Alexey Smirnov
Even in a large bathroom it is difficult to provide a lot of storage space. How can you fit everything you need into a small space? But there is no need to despair - everything can be solved.
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Decide on the location of the washing machine
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The dimensions of the machine affect not only the layout of the bathroom, but also the availability of storage space. If your kitchen unit no longer has room for a washing machine, you may be able to designate a small laundry area to free up space in the bathroom. This can be a separate small room or a built-in closet near the bathroom - you can store household supplies, extra towels and other household items above the machine. Pay attention to the boundaries of the wet zone: a washing machine cannot be located in residential areas.
Even if the washing machine is located in the bathroom itself, storage space can be provided here too. This can be either a system with a built-in washing machine (like IKEA cabinets), or a cabinet or shelves above it.
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Even if there is already a heated towel rail above the car, you can fit a small cabinet above it to store things that you do not need on a daily basis.
Bathroom storage: furniture
If the bathroom is small, it is unlikely that you will be able to install bulky cabinets and massive drawers.
However, almost any room can be equipped with a minimum set of necessary furniture.
Cabinets
Use the widest possible cabinet so that in addition to the sink you can easily place a countertop on it.
Cabinets come in both legs and hanging versions. In the second case, you will have additional storage space under the cabinet.
Shelves on wheels
Mobile shelves are made of metal or plastic and come in a wide range of shapes. The wheels allow you to use them anywhere, and their compact sizes allow them to fit even in a small area.
Drawers
The retractable design will be indispensable in cabinets under the sink and niche cabinets.
The drawers are convenient because they immediately provide access to their contents - all things are clearly visible, you don’t need to look for them in far corners.
In addition to personal hygiene items, inside these boxes you can store sockets for a hair dryer.
Radius shelves
For owners of tulip sinks, this accessory is a real find, since the space under a plumbing fixture with a foot is often empty. The rounded shape of the shelf fills the space as much as possible, and movable rollers allow you to adjust the location of the structure.
Built-in shelving
Even a small recess in the wall can be used for storage, especially in a small bathroom. The wooden shelf shown in the first photo became the main highlight of the interior. But if you don’t want to leave most of the items in sight, the structure can be closed by attaching fabric or a roller blind.
Niches
If during repairs open pipes were sewn into a plasterboard box, then depressions could form in some places. Usually they are not left unused and are turned into shelves for storing various bathroom items. Niche shelves can consist of several parts or form a solid structure.
Dresser
If you need extra storage space in the bathroom, you can use a plastic portable nightstand with drawers.
A lightweight and compact chest of drawers can be placed on a dressing table or washing machine. The drawer compartments are convenient for storing spare towels, clean linen, and detergents.
Storage under the bath
At the beginning of a major renovation of a room, you can think about installing open shelves or drawers under the bathtub. They are made to order based on the size of the bowl.
As a result, the empty space under the bathtub can be used to store basins, cleaning supplies or spare towels
Hang hooks
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In the area where the bathtub is used, you can attach rails - the hooks on them are useful for placing washcloths or children's toys. Or place the hooks on suction cups.
You can hang a couple of towel hooks on the bathroom door. Cabinet doors on the inside should also be used: it is convenient to store small flat accessories on small hooks there. For small metal objects, you can attach a magnetic strip.
Items for organizing storage
Wall shelves
Corner wall shelves are ideal for a bathroom - they will help clear the floor from clutter and visually enlarge the space, making it freer and brighter. The second step will be to select the size and style of such devices so that, in addition to functionality, they also serve as decorative elements. Corner shelves can be multi-tiered or single-tiered, large or small, wooden or metal. Of course, the most practical storage solution in the bathroom would be the correct arrangement of multi-tiered metal shelves, but it is the wooden elements that give the room a special coziness.
On classic or corner shelves in the bathroom it is most convenient to store household chemicals, cosmetics and various personal hygiene products, and you can decorate them with neatly folded decorative towels and even evergreens and flowers that are resistant to adverse conditions. Thus, with a slight movement of the hand, the simplest shelves at first glance can turn into a real decorative element. The main thing is not to succumb to female temptation and not to start storing all the cosmetics there in random order. If desired, cosmetics and some accessories can be placed in attractive transparent jars and bottles, diluted with candles, to ultimately get a stylish composition. However, a more hygienic option would still be covered shelves on which you can store towels and underwear without unnecessary fears for the health of family members.
Hooks
Such (at first glance! simple and banal) devices will help to place dressing gowns and serve for storing towels immediately after use in the shower. Hooks will allow household members to quickly grab the necessary item without wasting extra time opening closet doors. You can place the hooks directly on the wall or on the interior door. If the bathroom has a cabinet for towels and other things, make room for household chemicals and hide personal hygiene items from prying eyes, and place household clothes and towels on hooks attached to the same cabinet. We recommend choosing large, strong, combination hooks with a metal rod - they are much more practical and even prettier than their counterparts with silicone fastenings.
Mirror with a secret
We recommend placing a mirror with a secret in the bathroom (regardless of size), which will hide the cabinet behind it. Of course, it will not be so deep, but it will accommodate unsightly little things that the hostess does not want to display in front of the guests, especially if the mirror takes up at least a third of the wall or is narrow, but full-length.
Place under the washbasin
As a rule, under each sink there is already a cabinet with shelves, or you can add one there. Ideally, it is better to replace the shelves with drawers on rails, which will save the housewife from chaos and confusion in everyday details. For additional convenience, such boxes are equipped with cardboard or plastic organizers.
Built-in wardrobe or pantry
A wall-mounted closet in any home will be an excellent solution and will help free up wasted space in a small apartment, especially if the house does not have a storage room or dressing room. What can you put there? Whatever. Starting from clothes, towels and household chemicals to hygiene products, buckets, rags, basins, mops and various little things that are not particularly needed, but it would be a pity to throw them away. A great idea is to hide a washing machine, a boiler, a basket for dirty laundry, as well as a meter and water pipes in such a utility closet. True, this only applies to utility cabinets. If you choose a pantry with mirrored doors, you should arrange all items according to shape, style, color and purpose.
Of course, it will be better if the utility cabinet is made not in the format of a closet, but in the form of a neat niche or furniture structure - this way it will also become an attractive element of decor. In a house where there is already a closet, the situation can be corrected by covering it with a luxurious curtain that matches the overall interior.
Storage under the bath
The idea of storing household chemicals under the bathroom is perhaps the most common in organizing space. It is very convenient and safe if you add neat doors to the bathroom. This solution will be especially successful if there is a small child in the house. You can hide all the dangerous means in a convenient place, but at the same time block the baby’s access there, using the most ordinary lock to lock the doors with a key.
Minimalism
Since the general clutter of the room often becomes the main obstacle to comfort and coziness in the bathroom, you need to maintain order primarily in the sink area and on glazed or even open shelves. To follow minimalism and achieve comfort, place the necessary accessories in the same style near the sink. We include a soap dispenser and a stand with toothbrushes on the mandatory list, but we recommend putting other household items out of sight. If you want to please yourself with cute decorative elements, a shell and candles are suitable for the bathroom.
A couple more ideas for storing useful little things. Cellophane packaging for cotton swabs and pads does not look very aesthetically pleasing, so it is better to place them in glass or even ceramic jars. But place washing powder, sea salt and other bulk bath products in neat flowerpots with a lid or cute marine-themed containers.
A separate point is the use of organizers, but this topic is capacious, so we will highlight a small section for it.
Classic organizers
In the standard classification, organizers are divided according to their types and the types of things that are usually stored in them.
By types of things
Universal . Boxes are perhaps the most common organizers - they are used to neatly place wardrobe items, cosmetics, household chemicals, personal hygiene products and even children's toys. Such designs can be purchased in a store or made with your own hands from scrap materials. If you value comfort and time, it is better not to try to build cardboard storage units with dividers yourself, but to buy a ready-made metal or plastic structure that will last longer and be more practical.
For clothes and shoes . When rationally using space in the bathroom, you cannot do without these organizers. They store towels, bathrobes, house shoes and shower slippers. Such devices will help to visualize things and keep them in proper form, while freeing up space on the heated towel rail.
By type of organizer
Boxes and trunks . From the point of view of storing things and organizing space, these structures are convenient because they can be placed in a niche or closet, under a bathtub or washbasin, or stacked on top of each other, further saving space. The shapes and sizes of such devices allow you to choose exactly the specimen that best suits the chosen location and style. Clothes and any fabric items will be reliably protected from fading and dust, but not from dampness, which is the disadvantage of this type of storage. Therefore, it is recommended to additionally place fabric items stored in trunks and boxes in a closet. Another inconvenience is that such devices do not have separators. As a result, things will be stored in piles, every now and then falling apart and getting confused with each other.
Linen organizers . Such devices are made of environmentally friendly breathable material with a transparent lid, durable frame and flexible dividers (sections, honeycombs, cells, etc.). The design protects underwear from dust and opens the view, which is much more convenient than a chest of drawers. If the dividers are removable, you can adjust the organizer configuration, dividing the contents according to individual needs. The advantage of the devices is their low cost with complete adaptation to modern furniture. Please note that Velcro and zippers can damage lace lingerie and stockings, and magnetic fasteners are an excellent solution for storing just such wardrobe items.
Dividers for shelves and drawers . In those rare cases when organizers do not fit well into furniture, plastic dividers are the solution. They will segment the contents of the closet and turn chaos into order. The disadvantage of such a device is the lack of mobility and adaptation to different furniture, so you need to carefully take measurements before purchasing. To avoid snags and tangles, we do not recommend storing silk clothes, nylon tights and lace underwear in this way.
Shelving baskets . Such aesthetic and natural organizers are suitable for storing clothes and towels, since they do not contain toxic substances and allow air to pass through well. However, they also have a lot of disadvantages: the lack of a lid, light-transmitting inserts and dividers. Be careful! If the product does not have an internal fabric lining, it is not suitable for storing clothes and towels.
Buy suitable containers
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Wicker or textile baskets will add coziness to your bathroom, and besides, they can be placed not only on shelves, but also on the washing machine. Dividers will help keep small items in order.
It is convenient to store cosmetics in small boxes that can be easily stored in any storage area. The main thing is to remember to label the container for ease of reference. And makeup brushes can be kept in a regular glass. Pour coffee beans or colored sand into it: this will add coziness to the bathroom, and the smell of coffee will invigorate you in the morning.
Instead of a resume
Even the tiniest bathroom can be cozy if you use the space wisely and find the right place for every item. Buy organizers, glass or metal shelves, a mirror with a secret and carved hooks, add a cabinet under the bathroom and sink. This way you will free up space and hide everything unnecessary from prying eyes.
Since when organizing space we are guided by practical considerations and aesthetic preferences at the same time, we need to choose a type of storage that will provide not only impeccable order, but also visual pleasure. Finally, we’ll give a couple more practical tips for properly storing things in the bathroom:
- adhere to the same style in small and large interior items;
- sort items by purpose and frequency of use, and then distribute them into appropriate organizers;
- To further save space, spare towels and bathrobes can be stored outside the bathroom;
- Do not forget about the rules for storing cotton and metal products - it is better to hide such accessories in plastic organizers, protecting them from moisture.
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Laundry room
Owners of private houses and modern (large) apartments can afford to organize so-called laundry rooms or laundry rooms.
In such a room there is a place not only for storing dirty clothes, powders and a washing machine, but also for a dryer and ironing board. All tools are concentrated in one place. It is very comfortable.
But the reality is that the majority of the population has very modest sized apartments. Therefore, other, more suitable options are needed.
Freestanding laundry baskets
This item can play the role of a decorative accessory that decorates the bathroom and gives it coziness. The main thing is that the basket matches the style. Simple plastic products are not in high demand now. The most popular are wicker models. There are also wooden, fabric, forged, leather, etc. baskets on sale. Thus, for almost any interior you can choose a container that will organically fit into the decor. Almost anyone, but not everyone. So, in a luxurious classic bathroom, a laundry basket may not be entirely appropriate. It's better to hide it.
The advantage of a decorative basket is its spaciousness. These products are usually very tall and voluminous. But this raises another problem: how to find a place for the basket. Yes, so that it does not interfere and does not create crowding.
In a large bathroom it can be placed anywhere. In a small bathroom, it is better to place a linen container in a corner or nook between other objects (for example, between a shower stall and a “moidodyr”). For convenience, narrow and corner samples are produced.
Convenient storage of towels
When talking about storage in the bathroom, it is impossible to ignore the ways to store towels. First of all, it is worth noting that none of the survey participants kept the entire supply of clean towels in the bathroom due to the lack of a suitable place - everyone only had those towels hanging there that were currently being used by family members.
The idea of storing a supply of clean towels in the closet in the form of beautifully rolled cylinders, which is now very popular on all interior design websites and beautiful photographs, is liked by everyone, but no one has yet put it into practice. The reasons were usually given as follows: there was no time to change something yet or, due to habit, one did not want to violate the established order.
In fact, there are a lot of progressive ideas for conveniently storing towels. For example, you can make wonderful holders from ordinary tin cans, as shown in the photo instructions below. Or store rolled towels in a special bottle holder.
And at the end of our article there is an interesting video about how you can organize storage in the bathroom:
Order in the bathroom is the key to a successful interior
