Joanna Simmons, Houzz Contributor
Adequate storage is crucial to the success of any room, and the bathroom is no exception. In fact, we often overlook the need for storage in this much-used area or are challenged by the small dimensions of the space. But whatever the size or style of your bathroom, there are nifty ways to work in storage, whether it's built-in drawers around a bath, handsome shelves or vintage baskets.
1. Wire up. A wire shelf unit makes a great addition to a bathroom. It adds both storage and display space, brightens up a dull wall and is lightweight and easy to hang.
2. Squeeze in a drawer. A bathroom often contains little pockets of underused space. Think about exploiting them by building in neat little drawers. As many bathroom products are small, even a sliver of additional storage can be really useful.
3. Pack a basket. Baskets do vital storage work around the house and make a wonderful addition to a bathroom. The perfect vessel into which to heap towels, a basket will also bring a softly rustic note, warming up marble or a pale palette.
4. Pop in a pullout. Forget rummaging in the back of a cabinet for that tiny bottle of nail polish and opt for pullout shelves instead. This storage solution has long been used in kitchens, but it's perfect for a bathroom too.
This style of storage can be built into a narrow space (ideal in a small bathroom), and since most bathing essentials are fairly small, it's just the right size.
5. Float it. Wall-mounted storage, floating off the floor, keeps a bathroom looking light, and this space demonstrates an alternative to the solid vanity with sink and drawers often seen today.
Here, the sink and countertop are one integrated piece, with a storage unit installed just below. This creates lots of pleasing horizontal lines (rather than one block), and the surface of the drawers becomes an additional shelf.
6. Go big. This wall of storage perfection is like the bathroom equivalent of a walk-in pantry. Open shelves, clever compartments -- it's all here. It's proof that, when well-organized, anything from toilet paper to hand towels can look gorgeous.
7. Add a hook, or three. So simple, so effective: Hooks offer essential and easily accessible storage space. They're perfect for robes and clothes discarded before a bath, towels hung within grabbing distance of the tub and anything that has a loop, from a back brush to old-school soap on a rope!
8. Use a free-standing piece. The key ingredients of a bathroom are a given (the tub or shower, sink and toilet), but if space allows, have fun furnishing the space with additional pieces, just as you would any other room.
Here, a handsome shelving unit stores essentials, such as towels, and has room left over for displaying favorite pieces too.
9. Slim down. This bathroom in a London apartment is very small, but that doesn't mean it's a storage desert. Each of the mirrors fronts a slim but tall cabinet, providing crucial space for stashing all manner of lotions and potions. The sink sits on a built-in surface that creates room for more toiletries, while the shelf below can hold towels.
That shelf is a great choice of storage in this narrow room. Unlike a unit with doors, which would block off the space, a shelf helps to create a feeling of depth.
10. Mix it up. A combination of rails, hooks and shelves can answer a great many bathroom storage needs, as this setup shows.
Of course, bathrooms need storage for bulky items, such as bottles of shampoo and towels, but compact storage with plenty of compartments is the perfect solution for all those smaller things typically kept in a bathroom. Think toothbrushes, dental floss, cotton balls and small tubes or jars.
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