43 Bathroom Storage Ideas to Maximize Space and Style

This article is part of our series, The 7-Day Spruce Up: Your Ultimate Guide to Home Organizing. The 7-Day Spruce Up is your destination for whole home happiness, curating our very best tips and product recommendations to help you create your tidiest, coziest, most beautiful home yet.

Because of their smaller size, bathrooms can be a great place to try out daring decor trends like bold tile or colorful wallpaper. At the same time, because washrooms are not typically very large (at least not in relation to the other rooms in your home), they can accumulate clutter quickly, even if you've made the most of smart bathroom organization ideas. (All the organization hacks in the world can't help if you don't have enough storage, after all.)

Fortunately for bathrooms that are bursting at the seams, these bathroom storage ideas will help you fit all those must-have bathroom toiletries, but still have room for details like plants, candles, or art.

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Use a Storage Ladder for Towels

Twelve On Main

A storage ladder brings a rustic touch to any room, but it works especially well in a small bathroom when designed to fit over the toilet, an area which is often just wasted space. This ladder from Twelve on Main is actually a DIY project (for just $10, too). In addition to towels, hanging a wire basket from one of the rungs is a clever way to increase storage.

The 9 Best Over-the-Toilet Storage Units of 2023
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Hang a Magnetic Strip

Darkroom & Dearly

A magnetic knife rack may not seem like it belongs in a bathroom, but this simple idea from Darkroom & Dearly is a great way to make the most of blank wall space. Stick anything from tweezers to nail clippers and bobby pins to the bar, which will keep countertops clear and prevent the rust stains that happen when metal clips get wet.
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Use a Wire Basket for Hot Tools

Dream Green DIY

Whether your bathroom is large or tiny, it always seems difficult to find a place to store cumbersome blow dryers, straighteners, and curling irons. This smart storage solution from Dream Green DIY hangs a wire file box to the side of the sink to keep hot tools organized without using up precious drawer space.
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Make Use of Under-Sink Space

A Beautiful Mess

The space under the sink can become cluttered quickly, especially since the pipes make it such an oddly shaped spaced. Enter under-sink storage ideas like these metal baskets from A Beautiful Mess in various sizes keep washcloths, extra products, and brushes organized and out of sight.

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Go Wide

Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Margaret Austin Photo

An extra-wide leaning ladder with a black finish adds storage for extra towels, toiletries, and even a cute little shower companion plant in this modern California bathroom from Cathie Hong Interiors.
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Use Modular Drawer Organizers

@neatbymeg / Instagram

Shallow vanity drawers like this one from @neatbymeg can benefit from modular organizing bins to keep everyday items handy. Get a variety of sizes to keep products stored properly, and you'll know exactly where to find everything on rushed mornings.
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Add a Leaning Bookshelf

Bang On Style

A narrow bookcase can be used to keep towels and products organized, plus it's a way to style the bathroom with candles and plants without it looking cluttered. This leaning shelf from Bang On Style has the look of a chic ladder, but with more function because it has deeper shelves.
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Install Over-the-Toilet Built-Ins

The Merrythought

Contrasting colors add dimension to a space, which can make it look bigger and brighter. In this mini bathroom makeover from The Merrythought, the farmhouse shelves pop against the forest green wall that's just the right width for storing a Mason jar full of cotton buds or a pot of makeup brushes.

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Use Clear Storage Bins

@breathing.room.organization / Instagram

Clear storage bins have taken pantries by storm, but they work equally well in bathrooms. These see-through bins from @breathing.room.organization are aesthetically pleasing, but they also allow you to easily see what you have so you don't have to go digging.
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Mix Open and Closed Storage

Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Margaret Austin Photo

In this bathroom from Cathie Hong Interiors, an oversized mirrored cabinet over the sink includes open shelving in golden-toned wood that provides space for display and storage of everyday items. Using one large piece of furniture helps to make the space feel larger and gives the wall anchoring the vanity and adjacent toilet a cohesive feel.
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Label Bins for Small Essentials

The Creativity Exchange

You can take those pretty clear storage bins to the next level by adding printable labels like these from The Creativity Exchange. It looks cute, but more importantly, it helps maintain your storage system by giving everything an easy-to-find designated spot.
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Hack a Bathroom Ladder

Thistlewood Farms

This IKEA hack from Thistlewood Farms for a compact towel rack and shelf system may be based on a discontinued item, but you could apply the same thinking to many types of racks. Some of the metal rungs get upgraded into wooden shelves, so you have space for extra products, folded bath mats, and pretty plants, with a few metal rungs to spare to hang towels.

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Hang Floating Shelves

Almost Makes Perfect

You often find a towel rack or a cabinet over a toilet, but a floating shelf like this one from Almost Makes Perfect is both pretty and functional, and you can add as many as you can fit.
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Add DIY Mason Jar Storage

The DIY Playbook

Repurposed Mason jars do more than just hold flowers or smoothies. This Mason jar organizer from The DIY Playbook is a fun project that looks rustic and adds a point of interest to the bathroom while helping keep smaller, loose items neatly stored.
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Make It Multifunctional

Almost Makes Perfect

If you're renovating a bathroom with added storage in mind, an easy upgrade is to look for medicine cabinets that have both a mirror, closed storage, and an open bottom shelf, like this one from Almost Makes Perfect, to keep the products you reach for daily organized and easy to find.
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Go Low

Studio DIY

Storage baskets are a cute way to store anything from throw blankets to kids' toys, but they also work well in the bathroom. The woven bins in this bathroom from Studio DIY are an easy and neat way to store extra towels, washcloths, and loose items, and it's an especially brilliant idea in a kids' bathroom, because no one will know (or care) if nothing is folded.

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One Thing Ep 83: This Small Space Bathroom Storage Solution is a Game Changer

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Add Shallow Storage

The Creativity Exchange

If you keep your extra products in a linen or bathroom closet, you know how hard they can be to find (and so you may end up buying something you already have that's just out of sight). This shallow closet from The Creativity Exchange is a clever way to see everything you have, and it blends into what would otherwise be a blank wall.
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Organize Drawers With Spacers

@neatbymeg / Instagram

It's easy to let a deep drawer become a graveyard for old products and expired sunscreen. But drawers are some of the most prime real estate in a small bathroom, and dividers like these from @neatbymeg help keep everything neatly in its place—and can help you store more than you ever imagined.
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Bring in a Small Storage Table

Black & Blooms

There is so much to love about this lively yet serene bathroom from Black & Blooms: the small table that serves as a spot for candles and crystals but also towels; the hanging shelf; the beautiful bath. Keep a bathtub caddy up at all times if you need a little extra surface space.
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Use Trays

Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Margaret Austin Photo

There's nothing wrong with keeping a few well chosen daily essentials out on the countertop for convenience and to keep your bathroom looking lived in and vibrant. In this California bathroom from Cathie Hong Interiors, mismatched trays are used to corral items on the countertop, keeping items separated and preventing them from looking jumbled. You can keep the trays low key or think of each one as a mini vignette where you can organize your grooming routine and embellish as desired with cut flowers, scented candles, or anything else that makes you feel relaxed.

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Repurpose a Glass Bookshelf

Lia Griffith

A tall slim bookcase is a wonderful way to add storage to a smaller bathroom, like this one from Lia Griffith. Pick shelves that are wide and tall enough for perfectly folded towels, and use a wicker basket for rolled up washcloths.
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Rethink Toothbrush Storage

Living Well Mom

If you're tired of the toothbrushes taking up counter space (and creating crusty puddles on the vanity), then this is genius solution from Living Well Mom keeps everything organized and out of sight. You could even add velcro strips to the cups and inside the cabinet door so kids can pull out their whole cup when it's time to brush.
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Store Tires in Wire Baskets

Lovely Indeed

Rolling towels into logs and storing them in a basket of your choosing will save space and look homey and warm, like this wire basket full of striped towels from Lovely Indeed.
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Consider Dual Storage Options

The Merrythought

Hanging towels from a ladder helps save space in your linen closet and on any bathroom shelves. If there's room, a ladder next to a shelf is a great way to make the most of a small space (and add plenty of storage potential), like this apartment bathroom from The Merrythought.

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Float a Shelf Above the Tub

@milkandhoneylife / Instagram

This farmhouse style bathroom from @milkandhoneylife looks minimalist while still being full of detail. Space above a tub is often underused, and it's a perfect spot to hang an extra long floating shelf. Another smart bit of storage are the hanging wire baskets that descend from the ceiling; they look airy and interesting but can hold towels.
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Use Matching Tones

Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Margaret Austin Photo

Don't forget to add storage to display favorite items, decor, or the gorgeous packaging that convinced you to buy those self-care products in the first place. In this bathroom from Cathie Hong Interiors, black metal floating shelves with a slim profile keep special lotions and potions on display while blending in with the black plumbing fixtures and accents throughout the space for a seamless and cohesive look.
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Pick a Vanity With Open Shelving

Sugar & Cloth

Not only is the walnut wood of this bathroom vanity stunning, but it also offers a ton of storage because it includes both shelves and drawers. This beautiful setup from Sugar & Cloth makes a good case for installing a larger vanity, even if you have a single sink.
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Install a Narrow Hanging Shelf

Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Margaret Austin Photo

Even if you're tight on space, you can still find room for a narrow shelf. This one from Cathie Hong Interiors has cool industrial vibes, and while it may not be very wide, it has plenty of space for storing products, candles, perfume, plants, or other things that are functional as well as decorative.

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Make the Most of the Vanity

Sugar & Cloth

A large vanity like this one from Sugar & Cloth is the easiest path to chic bathroom storage. Find one that fits your vibe, and make the most of it by putting in drawers or shelves that are deep enough for towels, products, and all your other must-haves.
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Go Incognito

A Beautiful Mess

Add a print onto the front of a narrow storage cabinet to maximize space without having mirrors on every wall, like this cool incognito medicine cabinet from A Beautiful Mess. There's no rule saying there has to be just one medicine cabinet per bathroom, especially when you need all the storage you can get.
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Use Baskets for Clunky Products

Studio DIY

Use boho style storage baskets on open shelving to hide clunky products like this pink and green bathroom from Studio DIY.
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Maximize Every Inch

Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Margaret Austin Photo

When choosing a bathroom vanity for an existing alcove of any size, be sure to run it from wall to wall in order to maximize every last inch of storage space while achieving a tailored custom look, like this bathroom from Cathie Hong Interiors.

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Install Built-in Shelving

Lia Griffith

Built-ins are a great way to maximize space in any bathroom, whether it be big or smaller. This guest bathroom from Lia Griffith doesn't have a vanity, but there's plenty of storage with the built-in shelves and lower cabinet.
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Hang It Up

Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Christy Q. Photography

In this long railway-style bathroom from Cathie Hong Interiors, a garden tub occupies the space beneath the window, while a floating shelf holds art and bath salts and some simple wall hooks make it easy to hang up quick-drying, lightweight Turkish towels once your bubble bath is over.
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DIY Some Shelves

The Merrythought

Don't forget to look up when considering bathroom storage. Often, one of the best spots for floating shelves is on the forgotten space above the toilet. These DIY bathroom shelves from The Merrythought were made out of wood that can be stained any color that you like, and then it's up to you to decide what to store on your new bathroom shelves.
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Build a Ledge

Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Margaret Austin Photo

A terracotta tile ledge in this Japandi-style bathroom from Cathie Hong Interiors hides plumbing while adding interest and providing a open storage for shampoo, soap, conditioner, and whatever else you need to get through a shower or bath. Just be sure that open storage doesn't get too cluttered lest it ruin the zen vibes.

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Use Deep Drawers for Haircare

@afreshnest / Instagram

If you're lucky enough to have deep drawers in the bathroom, use them wisely. More shallow drawers are perfect for makeup and smaller items, but a drawer with depth like the one here from @afreshnest is best used for more cumbersome items like blow dryers and hot tools, which are notoriously difficult to store.
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Carve It Out

Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

Sometimes the best place to look for extra storage is in the empty space behind the walls. In this bathroom from Emily Henderson Design, a niche with open shelving leaves space to store extra towels and display decorative bottles, candles, and even a miniature framed painting to make it both stylish and functional.
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Add an Extra Shelf

Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Margaret Austin Photo

Make a shower wall niche extra functional by adding a discreet glass shelf where you can float a body brush, razor, pumice stone, or other essential items without cluttering up your minimalist aesthetic, like this bathroom from Cathie Hong Interiors.
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Hang Shelves Inside the Shower

Louis Duncan-He Designs / Photo by Eymeric Wildling

If you don't have a built-in niche but do have a large walk-in shower, consider hanging floating shelves on the shower wall, like this spacious bathroom from Louis Duncan-He Designs.

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Stack It Up

Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

Emily Henderson Design optimized the space beneath the double vanity in this black and white bathroom by adding stacked wire baskets and a slide-out top shelf that doubles the storage capacity and keeps toiletries and bathroom essentials neat, organized, and easy to find.
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Bench It

Louis Duncan-He Designs / Photo by Eymeric Wildling

An angled bench in this narrow shower stall from Louis Duncan-He Designs provides storage space for shampoo bottles and a place to sit when you need to slough those dry heels or shave your legs without taking up too much floor or wall space.
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Use All Available Real Estate

Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

Emily Henderson Design made a feature of the often overlooked real estate on top of the toilet by placing a woven tray and matching storage baskets that maximize the surface area to provide concealed storage for essentials while adding warmth and texture to the black and white space.