Big mirrored cabinet over sink (ours has 3 doors and the doors open in a way so one can see the back of head/neck) plus under sink cabinet. I don't use make-up at all but there is still a lot of stuff to store. I prefer closed cabinets any time.

My favorite is a tall cabinet with three drawers in the bottom and butt doors in the top. Drawers are handy for many things, while butt doors provide hidden storage while working well in tight quarters.

Of course you need several types of storage, preferably a vanity with a pullout for hair dryers, etc.

we have a double sink, which means there is larger drawer/cupboard space underneath which is great, highly recommend for storage!

@ritting28- that's why we brush our teeth in the kitchen.

My favorite - a between-the-studs storage cabinet for a small bathroom. It allowed me to install a pedestal sink on the opposite wall to make the 5' x 8' space feel larger. I store toothpaste, soap, cleaning supplies, make-up, and pharmacy items in it - and even non-fluffy toilet paper rolls.

Best storage is a combination of all these ideas. Because things are used differently in terms of frequency and size, it makes sense that we all need some combination of large and small hidden and visible storage.

Every bathroom should have a linen closet and I don't know why anyone would ever design a bathroom without one, but it is done all the time and I've lived in them. Space usually isn't even the excuse because I can see where one could fit but it isn't there! I will never own another house without a closet in each bathroom for towels, etc. They also need cabinets (medicine cabinet etc.) set into the wall near the sinks. Makes perfect sense to use the space between the studs for that.

Belahn, in a perfect world, I agree that bathrooms should have a linen closet, however, I would challenge you to find space for one in a standard 5'x8'' bathroom. Towel racks, however, can substitute, particularly the ones with two rods and the train rack type.

I think it's important to distinguish between functional visible storage and deeper hidden storage. Functional storage that is open and easy to get to is the best, especially if one uses nicely designed objects! (It's best to tuck less beautiful things away.)

Here are a few examples of functional visible storage:

My bathroom used to be a 10’ x 12’ bedroom. Now it’s a 10’ x
10’ bathroom with a 2’ x 10’ closet. There is room for an antique pine
washstand that has two drawers and storage below. There is also storage under
the 4’ vanity. There’s enough room in the middle to dance up a storm if you
wanted to. The closet houses the on-demand water heating system, the pressure
tank, two big water filtering tanks, shelves for the extra toilet paper, and cleaning
supplies. There is also room for a large dog food container, bucket, mop,
broom, vacuum, etc. It is perfect for me.

Perhaps something like this?

Our main bathroom was minimal size with the laundry room next to it. We combined the two rooms to make a spacious bathroom with a 4' x 3' shower added and moved the laundry to the basement. That was 23 years ago, time to tile the floor, change the vanity & toilet. The storage next to the tub is so practical. The shower is a one piece acrylic unit that shows no sign of aging. Oval tilt mirror is a real plus.

@tooky58 Just curious...where/how do you keep your toothpaste and toothbrushes in the kitchen? We've taken to brushing at the kitchen sink, as well.

Nnigrt said what I was going to say -- don't store so much! My personal peeve is stuff sitting out, so storage in our bathrooms is reserved for what we actually use and need.

We have streamlined our storage by using the small, covered stackable bins (shoebox size). For example, our young grandchildren are here often, so we keep a bin for them with childrens' Tylenol, cough syrup, etc. Another bin stores all sizes of band aids and neosporin. The bins are all labeled and readily accessible, yet don't take up a lot of space and fit neatly into a cabinet.

Because we keep the nonessentials out, there is an entire cabinet in each of our bathrooms just for toilet paper. Never run out of toilet paper! Too scary!

Having a small 8' x 5' master bathroom, we use the under-sink for "immediate" storage of towels, washcloths, a few extra rolls of TP, and a 2 drawer bin for hair dryer, electric razor, etc. (hate those on the sink top). Just outside the master bath, we purchased a TV armoire with 3 shelves and 2 drawers. The doors/drawers keep the overstock out of sight - extra shampoo, bath soap, shelf/drawer organizers for nail clippers, extra toothbrush heads, Band-Aids, medicines, Q-Tips...whatever. One of the best decisions we ever made.

all I can say to those who are terrified of "toilet spray",.. CLOSE the LID B4 flushing!! I mean seriously folks, how many years did our ancestors use the outhouse? We have gotten much too extreme about our quality of life. Better pray we never end up in FEMA camps or there will be alot of out of control people! Spending more time praying & less time obsessing will give you greater peace of mind.

Hello Cherihall777 Brushing your teeth at the kitchen sink is fine so long as you don't get toothpaste in the apple pie. Have you tried dentures in the dishwasher ? I just read an article on unusual things that come clean in a dishwasher and also 50 uses for used dryer sheets, we are living in wonderful times aren't we !

bathroom 13.5 x 7.1 is long cabinets the length of the wall with break in tomorrow he door and other side with break in shower has more than the space I need. just moved here but thinking about what to do. like the cabinets.

We have an extremely small bathroom in our house. It's the only problem area we have since we love everything else about the house. We have a large white cabinet with French doors that have mirrors and a row of baskets right below above the sink. In order to have enough storage, I had my husband put up an additional white cabinet without mirrors above the toilet. The bathroom already had a pedestal sink that I love and since there is not much room to open and shut the door, we will not be replacing the sink anytime soon!

There is also one of the smallest linen closets I've ever seen in an older home (built in 1945)! Eventually, we will take out the linen closet and tub and my husband will build a tiled shower (my dream shower)!

Love the between the studs cabs!! Plan to make use of that idea in a number of places in my house. Just be sure you take note of what might be IN the wall or on other side. Both my bathrooms are 5 x 8 so storage is an issue. Also no linen closet for bathrooms or coat closet near entry! Because I have always had small bathrooms, I favor vanities with storage (especially drawers!) and medicine cabs. Like to keep cleaning supplies under sink. Also, cabs or shelves above toilets. I don't like hanging or storing towels on shelves above toilets for sanitation reasons but a closed cabinet there is a good place for extra TP, soaps, first aid supplies, etc.

As for toilet flushing, closing the lid should be good enough. We do live in a bit of hyper-paranoia about sanitation. If you grow up in a too sterile environment your body will not build up it's immune system. Not that I'm advocating being unclean. Just lighten up a little! Close the lid, scrub when needed, and you're good to go! As for not brushing your teeth in the bathroom...that's just silly!! (IMHO).

I have been an artist/artistic all my life. I used it when I needed wall shelving.

I have cabinets and a little closet in my bathroom.

Myownstyle13- my cabinets are just like that!

I had to tell the cabinet maker exactly how I wanted them and all they could say was: "That's a brilliant idea!"

We have a huge linen closet in our bathroom, only need a fraction of the shelves, but I won't own this house forever.

I am blessed. My commode is in its own room within the bathroom, splash would need to travel and know it's left and right for me to be afraid. And most of us do have too much stuff.

How about all of the above or at least as many as possible. I have inset mirrored cabinets over the sinks plus drawers and doors in the cabinet under the sinks. I also have storage for items in the shower and space for hanging towels. We will be adding a tall linen type cabinet in our remodeled master for extra towels and products since that is larger and used most often.

I had a set of shelves in a hole in the wall in one bathroom and loved it. I put like things in baskets, the easiest way to organize my hubby, through it in the basket, even hang one on the wall for wash cloths- no folding just pile them in, every so often go get a new bouquet.

The toilet thing, i bought it whole hog. so i shut the lid, well there is never anything under the lid? So i tell hubby. He says yes, when they do those examples they do not have the toilet hooked up to a regular water supply or that air vent thingie (he did not say that, my brain burps do) that is why the example is so horrid and if you try, you can not duplicate, if you can? call the plumber.

I also questioned the whole don't brush your teeth in the shower, though I don't. You are going to get the same mold etc, from the faucet.

One last thing to keep in mind. whenever you smell something? those are particles of whatever it is going up your nose, so bathrooms are not the only bad spot.

I have a good idea, one of you that has the special flashlight to look for bodily fluids? why don't you go in and test? 6", 12", etc. Then we will really know.

to "having fun".... love your expose' on the toilet. It's the truth. Everything is a deception out there. They're always trying to keep us paranoid & in fear so we can "trust" whatever they tell us is the cure. I just pray people will Wake Up! to all the propaganda that's being distributed to us. This country ( and the world for that matter)... is not cooking with all burners. It's not carelessness; it's an agenda.

As far as the subject of bath storage goes... #1. declutter... we all have way too much "unnecessary necessities". Like the old adage, if you haven't used it in a year, you don't need it! #2. just working on my 2nd bath so I can have a soaking tub for my aching body & thrilled that a piece of furniture I've had in my guest room fits perfectly in the bath, both in regards to size & color. Perfect storage for true necessities like epsom salts. It's 43" tall & 16" wide with curvy legs and has a sweet curved door and 2 drawers. Thrilled that it has finally found its' place! Open rack with baskets for towels below floating vanity top. And #3... just enjoy the fact that we all have indoor plumbing!

karinkress you make a lot of sense with your #1, #2 & #3. A lot of homes are built with minimum size bathrooms & kitchens because these are the most expensive rooms as far as construction costs are concerned. Take a long look if your house hunting.

I agree with those who are tired of the sanitation paranoia. The human race has survived horrible conditions over hundreds of generations; that's how immune systems work. Just close the lid, clean the room regularly and, unless you have a compromised immune system that warrants special precautions, relax and enjoy modern plumbing.

As for storage, I got rid of my old under-sink cabinet and now have a lovely pedestal lav. I took an empty (no working parts) 1929 console radio cabinet that fits my 1930 house beautifully and fitted it with shelves for towels and such. It's unique, looks great and I love it.

Plastic drawers underneath the vanity that was a built in. 4drw fit perfectly!

I don't like seeing clutter in any room, and so we have a large linen closet in each bathroom, plus under the double sink cabinet storage. Inside every cabinet, I have baskets to further organize everything.

In our master bathroom we removed the oversized jetted tub (there's a tub in the hall bathroom) and splurged with a custom vanity the whole length of the bathroom wall. We LOVE it - still haven't filled all the drawers and cabinets!

Before photo:

After:

We've become a germophobic society. Exposure to germs allows our immune system to get stronger.

We have a long double sink vanity with pull outs in the cabinets, a counter supported cabinet between the sinks, and a linen closet, as well as the laundry with extra cabinets, and the entry to the walk in closet in the master bath. So much storage, and most of it empty. Just how we like it!

No germophobia in our home and we are definitely not neat freaks. My Mum would say "You have to eat 100lbs. of dirt before you die" and "A home should look lived in"

To Myownstile13 -- I'd love to see a photo of your "brilliant idea." And I'm so pleased to hear that many of you have a 5 x 8 bathroom. Apparently that's typical for 50-year-old houses. This article has given me several ideas for how to improve the storage space in our 5 x 8 bathroom. One saving grace to our small bathroom is that we have a pocket door that saves space.

@kateiniowa - sorry, but no private photos from me on the internet... but this is how it works:
Mirrored cabinet

Ours is semi-recessed, 120 cm x 80 cm

Thanks for the photo - it gives me an idea of what we can do with our bathroom.

It's great to see and hear how people are dealing with challenges in their homes--so many creative ideas! Perhaps the best idea came from those who said to get rid of excess! I'm working on it (baby steps).

We had a modular home built in a cape style 3 years ago and using one of their basic floor plans, rearranged walls and doors in a way that we hope will allow us to "age in place" as all of our living area is on the main floor. Our main bath is 8' x 7' which isn't as large as some but works. As you enter the bath, on the immediate left is a tall linen closet, next to that is a single sink mounted into a 6-drawer vanity/cabinet. Lastly on the left is a bidet. Underneath the window on the end wall are the towel racks. On the right side wall, we opted to have just a shower stall (no tub) and in it, have mounted a small dispenser that houses 4 containers for shampoo, conditioner, face and body washes. Recessed on the other side of the shower wall is the toilet. Lastly, behind the bathroom door, we have a set of 4 hooks for robes and that sort of thing. It's the first bathroom we've ever had that allows us to get around each other without one of us being scrunched up against a wall and frankly, is neater and more organized than most of the rest of the house :)

When we eventually do our small hall bath, for the 2nd time in 24yrs (will gut it this time - 1st time just cosmetic fix) I want a Roburn set in full length mirror wall cabinet. So practical & miles of storage......and beautiful. Not inexpensive, but such a great addition it would be. Soon, I hope! !

We have a vanity with integral sink and counter top. It provides 12 inches on each side of the sink. We have two drawers built into the sink and a two door cabinets. Additional we have 3 drawer rolling hardtop on each side of the sink. Two wall mounted cabinets and plenty of portable in shower storage. I would love an in the wall recessed mirrored cabinet.

Love how the space right up to the ceiling was utilised for storage and mirrors

in our bathroom. One cabinet on each side of the bathroom provides ample storage for husband and myself.

Our new house in 1977 came with a very small linen closet and a hall bathroom with double sinks. Remodeling it in 2009, we removed one sink and added a tall Dutch door cabinet so now I don't have to store my towels under the vanity.

Installed a behind-the-door cabinet that hangs on the bathroom door's hinges with a magnetic closure affixed to the door. Found it online, it is called a "cabidoor".

You can configure the shelving (only 3" deep) any way you like along the approximate 5 foot length of the unit. Neat and discreet.

One bathroom in my 2 b.r., 1950-built cottage has 2 additions to its already compact space. A small 3 drawer chest sits on one side of the pedestal sink; under the window (& under the built-in ceramic tissue holder) is a double-door cabinet. The latter, formerly a hanging cabinet, predates 'shabby chic' by 40 or more years, holds essentials and random things (like nail polish & extra emery boards) and sports rattan as its double doors. Under its doors is an open shelf where pretty soaps and lotions are in a low basket. With its original coat of grey-green paint it supplies needed storage, while complimenting the lavenders, blues and white in this 6' x 6'8" (yes!) room. The small chest holds make-up necessities and dental items in its drawers.

This 66 yr old bathroom has ceramic tile around all four sides--and a unique bonus of a beveled-edge shelf! I choose to use the shelf for art display. Art ranges from flowers from my garden to a rich Cerulean blue ceramic pot which was my late Mother's. On the opposite side of the medicine cabinet is a small metal lizard with green patina lying close to a glass spritzer of my favorite fragrance & soap rock of the blues, lavenders, greens within this space. Art forms all!

The wonderful shelf I love, while at the same time it precludes having any wall-hung storage or over the 'water closet' shelves. From the window above the double-door floor cabinet, around a corner, down the longest wall (opposite the original tub), interrupted by the medicine cabinet, the shelf begins again and continues to the end of that long wall.

I'd be hard-pressed to change it, even while longing for more accessible storage. This narrow shelf brings a distinctiveness to this small bath...

Meanwhile reading with interest ideas shared here...and musing about ways to adapt appealing possibilities. Thanks all!

Great input and design ideas for bathroom storage in this poll we can present to clients. We see that many of our clients prefer a mix of open shelving, hidden cabinets and under sink storage. They use the open shelving for daily use items and sometimes mix baskets into the open shelves. The hidden cabinets are used for storage and more private bathroom supplies. Many of our clients design the master bathroom with his and hers sinks and his and hers cabinets.

Joanne1953, put a small storage closet between the studs. I've had it done and it helps.

I prefer localized storage, i.e. storing stuff near place of usage, for example:

- shower shelves for shampoos, soaps, cleaning appliances etc.

- open shelving above toilet for extra paper rolls, air refreshers

- place behind/in front of/a side of mirror for cosmetics applied in front of the mirror, hair dryer, shaving equipment & similar

- place under sink for most used cleaning appliances, hidden inside cabinet

- baskets for dirty clothes (in the case of no separate laundry room)

Simple cabinets and drawers are great IMO