Creative Bathroom Storage Ideas
A sneak peek into my very own bathroom and its creative storage solutions.
I know the holidays are nearly upon us and you might be hosting guests these next few weeks. Added storage, especially in the bathroom, is always a bonus. So for some inspiration to squeeze every bit of storage space out of your loo, I give you some of my creative bathroom storage ideas.
Our home was built in the 1920s and has some great character including, push button light switches, gorgeous hardwood floors and a built-in linen closet. What wasn't so charming was the upstairs full bathroom. Picture tan colored, dingy tile and a light blue sink, toilet and tub circa 1970. Given that my husband is handy we knew it would be one of the things on his to-do list. And so a few years ago we gutted it down to the studs and managed to create a beautiful and functional bathroom. Step right in...
The room is painted a pale greenish-blue. Our old bathroom mirror was unframed, but we re-used it and my husband built the frame and painted it white. And yes, Sarah Soboleski likes S's and has some type of 'S' in every room of the house.
My husband also built the vanity himself out of black walnut and topped it with granite. I'm a nothing-on-the-counterop type person and thankfully my husband complies. He also installed the marble tile floor.
Now you can see the inside of the vanity. My husband ingeniously built a pull-out drawer and cut a notch at the back so it fits around the pipe. The tote on the left side holds my hair products and the bin on the right holds the cleaning supplies. Mounted on the door is a metal magazine rack that holds my hair styling tools. I love using vertical storage and utilizing the backs of cabinet doors.
One of my favorite features about the vanity is the toe-kick storage my husband installed. I love this added drawer. It's where we store the extra toothpaste, toothbrushes, cotton balls, swabs, soap and shower curtain liners. It was just recently that I hit upon using the square plastic containers with blue lids that you see in the shot. They're kind of like disposable to-go boxes as they could easily hold a dinner plate. I had never been happy with the open top plastic bins I had been using previously, but these seem to work really well and I save space because they're stackable. Bonus I picked them up at the dollar store!
The vanity also has 4 drawers. The bottom drawer holds my son's toiletries. The third drawer is mine and the second drawer is for my husband.
This is the top drawer of the vanity. You'll notice it holds our toothbrushes. This is one of the first Pinterest ideas that I utilized in my home: a silverware tray for toothbrushes, floss and paste. From there my love for Pinterest was sealed. It also holds our nail kit you'll see in the front in black. My son seems to get a dozen hangnails a day!
Across from the vanity is the tub. You'll see we used large, dark stone tiles in the shower. I say 'we,' but I really mean my husband as he did the tiling. And yes we use the squeegee after each shower and it really does cut down on cleaning. And in that sense, I really do mean we as we both do that job. No one likes soap scum build-up!
Next to the tub is a neat, little storage area my husband also built out of black walnut. You'll also see our white plantation shutters we have for our two windows. I find them so much easier to clean rather than the hassle of washing curtains or mini blinds.
Here's what the top part of the storage built-in looks like opened. You'll note it slides out to reveal shelves. On the top, we store the extra tissue boxes. The second one is for my husband's shampoo and deodorant. The third shelf is mine where I keep my body care supplies. And the bottom shelf is for our little guy to hold his wash cloths, bath mat, and tub toys.
Next, you have a shot of the bottom part of the storage area next to the shower. I think this is one of the neatest things my hubby has built as it has two parts that slide out.
The bottom portion slides out to reveal our trash can and the top portion slides out to reveal our medicine/t.p. cabinet. I really like having the garbage can hidden! Some people don't like to store their medications in the bathroom because of the humidity, but we don't use a lot of meds in our household and have never had a problem. One basket is labeled 'Skin & Wound Care' and the other is labeled 'Head & Stomach Care.'
Finally here's a shot of our commode.
Lastly, here is a shot of behind the door where we hang our towels. My son hangs his in his bedroom. I prefer white towels as they match everything and are easy to bleach.
Well, there you have it. A looky into my loo! You have to give some props to Mr. Sobo for having such amazing woodworking skills! He gives me the wonderful physical structure of my organizational systems.
What was your favorite part of the room?