I realized my bathroom storage sucked when I stood dripping wet in front of the bathroom mirror at 6 AM on a weekday with my phone ringing in my pocket and my towel on the other side of the room. It wasn’t a pretty disaster, like a lot of Instagram ‘design fails’. It was a functional nightmare of a storage situation.
The bathrooms maybe looked okay? There were clean white walls and some functional lighting. But beyond that… Yikes.
Floating shampoo bottles on the edge of the bathtub that I inevitably knocked over every time I took a shower. Drawers in the other room holding hair appliances.
A tall, narrow medicine cabinet that required me to perform surgery every time I needed to grab something from inside.
Overcrowding. Limited countertop space. Hidden storage with difficult-to-open doors.
Design that made no sense. Change happened when I stubbed my toe on the soap dish knocking over three bottles while reaching for face wash, stepped on the bottle cap (! ), and realized I was going to be late to meet with a client because it took me ten minutes to find my contact solution. If you want to know what works well in bathrooms – and what doesn’t – let me introduce myself: I’ve tried it all.
Floating shelves? Yup. Transformative ladder shelves?
Bring them on. Hidden-storage everything? Done that too.
After putting WAY too much thought and energy into bathroom storage over the past couple years, I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t. Floating shelves are popular right now, for good reason. They’re a quick and easy way to gain some extra shelving without tearing out your whole bathroom.
I started with floating shelves above the toilet because: why not? I installed three slim white shelves about mid-torso-height. Immediately I realized why this wasn’t the best idea.
Since there’s no lip on the edge of a floating shelf, anything I put on it would eventually fall off. Hot towels + hard tile floor = ouch. Plus, because of where they were located I got excessive splashes whenever someone showered.
And lastly, reaching for stuff was slightly awkward from my normal standing position. Floating shelves didn’t have to be a bust though! It was all about shelf placement and choice of contents.
I swapped the shelves above the toilet for shelves about eye-height from the ground on the wall next to the sink. They’re hidden from splashes, and easier to grab from where I stand. I use them for products I use every day but don’t need to dive-for during morning rush: face oils, candles, a small plant (I apparently have a black thumb but cannot kill pothos), and a cute ceramic dish to hold jewelry.
The key was buying some small glass jars with lids for storage on the shelves. They keep contents safe from moisture and splashes, and look pretty too! Who knew something as simple as a built-in niche would make my life so much easier?
These weren’t even on my radar when I first started brainstorming bathroom storage, but man are they helpful. I added this to the shower wall near shower-head height. It’s the perfect spot for my shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.
I made sure it was deep enough to hold full-size bottles, too. I hate hotel-sized shampoo! The angle of the bottom shelf prevents water from pooling, and since it’s tiled to match the rest of my shower walls it doesn’t look out of place.
If I had to guess I would’ve said a shower niche wasn’t going to affect my life THAT much. But it really does make shower-time so much easier. I don’t have to worry about heavy bottles knocking over and landing on my toes when I step in the shower (hello, massive Costco-sized bottles of conditioner.).
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I can actually rest my elbows on something while washing my hair instead of awkwardly balancing the shampoo bottle on one knee. There’s no more ugly water rings on my tub ledge from my shower caddy. Say hello to my least favorite shelf type.
I loved the look of ladder shelves on Pinterest and Instagram. So many creative, gorgeous bathroom photos featured them! Did they work in real life, though?
Not quite. I bought a gorgeous wooden ladder shelf and stained it to match my vanity. I moved it around, staged it with rolled towels and thrifty dollar store plants.
But it wasn’t long before the reality of a ladder shelf sunk in: Hair. Dust. More hair.
You have no idea how much dust and hair those tiny shelves accumulate until you own one. I resorted to dusting my ladder shelf with a makeup brush because I couldn’t reach any other way. The space between shelves meant I couldn’t just toss random bottles or objects on it-ohn it had to be carefully curated and ONLY things that fit sized PERFECTLY.
Towels looked cute for about three seconds until I actually used them and they started looking ‘messy’. Trying to wipe down those angled shelves and sides was a pain. Six months later I finally gave up and exchanged it for a standard cabinet with doors.
The closed storage hides clutter AND keeps curious kittens out, and I don’t care that it’s not a ‘boo-tiful’ storage solution. You may think you know what you’ll use your shelves for. But trust me, you have no idea.
Maybe you grab your face wash and toothbrush from the same spot every morning, but do you keep your hair ties next to your hair dryer? Or sunscreen near your beach bag? Think about the times you use certain products throughout the week, not just every day.
If you use it daily, keep it within arm’s reach of where you’ll use it. Towel rings by the tub? Dentist-approved toothbrushes by your sink.
I keep body lotion near the shower so I can apply it before I slip into my clothes. If you grab it weekly, shelves are perfect for those bottles! Move moisturizer and specialty skincare up higher, or into a cabinet.
And try to keep lids and bottles lined up for a cleaner look. Lastly, store back-ups of your favorite products and toiletries out of sight. Nobody needs to see six bottles of shampoo.
Trust me. On that note… Add extra storage containers! Drawer trays to organize makeup.
Small bins to corral hair ties and bobby pins. Pump bottles to hold products that came in hard-to-store bottles.
You get the idea.
These smaller containers can help organize your shelves and drawer space so everything is easier to access. PRO TIP: Just because you HAVE shelf space doesn’t mean you HAVE to use it! Not all bathroom items should be stored in your bathroom.
Humidity and hot temperatures can wreak havoc on certain skincare products. I learned this the hard way when my favorite vitamin C serum separated and turned an unappetizing orange color over one hot summer. Keep hairspray, heat-friendly products, and sunscreen out of the bathroom.
Keep daily shower supplies nearby but limit clutter. Invest in great storage options you’ll love. I know I started this post telling you that my old bathroom storage was horrid.
But after living with every shelving option out there… and some downright hideous storage solutions that I won’t name (you know who you are, Ikea hiding shelves) I can honestly say that there are better ways to store your stuff. You just need to be willing to try a few things before you find the perfect setup for your daily life.
