No matter how much we put in, we never seem to have enough.
Good storage takes some creativity and planning (and a visit to Pinterest).
Accessible storage however isn’t merely about adding more. It’s about adding the right storage at the right height.
Inaccessible storage is more of a hindrance than a help, as it gets filled up with forgotten ineffective shampoos and stuffed with rejected lotions that teeter on the brink of collapse whenever the door is opened.
Discover how to design and locate better bathroom storage, improving its accessibility and capacity.
Optimal Reach Zone
Studies have shown that the area between 15-48in/38-123cm (above the floor), is where most people can comfortably reach into. Locating most of your storage within this optimal reach zone will allow everybody to reach items they need easily and safely.
Within this zone make sure to have a mix of open and closed storage. I’ve even known people who have worked out which items they normally keep in the bathroom in order to incorporate the perfect type of storage for everything. Open storage by its nature is the most accessible, but of course we don’t wish to have all of our toiletries on display.
Make sure that you install D-shaped handles on all your cabinets and drawers. Knobs can be difficult for some people to grasp.
Storage Placement
Side of vanity
The area around the vanity and toilet are the most useful places to focus your storage design around. This is the area where you will spend most of your time and you need to have things within reach. Toilet paper storage and other personal hygiene products being some of the most important items to store near the toilet.
Many bathroom items like toilet paper and shampoo bottles aren’t very big and don’t require deep storage. So you may be surprised at how much extra storage adding 3 or 4 more narrow shelves will get you.
5 Unusual Places to Locate Extra Storage
Inverted shelves
Back of the bathroom door. This is a great place for drying towels. You can usually mount at two different heights to suite everybody.
Walls surrounding the vanity. Install some shelves, or DIY some mason jars to hold q-tips or make-up brushes on a board, or mount some spice racks to fill with bottles of hair products or lotions.
Backs of cabinet doors. Hang hooks or narrow containers to store hair styling equipment.
Wall stud storage
Drawer sides. Use a magnetic strip along the inside of your vanity drawer or medicine cabinet to attach metal items such as tweezers and nail clippers. They will be so much easier to find this way.
Space between wall studs. Normally the domain of the toilet paper roll, it’s actually a great place for open storage.
Action Plan
Look a little closer at the empty spaces in your bathroom and see if you can squeeze in some extra storage.
If you already have an existing bathroom but not quite enough storage space, put aside a weekend for some DIY and have fun creating new homes for your stuff.
If you are planning a renovation or building new, revisit your bathroom storage and ask yourself ‘where can I fit in some more open and closed storage’?