The Ultimate Guide to Bathroom Storage Ideas

8 Minute Read

Our bathrooms should provide us with a little oasis of calm for us to get ready in the mornings, or to relax and recharge during a long soak in the tub in the evenings. The reality is often not quite as luxurious as we’d like, especially in smaller bathrooms, where too many products can clutter up our space and detract from the feeling of peace.

6 Genius Bathroom Storage Ideas

With that in mind, after we wrote about bathroom décor essentials a while back, we thought we’d take a look at some of the best bathroom storage ideas around. As you do your spring clean, use these ideas to help you to declutter, and get the most out of your bathroom.

1. Use Shelves Strategically

You knew we were going to tell you that shelves are a bathroom essential, didn’t you – but honestly, they just make sense when you need more storage! Whether you choose wider shelves for storing towels, or you add narrower shelves under mirrors as a handy place to put your makeup, toothbrush mug, or shaving razor, they’re the perfect addition to your bathroom.

Although you might be inclined to use a closed bathroom cabinet, open shelves give the illusion of space, which can be a huge help in smaller bathrooms. If you’re storing products that you, or a member of your family don’t want on display all of the time, or that need keeping free from moisture, then look for decorative ways to conceal them, while they’re on your shelf.

Small baskets are a great option, but you might find ornate boxes, up-cycle large jars with lids (ideal for storing cotton buds, or bamboo cosmetic rounds), or of course, buy purpose made organising racks.

2. Hang A Mirrored Cabinet

A piece of furniture that solves more than one issue is well worth having – especially in bathrooms where space might be short. Mirrored cabinets above the bathroom sink are a logical addition to create extra space for toiletries and makeup, but if you’re really short on storage and have wall space, then look at whether a larger, full length mirrored cabinet could work in your bathroom. Tallboy cupboards are a popular option that work well, but there are also full length mirrored cabinets that can be fixed to the wall, keeping floors clear for easy mopping (ideal when bath time turns into play time!), giving extra bathroom storage, and a full length mirror.

3. Make Use Of Wasted Space

Many rooms in homes across the UK are oddly shaped, but we’d bet none more so than our bathrooms. With so many added onto homes over the past 100 years or so, squeezed into tiny rooms or sectioned off, there are often strange bits of dead space to be found. But with a bit of creativity, you can make the most of that space!

Build in cupboards – bespoke may be best in some awkwardly shaped bathrooms
Repurpose furniture such as hostess trolleys to hold toiletries, towels, and makeup
Prop a ladder shelf against the wall to hold towels, and add hooks to hold baskets
Install shelves on empty wall space
Find corner units – either specifically for bathrooms, or up-cycle by finishing with a water resistant wood finish

4. Build-In Furniture

If you have room in your budget, then there probably isn’t a better way to use up every inch of space than getting furniture built-in around your bathroom suite. It can be expensive, but if you work with a carpenter, or bathroom specialist, you’ll be able to get the maximum storage possible, and for it to look great too. If you’re investing in a bespoke bathroom furniture solution, it is well worth getting deep drawers, so that you can store new bottles of products without worrying about them leaking – and you can store bath and hand towels alongside them too.

5. Organise Toiletries

In many bathrooms, the feeling of clutter is often due to the number of bottles, tubes, and cans holding all our toiletries. Next to your bath or shower, rather than having bottles of products everywhere, invest in some beautiful pump-action dispensers, and decant your favourite shampoo, conditioner, and body wash into each. If you’ve got children in your home, this will also help them to regulate the amount of each that they use – so you’ll probably end up saving money on those products too this way!

If you consider making your home more sustainable, glass bottles are the most sustainable (and less susceptible to mould in damp atmospheres) but if you buy good quality plastic they should last you for years, and if space really is at a premium, you can find wall mounted options too. There are options that have labels included, so you won’t use the wrong product if mischievous minds decide to play tricks!

6. Towel Storage

You’ll almost certainly have a rail to hang the towels you’re currently using on – and maybe you’ve treated yourself to the luxury of a heated towel rail too! But if you’re in a small home, then sometimes finding spaces to store extra towels can be a bit tricky, especially if you love a massive bath sheet the same way we do. Adding an extra spot to store towels inside the bathroom can help. Installing a shelf in the space above the door is a great place to store rolled up towels, or you might use a large basket to hold your towels, or add a chest of drawers to keep towels, flannels, and spare toothbrushes in.

Feeling inspired with our bathroom storage ideas?

Bathroom storage – particularly in smaller bathrooms – can be a tricky thing to get right. You might have to get creative, making use of areas that you might not have thought, such as above the bathroom door – but when you look at the options available, you’re certain to find just the solution you need.

If you’re starting to find new bathroom storage, and shelves are on your agenda, consider our range – and since we create every shelf to order, if you need a specific size, we can make the exact size you need, whether you’re looking for bracket shelves, or floating shelves. When you’ve reorganised with your new storage, tag us in your bathroom #shelfies on Instagram @bensimpsonfurniture.