Style and Function

Style and Function provides a Quick cure for small bathroom clutter

Messy cluttered bathrooms can cause overwhelming anxiety. Especially when you're in an early morning rush and can't find the tooth paste that's hidden underneath the shirt you wore yesterday and the face cloth you just threw on top of said shirt.

The thought of not being able to brush my teeth with toothpaste that I know I have but just can't find in such a mess would make me want to throw the whole bathroom away. Ok I know thats impossible and not practical but you can imagine the level of anxiety and frustration. 

It's time to take a weekend or a day, if your ambitious, and get your bathroom organized. Organization is important in any space, especially in a small space and especially a bathroom. A messy bathroom creates an uncomfortable space and honestly it doesn't have to be that way. A comfortable well organized space is doable, let me show you how.

The essentials to a well organized small bathroom is storage.  Bathroom storage is more than just display cases and boring baskets. It's a way to bring elements of texture color and visual interest into an otherwise bland space.  It is possible to merge style and function in a small space as well as putting an end to bathroom clutter 

There are a variety of bathroom storage options. Wall shelves, free standing shelves undercabinet storage, such as wire baskets and woven baskets. Vanity storages such as tooth brush and tooth paste holders, napkin box holders and soap dispensers. Let's not forget towel racks. Display your towels beautifully but it also gives a nice place to hang them oppose to being thrown on the sink/vanity. Lastly a laundry basket. A place for dirty towels and clothes. Let me show you how to get from a messy bathroom to am amazing bathroom 

Stylish and functional storage. There are many storage solutions and all of them will store items as they are designed to. But we don't just want storage alone we also want style and beauty.... You know the pretty stuff. This is where planning your design pays off. I don't want you to run out and just grab the first woven baskets you see. No please don't do that. You'll waste so much time and money and ultimately be unhappy with your purchases.

You may think planning your design is too big of a challenge. Honestly it's not. One trick I like to use is working backwards. Find organized bathroom styles you like. Create a pinterest account and save your favorite small bathroom styles to your boards, focusing on their use of storage. Instagram is another platform to find inspiration. The Instagram saves feature is a plus. Search the hashtags “small bathroom storage” and save the posts you like. Go through all of your saved images from pinterest and Instagram. Narrow your options down to three. Yes, three. Believe it or not too, many options can cause decision paralysis.

When selecting your top three bathrooms, try to focus on bathrooms that are similar to yours if you have a small 4x6 bathroom it may be discouraging eyeing 12x12 ensuite. Speaking of discouraging don't get discouraged by the beautiful Instagram posts or Pinterest posts. Not many people show thier real life on social media. They just show the highlights of their lives. Trust me you can also have an Instagram worthy bathroom.

Now that you know the the different storage options available, let's go over the storage items you may need

Take into account how you would like to store your makeup, hair care and personal products. Think about the ones you use daily and those that are for weekend or just special occasion. Separate daily use from special occasion. This will help you easily grab those quick use items. Having too many items together can make getting ready quickly a challenge. Due to needing to search through multiple products to find one thing. Toothbrush and tooth paste storage options. It can be in a holder on the vanity or in a cabinet it's really your preference.

Now on to other staples such as a toilet paper, hand towels, soap, etc. If you have under Cabinet space these can be stored in Pretty woven baskets under the sink. If not a free standing shelf or wall shelves work perfectly for storage boxes. Here are a few options.

Shower storage if your shower doesn't have built-in shelves, a hanging organizer with tiered shelves is the way to go. Plus, it even prevents clutter around your shower and prevents mildew buildup at the bottles' bases.

If your linen closet is already overflowing or you don't have a linen closet, decorative baskets below your vanity or against the wall if space allows is great to stick bath and hand towels in. If you have space for two You can use a second one basket as a hamper to collect used or damp towels. Measure your space, find baskets that for within those dimensions.

A modern ladder shelf over can make use of empty space. Place a few baskets on the them for more organization.

A dresser that fits well against the wall is perfect for storing towels, slippers robes, bath time necessities. A small dresser can be used in many places in a home outside of the bedroom. A dresser also allows for storage on top of the dresser. Because this is exposed you want it to be neat functional a beautifully curated/styled.

A wall shelf unit like this one is so stylish and functional. It can store your bottles, candles, and extra toilet paper rolls or decorative vases.

Drawer dividers simplify your morning makeup search because they prevent lipsticks, brushes, and other favorites from rolling around when you open or close the drawer.

The jute basket that just doesn't fit in your bathroom cabinet might have a purpose elsewhere — like on the walls. Hang one or two above your toilet to hold rolled up towels and discreetly hide toilet paper in a convenient location. Purchase double side Velcro and attach it to the basket to keep the lid closed.

Freestanding shelves also make good storage as they can be pushed against the wall or placed in the corner of the bathroom. Some additional ways for organizing items is to keep hand towels and wash clothes inside of vases. Simply roll them vertically and place them upright in the vase. Store bathbombs and bath salts in vases. Or create a pleasant aroma with potpourri.  Fill it with dry potpourri, or incent sticks. Hide your extra candle warmer cubes inside vases. 

You can store a number of items inside vases such extra boxes of Q-tips, small hand sanitizers, bar soap, extra bags of cotton balls. Bars can be used for overflow items. This helps so that you don't have all of this stuff just sitting out on your sink vanity or in a disorganized way under your bathroom cabinet

Bathroom organization doesn't have to be a daunting task. Like I said before it's like any other huge task. Start with the end result in mind first. Then break it up into steps to plan your design on how you want to store and arrange things. And how you want your bathroom to look and feel. Be realistic on the items you use daily that you need easy access to and those that or special occasion weekend use.

Having a small bathroom means space is limited. Be mindful of your overflow items. Yes it may seem like a good idea to stock up on a years worth of toilet paper or buy all the hand towels that are on clearance, but you need to ask yourself where am I going to put it. An important motto for organization is a “place for everything and everything is in its place”. Purchase only what you have space to store.

Use your inspiration images to create your color palette or theme. It looks better when your baskets and vases coordinate or compliment each other. A cohesive look.

Want to take your small bathroom to the next level. You can purchase my Beautiful Interiors Small Bathroom Décor ebook. I give multiple bathroom designs and solutions including storage tips and color schemes