As a home designer in Boulder, Colorado, I specialize in creating sustainable spaces tailored to my clients’ needs. In my mountain town, where small cabins and urban apartments abound, I’ve become an expert at transforming cramped bathrooms into organized oases.
I know how frustrating tiny bathrooms can be. Counter space fills up fast, cabinets overflow with toiletries, and floors disappear under piles of towels. But with clever solutions, you can maximize every inch for storage and style.
In this post, I’ll share my top 10 storage tricks for squeezing function and elegance into small bathrooms. These solutions range from repurposing overlooked spaces to using multipurpose furniture. My goal is to help you reimagine what your small powder room can become with creativity.
Floating Shelves: Airy Style with Storage
Let’s start with the classic: floating shelves. Installing slim shelves on the wall instantly expands your usable area. Mount them above the toilet, next to the vanity, or inside the shower to stow toiletries and linens.
Floating shelves add warmth and personality while keeping necessities accessible. Mix shapes, sizes, and materials like wood or glass. For moisture protection, seal porous materials and line shelves with waterproof bins.
Over-Toilet Cabinets: Hidden Gems
Many bathrooms waste vertical storage above the toilet. Fill this space with shelves or a cabinet to neatly store extra toilet paper, cleaning supplies, linens, and other essentials.
Freestanding cabinets offer enclosed storage for toiletries and linens. Or opt for open shelving to display decorative accents or plants. Ensure the furniture doesn’t block bathroom access and allows the toilet lid to open fully.
Tension Pole Shelving: DIY Vertical Storage
Don’t overlook the narrow spaces between studs for DIY storage. Install tension pole shelving for awkward gaps, no drilling or hardware required.
Slide adjustable poles between the walls, fasten, and stack baskets or shelves onto the poles to hold toiletries, small decor items, and backup supplies. You can store in a tiny crevice!
Under-Sink Organizers: Hidden Spaces
Many bathrooms don’t utilize the storage potential under sinks. But slide-out trays, lazy Susans, and pull-out cabinets can transform this wasted space into a well-organized stockroom.
Install organizers around existing plumbing without blocking pipe access. Fill them with backup toiletries, infrequently used tools like tweezers, and cleaning products to keep counters clutter-free.
Hanging Baskets: High-Flying Storage
Hanging wire storage baskets offer extra space and visual interest. Mounting baskets vertically utilizes air space while displaying colorful linens and toiletries.
Install racks with S-hooks above the toilet or affix baskets directly to the walls with brackets. Then arrange the baskets to complement your style by filling them with neatly folded towels, self-care accessories, or green foliage and candles for tranquility.
Mirrored Cabinets: Storage Meets Vanity
You can maximize functionality without losing floor space by using mirrors that double as storage. Hanging a medicine cabinet behind the bathroom mirror combines seeing your reflection with quick access to toiletries.
Opt for a leaning floor mirror propped against the wall with cabinets or shelves for extra storage. Securely anchor it to avoid accidents.
Storage Ottomans: Seating and Storage
Why choose between seating and storage when you can have both? Storage ottomans pull double duty, providing a soft seat plus ample room for hiding backup supplies and infrequently used items.
Look for rectangular ottomans with hinged lids to reveal a spacious inner cavity. Then stash away extras to keep counters clean and offer guests a place to sit when space is limited.
Wall-Mounted Displays: Show Your Style
Your bathroom is small doesn’t mean you can’t show off your style! Using wall-mounted cabinets to adorn the walls allows you to exhibit decorative accents alongside storage.
Mount a glass-fronted cabinet with neatly folded towels matching your shower curtain. Or use industrial pipe shelving to display candles and greenery. Mixing aesthetics with storage lets you personalize without taking up floor space.
Vertical Towel Storage: Fold and File
Neatly store towels in small spaces by using vertical space! Install tall, narrow towel cabinets to hang lots of linens in a tidy footprint.
Freestanding cabinets with adjustable shelves allow for customizable storage. Space-saving corner cabinets fit neatly against walls. Folding towels upright helps save space.
Shower Niches: Built-In Hideaways
Installing built-in niches transforms tile walls into concealed chambers for seamless storage inside the shower. Recess small shelves into the shower surround to hold shampoo, razors, and other bathing accessories.
Built-in niches maintain a streamlined aesthetic with storage behind cabinet doors the same color as shower tile. Unlike bulky corner caddies, recessed niches keep essentials on hand without obstructing the shower entrance.
Baskets Under Sinks: Discreet Storage
Check under the bathroom sinks for storage potential. Install adjustable shelves or line the space with baskets to organize backup soaps, feminine products, first aid supplies, and seldom-used electricals.
Keep things orderly to easily grab items. Use rectangular bins for upright storage or stash shorter supplies in lidded baskets. Regularly purge unused items to avoid chaotic junk drawers.
Final Thoughts on Small Bathroom Storage
Small bathrooms balance beauty and function by maximizing storage potential vertically and through multipurpose furniture with clever solutions.
These 10 strategies sparked ideas for better utilizing your petite powder room. Small spaces need creative problem solving, but the payoff in aesthetics and organization is significant.
Share your best small bathroom storage solutions below or contact me for personalized design advice tailored to your space. I’m here to help fellow space challengers implement clever ideas for beautiful, efficient rooms, regardless of size!
