That little cabinet I stuck on the wall last year? Still my favourite thing about our entire bathroom. I know that sounds ridiculous – it’s literally just an IKEA unit I painted this soft green colour to match the tiles – but honestly, it’s transformed how our tiny bathroom actually works. Before that, everything was just… chaos.
Most people think bathroom furniture means the vanity unit and maybe one of those mirrored cabinets if you’re being fancy. But I’ve discovered there’s so much more you can do, even in a small space like ours. When Amara was tiny and I was spending half my life in the bathroom giving her baths or just hiding in there for five minutes of peace, I started really noticing how badly organised the whole room was.
The turning point happened when my sister moved house and asked me to water her plants for two weeks. Her ensuite was gorgeous – proper marble worktops, one of those massive rainfall showers that probably costs more than our monthly mortgage – but there was nowhere to put anything. I spent the entire fortnight balancing my contact lens case on the edge of the sink, draping towels over the shower door because there weren’t enough hooks, and trying to find somewhere safe to put my phone while I used the loo. Made me realise that having beautiful finishes means nothing if you can’t actually function in the space.
That’s when I started paying attention to bathroom storage in other people’s houses. You know how once you notice something, you see it everywhere? My friend Saira has this wooden ladder thing that holds towels and it looks like something from a spa. Even noticed the furniture when I took Amara to the dentist last month – they’ve got this gorgeous little chair in their waiting area toilet that I spent way too long admiring while Amara was having her check-up.
Started with a storage cabinet because that seemed safest. Ordered this tall white thing online that looked perfect in the photos – all sleek and space-saving. Absolute disaster when it arrived. Too narrow to fit anything useful, too tall for our ceiling, and it kept tipping forward every time I opened the top door. Liam had to catch it twice before I admitted defeat and sent it back.
The replacement was much more boring but actually works. Medium height, decent depth, three shelves I can adjust depending on what I’m storing. Cost about £80 more than the first one but it’s been holding towels, cleaning products, spare toilet roll, and all those bath products I keep buying but never use. Sometimes the sensible choice is actually the right choice, even if it’s not as exciting.
I was really sceptical about getting a bench – I mean, who sits in the bathroom? But our bathroom’s so narrow that when Liam’s shaving and I need to brush my teeth, we’re basically doing some awkward dance around each other. The little padded bench I squeezed into the corner gives one of us somewhere to perch, plus it’s handy for setting clothes down when I’m having a shower, and the storage underneath is perfect for hair straighteners and all the random hotel toiletries I can never bring myself to throw away.
It also solved our towel situation completely by accident. Before, wet towels lived on hooks behind the door and never dried properly, just sort of hung there looking sad and wrinkled. Now I fold them and stack them on the bench while they’re drying, and it actually looks quite nice rather than like we live in a laundrette.
Shelving was where I made my biggest mistake. Put up these floating shelves that looked amazing on Pinterest – supposed to be reclaimed wood but I suspect they were neither reclaimed nor actual wood. Within two months they’d warped so badly they looked like they were smiling, and the glass jars I’d arranged so carefully went sliding off onto the floor. Thank god none of them broke because Amara was going through her “let’s explore everything” phase and I didn’t need broken glass in the bathroom.
Replaced them with bamboo ones – much more boring but they’re designed for humid spaces and cost half the price. Three of them at different heights, holding candles, a couple of small plants, and those storage jars that make cotton wool balls look intentional rather than just necessary. The trick is not making them look like a shop display – odd numbers work better than even, and mixing the heights stops it looking too rigid.
Actually, the plants were what made me think about proper furniture rather than just storage solutions. That spider plant thriving in our steamy bathroom lives on this little plant stand I found at a car boot sale for £3. Painted it the same green as the wall cabinet and suddenly it looks like I planned the whole colour scheme rather than just making it up as I went along.
Started thinking about mirrors as furniture too. Not just the basic rectangle stuck above the sink, but actual mirrors with personality. Found this round one at a vintage shop for £15 that I’ve propped on the floating cabinet instead of hanging it. Reflects light around the room in ways the wall-mounted one never did, and I can move it around if I need to.
The rolling cart thing everyone’s obsessed with? Finally got one and I understand the hype now. Fits perfectly in the gap beside our vanity, holds all the daily stuff at exactly the right height. No more crawling under the sink to find face wash or rummaging through drawers for dental floss while Amara’s waiting for me to help her brush her teeth. Everything’s visible and accessible, plus I can wheel it out when I’m cleaning the floor properly.
What really surprised me was how much character these pieces add. Our bathroom went from feeling like a Premier Inn – clean but completely anonymous – to actually feeling like part of our home. The little wooden stool that holds my hand cream and reading glasses. The cabinet that hides cleaning supplies but has pretty soap dispensers on top. Even the towel ladder leaning against the wall makes the whole room feel more thought-out.
The key is choosing things that do multiple jobs and work with what you’ve already got rather than fighting against it. I nearly bought this ornate vintage washstand that looked incredible online, but it would have been completely wrong in our simple modern bathroom, no matter how beautiful it was on its own.
Money-wise, you really don’t need to spend loads. Most of my bathroom furniture came from IKEA, charity shops, or Facebook Marketplace. The important thing is knowing what problems you’re trying to solve before you start buying stuff. Need more storage? Somewhere to sit? Better organisation? A place to display those expensive candles you never actually light?
Start with one piece and see how it changes the way you use the space. I guarantee once you realise how much better a bathroom works with proper furniture, you’ll never go back to thinking a vanity unit’s enough. Even our tiny space feels so much more functional now, which matters when you’re dealing with a toddler who needs help with everything and you’re pregnant and exhausted and just want the bathroom to work properly for once.
