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Some say the bathroom is a utilitarian space that serves a very specific function. The Nesta team couldn’t disagree more.
A bathroom is a magical place. Whether it’s taking a hot shower after a long day, finding respite from a horde of toddlers, or getting ready with your pals for an epic night out (bubbly in hand, of course), you can enter your bathroom a tired, weary soul and leave it feeling the best version of yourself.
Yet, messy counters, chaotic drawers, and the cardboard bit of past loo rolls abound in most bathrooms. It’s hard work to keep your bathroom looking like a place where the magic happens.
You deserve a space that’s well-organised, clutter-free, and capable of producing a rejuvenated you every time you cross the threshold. And these bathroom storage ideas will help.
What should you not store in a bathroom?
You can store most things in your bathroom, but you should avoid keeping medicine, makeup, linens, and non-waterproof electricals in your bathroom. If you’re a skincare enthusiast, check with your favourite product manufacturers: you may want to keep your products elsewhere in the house to keep them stable and prevent oxidation.
What colours make a small bathroom look bigger?
Decluttering is half the battle, but it’s an important step that can take as little as ten minutes. Even still, when you have a small bathroom, you may feel you need to go further to maximise your space. Choosing the right colour can help. You might try going all white, which recedes and makes your space look bigger. If white isn’t your preferred choice, go with a brighter tone that reflects light, like soft green or blue.
Find space in unexpected places
Unless you’re a Kardashian, the bathroom tends to be the smallest room in your home. But unlike most rooms, you’ve little room to manoeuvre because toilets, sinks, and showers aren’t easily moved to create more space.
The trick is to find space in unlikely or unexpected spaces. So where do those spaces often pop up in a bathroom? Some of Nesta’s favourite small bathroom storage ideas in unexpected spaces include:
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- Over the bathroom door: the back of the bathroom door is wasted space. Add hangers to store towels and robes. If it suits you, install a bathroom shelf above the door frame and keep other essential bits up there to free up valuable space elsewhere. (Though, you should always try to keep your towels outside the bathroom or at least covered to keep them away from bacteria and viruses.)
- Behind cabinet doors: Just like the bathroom door, the back of cabinet doors is fair game. Add hangers, baskets, and even magnetic strips to keep your bits tidy. You can even use it as a bin to save floor space.
- In the shower or bath: No, we don’t mean crowding all your products on the floor or on the bathtub edge. You can install a second shower curtain rod to hang things. If you have a good size shower or tub, you can install a towel rack on the wall opposite the shower head and keep towels up there hotel-style.
Get creative with hooks
You’ve got four walls in your bathroom. But as so many of us know, access to those walls to anchor furniture is minimal. In some small and oddly-shaped bathrooms, furniture isn’t an option at all.
Hooks can serve as a helpful alternative for hanging towels, clothes, or anything else really. Plus, they require much less space, can go anywhere, and you can even get hooks friendly for renters.
Hang them from the walls, the back of the door, or even in the shower to hang your bits and pieces. They work better than caddies or floor storage because they draw the eye up, giving the illusion of more space.
Use Caddies & Organizers to Make the Most of Existing Storage
The best way to declutter a bathroom is through clever use of your available storage space (and to keep what you don’t need elsewhere). A bunch of baskets and trays to put in presses, on shelves, or on flat surfaces will sort your storage problem.
If you want to take your organisation to the next level, hunt down a few ‘lazy susan’ style storage options. The spinning action makes it easier to store and access more of your things without constantly feeling like you’re on a treasure hunt. It also happens to cut down on the temptation to throw things in a drawer.
If you have a good size counter, then a lazy susan is a great option for keeping your skincare or makeup on the counter and keep your space looking tidy and smart.
Build up
If you have only a few available spots for storage, go for pieces that allow you to build up rather than out. Taller shelving units with more drawers or shelves give you more opportunity to get things into one space without eating into some prime floor real estate.
Get taller stands and furniture and build shelves one on top of the other. Floating shelves are also a killer solution.
And remember: taller bathroom furniture draws the eye up! So it not only takes up less floor space, it tricks you into thinking you have a bit of extra room.
Build cabinets into the wall
Are you reorganising as part of a bathroom renovation? Make small bathrooms feel larger by building storage into the walls. Built-in storage maximises the usable area in your bathroom and offers a chance to organise in style with lovely baskets.
Transforming your bathroom into your personal sanctuary means working the space you have as hard as possible. Often, it means getting clever, choosing vertical, and choosing storage that makes it easy to tidy up. Is the chaos in your bathroom reflected elsewhere in your house? Cut down on clutter across the house and store your stuff with Nesta for instant inner peace.
