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23 design ideas for beautiful (and useful) bathroom storage
Bathrooms can be awkward, narrow spaces which lack in both wall and floor space for storage. Yet, counterproductively, the bathroom is often one of the most cluttered areas in the house, with cotton pads, loofahs, towels, washstands and plenty of other things in need of their own place.
To avoid everything looking a little too busy, you will need practical storage to help you organise all these bits and pieces. Recently, we have noticed a downtick in the use of the once-popular mirrored bathroom cabinet. In its place, designers have come up with a number of more handsome alternatives: from the multicoloured, fluted glass creations of Mustard Made, to the rather chic antique mahogany shelves at Pentreath & Hall.
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For the interior designer Brandon Schubert, the best types of storage for a bathroom are sleek and concealed, allowing the space to feel airy and contemporary. ‘I think built-in joinery looks beautiful and is very useful’, he says. ‘In my own house I always try to get cupboards involved’. A cistern concealed in joinery also provides ample opportunity to add shelves and cupboards, and medicine cabinets built into the wall are a favourite trick of Brandon’s: ‘you can ask your builder to simply build a recess into the wall with a cupboard door. Then all you have to do is stick a mirror on it’, he advises.
At the other end of the spectrum, some designers like to draw attention to the storage they have chosen, instead of hiding it away. Nicola Harding, for instance, is always on the lookout for a beautiful antique which can double as a bathroom cabinet – whether freestanding or on the wall. ‘I like to use an antique cabinet – though a new one can also be beautiful. If it’s something that has open shelves then I like to put things in a basket on the shelf, so it can be easily moved around’, she says. Such pieces, such as the Regency-era cabinet pictured in the bathroom above, not only make for an impactful centrepiece, but provide ample storage for towels, too.
The interior designer Natalie Tredgett is inclined to agree, and believes that ‘freestanding pieces bring a real sense of elegance, and can add a warm, personal touch, which is far from the sterile, industrial feel that many bathrooms have’, she says. Where space is lacking for freestanding pieces, Natalie incorporates the look and feel of an antique cabinet into custom joinery, which she ‘designs to mimic the look of furniture to create a handcrafted, inviting atmosphere’.
Another way designers like to add useful pockets of storage to a bathroom is by building it into the very bones of the room. Lonika Chande is a devotée of the tiled niche in the shower, suggesting ‘I always try to add one to save on floor space for storage’. Not only are these incredibly useful little nooks, but they are decoratively very pleasing: a space to continue the carefully selected tiles used on the walls of the shower or above the bath, and a handy little perch for soaps and shampoos.
There is no doubt that bathroom storage is tricky to navigate. You want enough of it that unsightly bottles and bathroom paraphernalia are out of the way – but not so much that it dominates the space. The trick is in striking the perfect balance so that this most functional of rooms also feels decorated. Whether you’re a discrete joinery kind of decorator, or prefer a striking antique to anchor a space, we’ve gathered many ideas from the House & Garden archive to inspire you.
Milo Brown1/23In this space designed by Lonika Chande, the bath is an under-mounted bath, which “feels luxurious, but the shelf space means there's a place for candles and toiletries and nothing feels shoehorned in,” says Lonika. The bathroom cabinet is painted in ‘Drummond’ by Little Greene. The marble has a bullnose detail, which complements the bath fittings from Drummonds. Lonika added a shelf above the upstand so there was still plenty of ledge space with the double sinks.
Mark Fox2/23In Rixo co-founder Orlagh McCloskey's house, wooden frame doors conceal built in shelves on either side of the sink. These are decorated with ‘Marbleised Feather Scroll Wallpaper’ from Lee Jofa Kravet.
Paul Massey3/23A 1940s gilded rope-framed mirror, which came originally from a Cannes hotel, and a woven lampshade and rustic baskets add characterful touches to this pared-back space, in an Arts and Crafts-style cottage, which has its original door. A handy shelf has been created by the custom joinery behind the sink.
Lucas Allen4/23An antique cabinet provides the perfect home for toiletries in Joanne Burgess' house in Henley. Its natural finish juxtaposes with the coloured room, making for a space which feels layered and effortless.
Paul Massey5/23Botanical prints from Odyssey Fine Arts tone with ‘Jaisalmer’ wallpaper by John Stefanidis in this bathroom by Rita Konig, where a nook has been built into both the main wall and the clever half-wall next to the bath.
Mark Anthony Fox6/23In the Gloucestershire farmhouse of Thomas Dane, tongue and groove joinery painted in white runs along the far wall of the bathroom, providing not just a useful shelf next to the bath, but also lots of storage within it.
Mark Anthony Fox7/23From the predominantly pale palette of natural hues to the layering of antique textiles, Anna Haines' choices have brought harmonious charm to the interiors of this 19th-century former rectory on the outskirts of Bath. In the main bathroom, a ‘Soho’ basin on ceramic legs from The Water Monopoly is paired with ‘Zellige’ tiles from Mosaic Factory, which are continued in the very useful nook in the shower – perfect for holding soaps and shampoos.
James McDonald8/23When it came to restoring his Bruton house, the antique dealer Jack Laver Brister was careful to remove incongruous additions and source exquisite historic pieces to create an inviting home. Jack’s collection of seashells and coral is displayed in an Edwardian case on walls in ‘Euphorbia’ by Paint & Paper Library. A Victorian pot cupboard stands beside the salvaged bath.
Paul Massey9/23Antiques are a lovely way to bring character and storage space to a bathroom, as evidenced by this Nicola Harding project. The cabinet not only adds to the room but hides away lotions, potions and loo rolls to great effect.
Lucas Allen10/23Edward Bulmer has employed a similar tactic in his Herefordshire house, with two antique shelves holding knick knacks and serving as a loo roll holder, and a wooden cabinet for extra storage.
Simon Brown11/23A glass-fronted cabinet, like this one in a Beata Heuman project, is always a good idea as they tend to have a pharmaceutical history, which is a nice tie to bathrooms. To keep things neat, Beata lined the doors with fabric curtains.
Tim Beddow12/23You can take things one step further and use antiques to create the ultimate bathroom storage, as seen here where an antique chest of drawers has been modified to fit a sink and then topped with marble to make it waterproof. It's easier than you might think and you can find out how to make a DIY bathroom vanity from an antique chest of drawers here.
Magnus Mårding13/23For interior designer and furniture dealer Marie-Louise Sjögren, this glorious apartment in the Swedish capital is both a showcase of her beloved early 20th-century Scandinavian design and a comfortable family home. Marie-Louise designed the bathroom commode in elm burl, marble and brass with integrated mirrors, whose ‘floating’ quality gives an updated, modern twist to the traditional commode. It's perhaps one of the loveliest examples of bathroom storage we've seen.
Paul Massey14/23In a smaller space, a traditional bathroom cabinet with an integrated sink is still a sleek solution. They don't have to be super clinical and you can paint one to your specifications to add colour to a space as well.
Alexander James15/23Or, for a more subtle look, you can create bathroom storage in the same material as the rest of the bathroom to keep everything aligned and hide it away to a certain degree.
Michael Sinclair16/23Alternatively, if you want a softer look, you can opt for the skirted sink. It's a country house classic and allows you to bring colour and pattern to a room too often left bare. Thea Speke's country bathroom is a wonderful example of why the skirted sink is both practical and pretty.
Dean Hearne17/23If you need more storage than just the space under the sink, make like Nicola Mardas and run the skirt the length of a wall, with a shelf on top for other pretty trinkets. The fabric here is Ottoline.
Chris Horwood18/23Colour specialist Patrick O'Donnell has a very novel solution for bathroom storage in his Worcestershire house – he's put doors on the bath panel to create a subtle sliver of extra space. It could house most bathroom items such as loo rolls or spare bottles of shampoo. The only thing we wouldn't suggest storing here is spare towels.
Mark Anthony Fox19/23Full height storage is the best solution in a bathroom, but it does require a larger bathroom and a bit more work (if you're not already renovating the bathroom). In the bathroom of a contemporary Cornish cottage with spectacular views of the sea, ash panelling doors create a concealed space at the bottom with open shelves for fresh towels above.
Paul Massey20/23The owners of this Thirties Georgian-style house opted for a full height storage cupboard, which breaks up the mirrored wall ( a clever trick to make the room seem bigger). As the bath and sink already protrude from the same wall, it doesn't feel as though it takes up any space in the bathroom and instead provides it by creating a home for hidden objects.
Magnus Mårding21/23A built-in cabinet in elm and elm burl elevates the bathroom storage in this Stockholm apartment.
Joachim Wichmann22/23The most affordable, pretty and non-permanent way to add storage to a bathroom is with baskets. Pop them under a sink, as seen in Pernille Lind's flat, and fill them with toiletries and spare toilet paper to keep it all out of sight and out of mind.
23/23In her flat, Gabby Deeming used the space under a table to provide storage via a pretty woven basket.
