Optimize Your Bathroom Storage
Get expert storage tips for organizing your cabinets, drawers and linen closet.
Design by Laurie March; photography by Daniel Collopy
Clutter can be controlled in the bathroom if there is adequate storage. An in-room linen closet can easily hold more than extra towels and beauty supplies if you take an inventory of what you want to store and plan accordingly.
"Take out everything you don't use," says Rozalia Kiss, designer and sales manager at TransForm. She suggests labeling a specific shelf in the linen closet for each person who uses the bathroom and installing pullout shelves so users can access the contents in the back of the closet.
Bulky items like folded towels and stacks of toilet tissue will fit on the lower shelves. Smaller items like cotton balls and beauty supplies can fill baskets on shelves at eye level.
Bulky items like folded towels and stacks of toilet tissue will fit on the lower shelves. Smaller items like cotton balls and beauty supplies can fill baskets on shelves at eye level.
A two-tier lazy Susan, often relegated to kitchen cabinets, can be used in the bathroom linen closet to hold nail polish, small makeup bottles and creams.
A well-designed vanity outfitted with drawers rather than cabinets will hold more stuff. "Cabinets are cheaper but drawers are more efficient," says April Bettinger, owner and designer at Nip Tuck Remodeling. She suggests using a vanity with two sinks in both the master bath and the guest bathroom that often doubles as the main bath for other occupants of the house.
A well-designed vanity outfitted with drawers rather than cabinets will hold more stuff. "Cabinets are cheaper but drawers are more efficient," says April Bettinger, owner and designer at Nip Tuck Remodeling. She suggests using a vanity with two sinks in both the master bath and the guest bathroom that often doubles as the main bath for other occupants of the house.
Stacks of drawers of varying depths will hold hair dryers, curling irons, electric shavers and electric toothbrushes neatly, keeping the countertop free of clutter. Installing acrylic dividers inside the drawers will keep smaller items like makeup, nail clippers and hair clips neatly organized.
But not all bathrooms are created equal. In a powder room, a place where storage is often minimal, you can make a style statement by installing a pedestal sink or a smaller vanity that does more than hide the plumbing pipes and hold a few cleaning supplies. Pedestal sinks do not generally work in a master bath or guest bath as they offer no storage.
But not all bathrooms are created equal. In a powder room, a place where storage is often minimal, you can make a style statement by installing a pedestal sink or a smaller vanity that does more than hide the plumbing pipes and hold a few cleaning supplies. Pedestal sinks do not generally work in a master bath or guest bath as they offer no storage.
A Mirror Wrap is a picture frame molding that fits directly to the surface of a pre-existing mirror already attached to a wall, transforming a plain mirror into an elegant focal point.
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