Pimp my w/c!

March 5, 2007 2:47 AM

need storage solutions for a small bathroom.

pics here

Obviously nothing like an étagere or cabinet will work; I'm thinking thin shelves, but I'm looking for outside-of-the-box solutions that won't get in the way of my head, but won't be so high that my gf can't reach anything.

posted by exlotuseater to home & garden (16 comments total)

Have you considered looking through the archives of, and possibly posting your question on, Apartment Therapy? Questions about stylish uses for small spaces are the entire focus of the website.
posted by Forktine at 4:30 AM on March 5, 2007

From the pictures, I couldn't really figure out where the sink was in relation to the shower/toilet...

Anyway, this is what comes to mind, though I don't know if these suggestions are out of the box enough!

You have the blank wall next to the sink. You could do a very narrow shelf there, or even something like a spice holder, to keep your toothbrush/face stuff, etc.

It looked like, in front of the towel rack (that's before the toilet), you might have room for a small shelving unit. I bought a tall cd shelf for my bathroom. The shelves are only about 7x7(ish) inches, but there are something like six of them. (I left out one of the bottom shelves to create a taller place to stack toilet paper.

You should also have the back of the door to attach some kind of shelving/sorting unit to.

Finally, for linens/towels, you could maybe get one of those cylindrical hanging down storage thingies from Ikea, and hang it from the ceiling on the back left corner, at the back of the toilet.
posted by Salamandrous at 4:56 AM on March 5, 2007

Outside the box, huh? Well, when we wanted a built-in bookcase in our tiny study, I took the sheetrock off the wall, placed some paneling between the studs,and attached the shelves. we were lucky that the studs were 6 inches, so 8in shevles only stuck out 2 inches. Your wall might only has 2x4 walls, but it still can be done on a smaller scale. It can be reversed fairly easily too, a 4x8 sheet of sheetrock is less than $20. Some tape, a little mud, some paint, and a weekend will make it dissapear. This will only work on interior walls though, because exterior walls will have insulation.
posted by lobstah at 5:25 AM on March 5, 2007

I've been in homes where they mounted shelves directly over windows. Sort of like this kitchen window or this dorm room window. Glass shelves like in this display window would be a nice way to let in the light. Since it is a bathroom, you could frost the window for privacy.
posted by kittydelsol at 5:51 AM on March 5, 2007

Get two or three wire baskets and hang them from the ceiling using four lengths of venetian blind cord with a little pulley above each corner. Attach a cleat to the wall so you can secure them once you've pulled them up out of the way.
posted by flabdablet at 5:56 AM on March 5, 2007

There is modular wire shelving that you can buy at any hardware store. I see placing several shelves in front of the window starting a foot above the toilet tank and going all the way to the ceiling.
posted by JJ86 at 6:14 AM on March 5, 2007

JJ86 is right. Our bathroom is even smaller than yours (shockingly enough), and we have modular wire shelving above the toilet.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 6:53 AM on March 5, 2007

CD racks are narrow and frequently have nice clean lines. This one can be hanged horizontaly after you remove the plastic insert. Ready made = cheap.

Box shelves can be inexpensively custom-made in different depths so they can fit different areas in your bathroom. They are great for arranging compositions and provide unity to the space.

If you do have them specially made (or make them yourself), have some sort of lean horizontal metal bar placed inside about 2' from the bottom so you have a "rail" that prevents stuff from falling out.

Also look for hotel-type towel racks for storing clean towels above the window.

As far as outside the box goes, think ceiling hangers - and flabdablet's idea. And glass shelves across the window.

And I second Forktine's suggestion too.
posted by AnyGuelmann at 7:31 AM on March 5, 2007

I have one of these hangers on my bathroom door.
posted by iviken at 8:56 AM on March 5, 2007

+1 for glass shelves over window. Also, I have seen before a shower curtain with little pockets sewn into it for storing bottles/tubes/etc. This one isn't very nice-looking, but you get the idea.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:04 AM on March 5, 2007

Ceiling ideas: This kit and this laundry rack may give you a head start if you want to try flabdablet's pulley suggestion. Also, take a look at this fixed suspended shelf -- it's high, but you could use it for things you use infrequently.
posted by wryly at 10:44 AM on March 5, 2007

Forgot one: I've installed this Elfa system inside a few closet doors; it can also be attached to a wall. (For a door, I recommend using screws instead of the hanging hook.) The large baskets are big enough for double-roll Charmin or a vertical paper towel roll. The shelves are surprisingly sturdy -- not at all wobbly.
posted by wryly at 11:02 AM on March 5, 2007

How about a pocketed shower curtain? The cute cat curtain will show through the clear parts, and you'll gain some storage space for toiletries.

On preview: Rock Steady beat me to it.
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 11:08 AM on March 5, 2007

Looks like there's some unused space on either side of your commode, just enough room for some Kasset boxes stacked 2-3 high (smaller size here), or some Mackis containers stood up on their ends and the drawers reversed. Of course, those are boxes. For something different, get some bungee cords, attach them, stretched, to the long wall, in orderly lines or criss-crossed, and then put things underneath them. If they're tight enough, they'll hug things very securely to the wall and look kind of industrial-chic.
posted by CMichaelCook at 5:55 PM on March 5, 2007

If you do go with shelves over the toilet, please don't use them for towel storage - otherwise, your laundry fresh towels quickly take on a distinct whiff as gases ascend every time the toilet gets used.... and no one wants to dry their face with a towel smelling of eau de buttcrack

though i like the idea of glass shelves over the window to stow all the stuff now perilously balanced on the tank
posted by yggdrasil at 12:42 PM on March 6, 2007

Sorry, but your shower curtain....designer, manufacturer and possibly any online purveyors, please?
posted by ponystyle at 2:21 AM on March 12, 2007