Storage Solutions for the Bathroom

There's no reason for your powder room to look like a utility closet

When you consider the melange of miscellany that calls your bathroom home, the bottles and tubes, towels and brushes, dirty laundry and cleaning products, it's no wonder why interior designers place so much importance on storage for that particular room. And with such a small space to work with, it is imperative that the storage solutions used in your bathroom be well-planned, efficient, and even a little creative.

Get organized
It may seem bizarre, but many bathrooms, especially new condos built in vintage rehabs, don't include a linen closet. In those that do, the closet often resembles a disorganized catch-all of piled towels and half-empty shampoo bottles. Whether your bathroom has plenty of storage space built in or not, organizing the room is the first step to keeping it from looking cluttered. Throw out any old products you don't use, fold towels neatly, and use wicker or plastic baskets to group small items such as first aid supplies or nail care kits together. Stack any magazines or newspapers you keep in the bathroom in a magazine rack and store extra rolls of toilet paper in a holder next to the toilet or in an unused corner.

Bathroom furniture
Often, a small hutch, set of shallow shelves, or etagere that sits above your toilet's tank can provide an extra bit of storage your bathroom sorely needs. Oft-used items such as extra hand towels or rolls of toilet paper can be stored in these handy bathroom cabinets.

Medicine Cabinets
Your bathroom probably already features one medicine cabinet above the sink, but how about that empty space on the other wall? Rather than mount a simple towel rack there, install a second medicine cabinet with a built-in towel rack to add even more storage for small items such as prescriptions, nail clippers, razors, and toothbrushes. Installing a new medicine cabinet is surprisingly simple and will do wonders for the overall look and style of your bathroom.