Bathroom Storage Ideas and Tips to Consider While Remodeling

Choose bathroom storage by the items you need to reach and the space available for them. Trays and baskets organize small supplies; furniture, shelves and built-in cabinetry offer different arrangements. Decide what needs a home before choosing a storage fixture. Discuss the remodeling options.

Admittedly, organizing your bathroom is no more fun than cleaning it. However, with the right storage solutions, you can make the most of it. When it comes to bathroom storage ideas, you have a lot of options to choose from and you must make sure to consider carefully and choose what suits you best.

Your bathroom plays a crucial role in your hygiene and overall well-being. Of all the rooms in your home, it needs to be exceptionally clean. For that, you need to ensure that there’s adequate bathroom storage. With these bathroom storage ideas, you can make the most of your space.

Consider Using an Étagère

Installing an étagère is an excellent choice for optimizing bathroom storage. It saves you the hassle of having to drill unnecessarily into your beautiful walls for adding cabinetry.

 A sufficiently large etagere can provide up to six shelves’ worth of storage space. Moreover, it will come in handy for you to organize your bathroom and add a character to it.

Add a Bar Stool in Your Bathroom

Remodeling your bathroom for storage may not always be feasible. In that case, you can get innovative and add in a handy bar stool. You can obtain additional space for storing accessories like toilet paper this way.

 Include a Shower Cubby

Using integrated storage with your shower is highly recommended while bathroom remodeling. It gives you easy and convenient access to items like shampoo. And apart from that, it also adds to the overall aesthetic look of your bathroom. A monochrome template will give a vintage look to your shower.

 Add a Fabric Skirt

This is a neat little trick for getting some quick extra storage space for your bathroom. Install a pleated fabric skirt near your sink, and just observe the effect. Not only will it give a more appealing look to the room, but it will conceal eyesores as well. And best of all, it is remarkably inexpensive and easy to put up.

 Utilize Trays to Store Smaller Items

Trays can be remarkably stylish and useful as well. You can use them to conveniently store items like powder, perfume bottles, and soaps. They will help you keep everything together in one place, properly organized.

Consider Using Baskets

Toilet paper, if not stored correctly, can get quite challenging to handle. Fortunately, baskets are a convenient and easily accessible method for getting that done. You can put all your toilet paper rolls in one basket and put it near the toilet. You will have easy access to it that way without it getting disorganized.

Invest in Repurposing Old Furniture

Understandably, built-in shelves can be inconvenient to include at times. It could be due to rental limitations, high prices, or simply a choice of style. In that case, you could consider repurposing old furniture, such as an armoire for your bathroom storage. 

These vintage pieces can add a unique touch to your bathroom and provide additional storage as well while helping with your budget. You can even try combining them with apt wallpapers for an even better effect. 

Have a Good Look at Built-In Cabinets

Built-in cabinets can be luxuriously roomy and serve your bathroom storage needs very well. They will help you keep your bathroom clean and sparkling.

 Along with easy access to your items, they will also add to the aesthetics of your bathroom. There are several customized designs and templates for these cabinets for you to select. 

Throw in a Ladder

A wooden ladder propped against the wall can be a convenient hanging spot for your towels. It possesses more dimension than a regular shelf and looks pretty chic as well.

 Install a Shelf 

If you find your bathroom too cluttered, consider adding a shelf just underneath your sink. It can be a simple wall-to-wall floating ledge for quick access to your stuff. You can effectively use it for storing things like hand towels.

Go for Handle-Free Drawers

Speaking of shelves, a drawer is among the rather nifty bathroom storage ideas. This especially holds for those trendy, customized handle-free drawers! They can help you keep your bathroom clutter-free and clean.

There’s also an additional benefit in this case as well. Remember the excruciatingly painful burns inflicted by the iron while it is cooling down on the counter? You can keep aside a drawer for those as well. 

Consider Adding a Bar Cart

If you have a spare bar cart in the house, it can be right at home in your bathroom. Unlike custom shelves, bar carts are among the more mobile bathroom storage ideas. You can use one to store your towels, soaps, cosmetics, etc. 

You can even consider adding some perfume and fragrant flowers in there. That way, you are sure to leave a positive impact on anyone who visits!

 Add a Display Cabinet

Display cabinets, provided you can accommodate them, can be visually spectacular. They add another dimension to your bathroom aesthetics-wise. Besides, they usually come with bountiful storage space for you to utilize. You can use it to store everything from towels to item-containing baskets conveniently in them. If you choose to use baskets, make sure to label and segregate them accordingly.

Include a Spot for Your Reading Material

Yes, it’s important to acknowledge this one. Just make sure that your magazines and newspapers are carefully out of the splashing range. A magazine rack will significantly come in handy for this purpose and it will also help to update otherwise dull corners of your bathroom.

Utilize Stacked Shelves

In case you start running out of space in your bathroom, there are some cool alternatives. You can put up three stacked floating shelves for ample storage space. Soaps, towels, cosmetics – they will all fit in comfortably there. You can put in some spare toilet paper inside a wire basket atop your toilet.

Don’t Forget to Include a Narrow Alcove

Although it might appear to be a clumsy inclusion, an alcove can come in handy. You can install extra shelving in there later, according to your need. That will serve as a great bathroom storage idea for additional towels and cosmetic items.

Compare small-item storage with furniture and built-ins

Start with an inventory of the items that currently end up on the counter or floor. Separate towels, toilet paper, cosmetics, soaps and the supplies used in the shower. Their storage locations do not need to be identical. Trays keep small bottles together, while a basket near the toilet answers a different access question. A shower cubby puts toiletries in the shower itself. Compare those destinations before choosing the storage furniture or deciding that more shelving is the whole answer.

Next, identify whether you want freestanding furniture or storage incorporated into the room. An étagère, repurposed armoire or bar cart offers a different arrangement from built-in cabinets or a floating ledge under the sink. The examples here include furniture when built-in shelving is not the preferred approach. List what you would place in each option and discuss the available room before deciding which arrangement belongs in your bathroom.

Keep display separate from practical supplies. A display cabinet can hold towels and baskets, but the baskets still need an organization plan. Labeling and grouping them makes that decision explicit. Reading material also calls for a location outside the splash area. Bring those needs into the layout discussion instead of making every shelf a decorative display or using the countertop as overflow storage. The purpose is to choose where each group belongs, with the furniture and cabinetry supporting that choice.

Frequently asked questions

Which bathroom items can I organize with trays and baskets?

Trays can hold smaller items such as perfume, powder and soap. Baskets offer another place for grouped supplies, including toilet paper. Decide which items you need to reach together before selecting their storage location.

What should I compare before choosing built-in bathroom storage?

Compare the items you need to store with the freestanding furniture options described here. An armoire, étagère or bar cart is a different arrangement from built-in cabinetry. Bring those alternatives into the discussion before choosing a permanent storage layout.

Related planning references

For clear bathroom routes and installation planning, consult CDC bathroom safety for older adults and EPA remodeling work practices.