoke wet room, and it wouldn’t matter – a bathroom with scratchy towels is never nice to spend time in. The Mandarin Oriental signature towel set includes a washcloth, hand towel, bath towel and bath sheet, all 100% cotton and made in Spain. They have a reassuringly weighty yet super-soft feel that will be familiar to anyone who has stayed at a Mandarin Oriental property.

Rethink your bathrobe

A Japanese yukata robe is a brilliant alternative to a classic dressing gown, and is the kind of loungewear you’d be proud to open the front door in. These Japanese-made yukata robes are a beautifully-updated take on the traditional garment, and are what guests at Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo are lucky enough to find in their rooms. Having one or two to hang on the back of your bathroom door looks pleasingly elegant, too.

Buy a proper bath mat

It makes sense to invest in a quality bath mat that will last your household for years, rather than one that starts off looking good but swiftly needs replacing. Choose a neutral colour that you won’t tire of, in an absorbent fabric that feels great underfoot and has enough weight to stay put. Mandarin Oriental’s signature bath mat ticks every box and features the signature fan, while the bath rug has subtle scalloped edges and a textural, knotted weave. Getting out of the shower will never be the same again.

Add colour accents

Less is more when it comes to bathroom décor. Keep it sleek by choosing one or two pieces as a visual focus and leave the rest of the room as a blank canvas for the kind of great ideas you only have in the shower. How about this beautiful bamboo-framed fan to add a point of interest? It was created for Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou by fashion designer Vivienne Tam, who has dressed everyone from Julia Roberts to Jessica Alba.

Up your candle game

A high-quality scented candle (or two, or three) never goes out of style in a bathroom. The Bloom candle is fragranced with ylang-ylang, rose, geranium and wild chamomile, adding to the sensory pleasure of a long, luxurious bath. With around 60 hours of burn time, it should see you through quite a few soaks. For a scent to suit every mood, consider the spa candles gift set: six smaller signature candles, from the mandarin-spiked Awaken to the calming, rebalancing Reflect.

Stock up on spa-grade toiletries

The Quintessence hair and body care set is an instant way to kit out your bathroom to luxury spa standards. It includes a shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion – especially handy if you have a guest bathroom you want to keep impeccably stocked. The Quintessence blend combines ginger and mandarin with soothing frankincense, evoking memories of your favourite Mandarin Oriental spa.

Don’t forget the kids

Whether you have children or they’re just extra-special house guests, kids like to stay warm and cosy, especially after a bath. Wrap up a small person in a panda-emblazoned MiniMo waffle bathrobe, made from soft, absorbent cotton and finished with smart, satin-piped edges. The impossibly cute matching slippers are the perfect finishing touch, while a crochet-knit panda tucked in their bed should ensure sweet dreams.

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