Storage ideas
Bathroom Storage Ideas
Where to find storage in a bathroom that seems to have none, starting with the space inside the walls and the vanity you already have.
Where the storage is hiding
The best bathroom storage usually comes from three places: inside the wall cavities, inside a better-organized vanity, and on the wall above the toilet. Recessed medicine cabinets and shower niches use space the room already has. Drawers instead of doors make a vanity hold more. Tall, shallow cabinets and shelves use height instead of floor. The ideas below start with the ones that take no floor space at all.
Use the space inside the walls
Recessed medicine cabinets
A standard interior wall has a few inches of depth between studs. A recessed cabinet sits in that space, so it holds far more than a surface-mounted one without sticking out over the sink. Mirrored doors on both sides of a vanity can double as the room's mirror. Check the wall first: plumbing vents, wiring and exterior walls may rule out some locations.
Shower niches
A niche keeps bottles off the floor and the tub edge. Plan niche size around the tallest bottles you buy, and put it on an interior wall out of the main spray. Every niche needs to be fully waterproofed and sloped so water doesn't sit on the shelf.
Between-stud shelves
A recessed open shelf beside the toilet or near the door holds rolled towels or spare toilet paper. It's a small job during a remodel and hard to add afterward without patching.
Get more from the vanity
- Drawers over doors. A vanity with full-depth drawers keeps everything visible and reachable instead of stacked in a dark cabinet.
- U-shaped drawers. These wrap around the sink drain so the top drawer still has usable space.
- Drawer organizers. Dividers stop small items from turning into a pile.
- In-drawer outlets. A hair dryer and electric toothbrush can live plugged in, off the counter.
- Pull-out trays behind doors. If you keep doors, trays make the back of the cabinet usable.
- Toe-kick drawers. A shallow drawer in the base of the cabinet holds flat items like cleaning cloths.
A floating vanity leaves the floor visible, which makes a small room feel bigger, but it gives up some cabinet volume. A furniture-style vanity looks lighter still but usually has the least storage. Our guide to choosing a bathroom vanity compares styles and construction. Our vanity installation page covers the swap itself.
Build up, not out
Tall linen towers
A tall, shallow cabinet next to the vanity holds towels and supplies in a narrow footprint. Keep it shallow so it doesn't crowd the sink or block the door. Tall cabinets can also sit on the counter between two sinks on a double vanity.
Over-the-toilet storage
The wall over the toilet is often empty. Floating shelves or a shallow wall cabinet placed high enough to clear your head when you lean over the tank use it well. Leave room to lift the tank lid for repairs.
Soffits and high shelves
Many 1980s-2000s Dallas builder baths have a soffit over the vanity. When a remodel removes it, that height can go to a taller mirror cabinet or a high shelf for items you rarely use.
Small additions that help
- Hooks instead of towel bars where space is tight. They hold more and let towels dry in less width.
- A towel bar or ring on the back of the door or on the vanity end panel.
- A slim rolling cart that slides into the gap beside a toilet or vanity.
- A ledge along the back of the shower or behind a wall-hung toilet, sloped slightly if it's in a wet area.
- Baskets on open shelves so things look contained.
Storage by type of bathroom
Powder room
Guests need a place for a bag or phone, a spare roll and a hand towel. A small floating vanity with one drawer, a narrow ledge behind the toilet and a recessed shelf are usually enough. Keep the door swing clear.
Hall or kids' bath
This room holds bath toys, several people's toothbrushes and extra towels. Hooks at kid height, a wide niche at tub height, a drawer per person and a tall cabinet for towels keep it working. Put cleaning supplies up high or behind a latch.
Primary bathroom
With two people sharing, separate storage cuts down on friction. Give each person their own drawer stack or tower, their own outlet and their own section of the medicine cabinet. A linen closet or tall cabinet takes towel storage off the vanity. Our primary bathroom remodeling page shows how storage fits into a whole-room layout.
Plan storage before demolition
Most of the useful ideas here, like recessed cabinets, niches, in-drawer outlets and blocking for heavy shelves, need to be decided before the walls are closed. Make a list of what actually lives in the bathroom, from towels and cleaning supplies to hair tools and medications, and give each group a place on the plan.
Storage matters most in a hall bath or powder room where every inch counts. Our small bathroom remodeling page covers how we lay out tight rooms so storage, clearances and fixtures all fit.
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Talk to us about your bathroom
If this guide raised questions about your own project, call us and we'll talk it through. You can also read how we handle small bathroom remodeling.
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