the strategist

Bathroom-Decorating Ideas for Your Party

Where there are drinks and snacks, there will be trips to the loo. Don’t forget to plan accordingly —meaning, out with the stained hand towels, the near-empty Febreze bottles, and the Squatty Potty, and in with the fresh flowers and nice hand soap. Take the bathroom-shopping advice of the same party professionals who told you about hostess gifts yesterday.

 Molton Brown Hand Wash and Lotion 
“I buy mulberry and thyme because the blue color-coordinated packaging and green soap matches my wallpaper. I always feel like you need some lotion on your hands after you wash them because they can get dry.” —Julie Macklowe, founder of vbeauté. 
Buy it: $28 at Neiman Marcus; $34 at Neiman Marcus

Sandoval Wood Aromatic Spray
“The packaging is a super-nice matte black, which you don’t see that often in a spray. It jumped off the shelf at me.” —Chris Black, founder of Done to Death Projects and author of I Know You Think You Know It All
Buy it: $45 at Shen Beauty

Cottonelle Ultra Comfort Care
“Get good toilet paper. I’m a Cottonelle girl. Also, make sure the medicine cabinets are snoop-ready, because people will look.”—Pippa Lord, founder of Sous Style
Buy it: $9 for 12 rolls at Amazon

Mrs. Meyers Multi-Surface Honeysuckle Cleaner
“Make sure [the bathroom is] clean and there’s not stuff everywhere. I use Mrs. Meyers products because they’re organic and not hazardous to your health. I really love the honeysuckle. The fragrance is so light.” —Cornelia Guest, socialite and author of  Cornelia Guest’s Simple Pleasures: Healthy Seasonal Cooking and Easy
Entertaining

Buy it: $9 at Amazon

Fragrant Flowers in a Ceramic Bud Vase
“I prefer a small and fragrant bouquet to any air freshener. It looks pretty and smells good too. Lilacs are good this time of year, but any fragrant flower will do.” —Susan Spungen, entertaining expert and author of What’s a Hostess to Do?
Buy it: $35 at Food52

Pink Lightbulbs
“Switching out the lightbulb to a color bulb, like pink, is a really easy way to make the bathroom feel more fun. It’s a nice element of surprise.” —Julie Ho, co-founder of Confetti System
Buy it: $17 for 6 at Amazon

Fouta Linen Hand Towels
“I like to put out paper guest towels because I don’t love drying my hands on used, wet, and dirty towels. If you don’t like to waste, though, you can put out small, single-use linen guest towels with a basket for them to be discarded in. Put one towel in to begin with so guests get the idea, and make sure there’s a trash can, too, so they know the difference.” —Susan Spungen, entertaining expert and author of What’s a Hostess to Do?
Buy it: $14 at Serena & Lily

Bathroom-Decorating Ideas for Your Party