It's both functional and beautiful!  I wanted 2 things:  a towel rack that could accommodate bath towels without folding them so they could dry, and had a shiny, chrome finish.  It's really well made, sturdy, looks great without towels on it, like a piece of sculpture, rich looking; there are 8 screws, 4 of which are hidden under the base, the other 4 are on the back side, flush with the bars.  I purchased it to go in my newly renovated bathroom and style-wise it doesn't compete with the other decorative items.