Go With a Vanity
In a small bath, the temptation is to install a pedestal sink, the idea being that it will make the room “feel” bigger. But if bathroom storage is what you need, install a vanity and set your sink into it (or on top of it with a vessel sink). Vanities with deep drawers are much more convenient than ones with doors.
Native Trails
Above the Toilet
Narrow shelves or a cabinet that’s not too deep are great ways to make use of the underused space above a toilet. Just leave enough room between the bottom shelf and the top of the toilet tank, so you can easily access the flush mechanism to make repairs.
Pottery Barn
In the Shower
Under the shower head is the wettest place in the shower, so why would you keep soaps there? Hang your shower organizer near the back of the stall. It may mean installing a hook in the tile, but that’s easier than it sounds.
Apartment Therapy
Behind the Door
There are all sorts of racks that make good use of the sliver of space that lives behind the bathroom door. Some install over the door top, others hang on the hinge pins—all provide useful bathroom storage.
Pottery Barn
Above the Door
If you have any space above the door frame, take advantage of that as well. A shelf above the door will provide great out-of-the-way bathroom storage for extra supplies, many of which can be disguised in decorative bins, baskets, and glass jars.
dr. Mommy and Friends
Medicine Cabinet
Medicine cabinets for much of the last century were small because a) people knew how to get by with a lot less stuff, and b) they were typically set into the wall between studs that are typically only 14-1/2 inches apart. Rip out the old unit and install a large wall-mounted cabinet.
Restoration Hardware
Use Less Stuff
The first rule of organization is to get rid of stuff. If you are a person who feels you must save all of the hair or skin products you’ve ever tried despite the fact they haven’t worked to your satisfaction, wake up! Get rid of them.
Bathroom Magic
Colorful Crates
When you don’t have much floor space, use your vertical space. These colorful crates are a great modular storage addition to a bathroom. They can be stacked on the floor, or mounted on the wall. And should needs change, they can easily be used elsewhere in the house.
Decorating Files
Lovely Ladder
A leaning ladder makes a no-tools-required towel rack in the bathroom. Towels can be stacked, or hung. Paint it a color that coordinates with your decor, and it makes a nice visual presentation of practical things you might otherwise put in a closet for no one to see.
Use Your Wall Space
If counter space is at a premium, use your available wall space. All those bits and pieces that might get jumbled in a vanity can be tucked away neatly in a wall mounted rack of small file drawers. A shelf rack keeps things you use often easily accessible.
The Fab Guide
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
A wall mounted rack of open mason jars corrals Q-tips, cotton balls, and other small personal hygiene items, and leaves your counter top free of clutter. Inexpensive and DIY-friendly, you can easily put one of these together on a weekend afternoon.
Beauty and Bedlam
Double Duty
Any storage solution that can multitask is welcome in the bathroom. This baby blue wall mounted shelf does storage double duty. The hooks at the bottom are an easy place to hang towels and robes, while the shelves above can hold extra towels, lotions, potions and other sundries.
For More...
If you're looking for more storage ideas, consider:
10 "Neat" Garage Storage Solutions
Get Hooked: 10 Favorite Wall Storage Ideas
Shelterness
Don't Miss!
Get the help you need for the home you want—sign up for the Bob Vila newslettertoday!
