Even when it’s not small, the bathroom is the smallest area of your home. Coincidentally, they’re incredibly functional, which means that their storage needs are quite large. You need enough room for towels, medicine, beauty products, after-shaving and shaving products, small appliances like heaters and hair dryers. On top of this, chances are that you also keep a washing machine (as well as a laundry basket there).
All of these problems combined imply that regardless of the room you have available, without proper organization, it will never be enough. For this reason, it’s important that you come up with a creative and effective small bathroom storage system. If you can also make it stylish, this would be even better. Here are a couple of suggestions.
Add hooks everywhere in the bathroom
The first thing you can do in order to increase the functionality of your bathroom and expand its storage capacities is to add hooks everywhere. You can add them both high and low on the wall. Due to the positioning and nature of these hooks, you will use each of them accordingly. Long, low-hanging towels need to be hanged on higher hooks, in order to avoid a scenario where they are touching the floor. Also, the splatter from various fixtures in the bathroom will have a much lower effect on these items that need to remain clean. Low hooks can be used as hanging racks or even used for different sorts of improvisation.
As far as the choice of hook types, the best of ideas is to go for metallic. This will be easy to fit in your bathroom, seeing as how there’s a chance that your other fixtures (sink, shower enclosures, etc.) are already made of this material. If due to aesthetic reasons, you’ve gone for chrome, copper or something else entirely, you should look for hooks that fit. This way, they become more than just a storage solution – they become stylish materials.
Over the door shelf
The main reason why some people dislike this idea is due to the fact that it’s not very practical or due to the fact that it appears dangerous. Where does this lack of practicality come from? The fact that it is above doors means that it is too high for the majority of people to reach without standing on a stool or ladder of some sort. The problem with this stool or a ladder is the fact that it cannot be permanently placed there, seeing as how it would hamper the functionality of the door in question.
The advantages of this idea are numerous, as well. First of all, you can use the frame of the door in order to position the rack and keep it in place. Second, you can place the stool mentioned nearby and produce it whenever you feel the need. Third, you get to use the space that would be otherwise unoccupied in the majority of other bathrooms. If you choose the right type of rack and items to place there, you can make the bathroom feel even more visually unique. Most important of all, bear in mind which item type you keep there. The vibration from doors opening and closing (this is all still mounted on a frame), could push something down.
Storage ladder in your bathroom
Ladders can be a great way for you to reach greater heights. They can serve the same purpose when your racks, hooks and shelving elements are in question. Installing a shelf is not a difficult job but it requires more space. Instead, you could use a ladder and side it against the wall. One of the key things, according to experts behind Acqua Bathrooms is that some elements (like vanities) require more space and a storage ladder is a way for you to provide it. Coincidentally, vanities come with a storage room of their own, which is a win-win. A lot of things can be hanged on the ladder. You can nail them to the wall and even paint over them while painting the wall. This way, they won’t even give a hint of their original purpose.
The best thing about this is that it’s incredibly space-friendly. All you need to do is ensure that it is in a reachable spot (seeing as how it is easy to pus something in front of it). Second, it is insanely tricky to mount racks here. The ladder is not so spacious and the rack that you intend to mount there would have to have a hook-like mount in order to hold. One of the most obvious items you can hang here is a basket. Also, if you want to decorate the area with some indoor planters, you can just as easily add hanging planters to the ladder.
Bar cart repurposing
If you have a bar cart that you’re currently not using, you can easily repurpose it in order to make it fit your bathroom like a mobile shelving system. Even if you don’t have one (as the majority of households don’t since this is an item commonly seen in hospitality venues), you can order one online or purchase a used one. In the case of the latter, you can restore and refinish it in order to make it fit the rest of the décor.
While this storage system is mobile, you should be careful about where you place it. Ideally, you should immobilize the wheels or replace them with some static parts. The key thing is that you need to understand that its mobile nature isn’t an advantage in the bathroom. Here, you don’t have enough maneuvering space and you probably don’t even have the need to move the cart. The key thing is that you can use it as a cheap, stylish and unique storage system where you can leave some of your toiletries.
Magnetic organizers
A medicine cabinet is called that way for a reason. You see, the biggest problem with the medicine cabinet is the fact that its purpose is fairly simple. You open it, take what you need, use it, and return it. The make-up process, however, is far more complex. For this reason, it is better solved with magnetic organizers. This way, all the items you need for your routine will be at an arm’s reach. Seeing as how these containers are out in the open, you can just swap between them interchangeably every couple of seconds, thus reaching higher functionality.
What are several reasons for you to do this? First of all, you need to understand that these magnetic organizers are easy to install. The magnets are glued to the wall and the racks are magnetically tied to them. The reason why this is safe as a storage method is simple, as well. First of all, the majority (if not all) of this make-up has its own casing. This means that it’s safe to leave it out “in the open” and they don’t really require “the protection” that comes from being kept inside of the storage box. The very idea that you will no longer have to dig through the cabinet/drawer/bag to find that one item that you need is a massive quality of life improvement.
In conclusion
In the end, stylish storage ideas are always a huge problem on your part. You need to pay strong attention to detail and work to your advantage. The key thing is to try and spot any unused space (like the above-mentioned area above the doors) and exploit it to your own benefit. The fact that these methods are not used as often creates an advantage where you gain a unique storage solution, thus making your bathroom visually unique, as well.
