I could never stand the metal corner caddies for my bathroom. Those little things that hang off the wall and supposedly hold your shampoo bottles, but instead dump everything onto your feet while you are in the middle of washing your hair. I’d had enough of fighting with the wobbly plastic containers and getting soap drips in my eyes, so I yanked that entire thing out and created new, proper shelving.
The thing is, an open bathroom shelving unit can look great all the beautiful pictures of perfectly placed glass jars and rolled towels on Pinterest but it can quickly fall into complete chaos if you do not figure out where everything actually belongs. I found this out the hard way after I initially installed floating shelves above my toilet and used them as a dumping ground for everything from old medication containers to half empty hair products I had long forgotten about.
What I would have liked someone to tell me is that successful bathroom shelving is much more than simply finding a place to put your belongings. What it is, is creating a system that allows you to categorize some of your belongings as “visible” (and pretty to view) while others remain invisible yet still easily accessible. The key to figuring out which category your belongings fit into is identifying which type of item falls under each category.
Let’s start with the actual contents of my open shelves since this took a bit of experimentation to perfect. Glass containers holding cotton balls and Q-Tips look clean and consistent, plus glass doesn’t develop the weird water spots like plastic does. I moved my bath salts to a large mason jar because the original packaging looked like something from a gas station. Rolled hand towels in neutral colors work well too, especially if you roll them the same way each time (I know I know, but consistency counts here).
If your bathroom receives sufficient light, a small potted plant will add a splash of green and take the edge off of a clinical-feeling space. I have a snake plant growing in my bathroom and it loves the conditions there. A small succulent works as well, although I lost three before realizing that my bathroom window receives mostly north-facing sun and perhaps I should be sticking with artificial greenery. Don’t judge me.
Candles? Yes, but pick carefully. I have two matching white candles stored in simple glass candle holders they look purposeful, rather than haphazard. Lavender scented candles from Target will work nicely; you won’t need to spend $20 on a candle that’s going to melt anyway.
And then there are the things I keep hidden. This is important because no one wants to see your backup toothbrushes or that expired prescription cream that you’ve forgotten about for six months. I am using woven baskets with handles. These baskets are easy to slide out of the way when you need to access the items inside, and they appear to be a deliberate design choice. I store the following types of items inside these baskets:
• Extra toilet paper (obviously)
• Backup shampoo bottles
• First aid supplies
• Anything with bad packaging that I don’t want to decant
A key insight here is that the baskets become part of your visual display strategy. I picked baskets with natural rattan that complements the color of my bathroom. They’re not concealing clutter; they’re styling it.
Moving along to the functional aspects of making this system work on a daily basis, height is a huge factor. I placed my most frequently used items (i.e., my daily face wash, moisturizer, and nice hand soap) on the middle shelf where I can reach them without reaching up or bending down. The upper shelf contains items that I may use weekly but not daily (e.g., additional towels, that high-end face mask I only use on Sundays). The bottom shelf holds the heaviest items and anything the kids may need to grab on their own.
Another lesson I learned was to leave space. In my initial attempt to style these shelves, I attempted to pack every available inch with something, which made the space look cluttered and made cleaning the shelves impossible. I now follow what I refer to as the “one-third rule” only about two-thirds of each shelf gets utilized, leaving space for items to look thoughtfully selected rather than jammed.
Cleaning the shelves is another important aspect. Open bathroom shelves collect dust, moisture, and that bizarre sticky substance that seems to form on everything. I clean mine with a damp cloth on a weekly basis, and having fewer items displayed makes cleaning the shelves more manageable rather than a major ordeal.
Something that no one ever discusses in the stunning bathroom photos: Seasonal Rotation. I switch out items seasonally based on what I’m actually using. During summer months I swap out lighter towels and my cooling peppermint foot cream is relocated to the accessible basket. During winter months I swap in heavier hand creams and attach the humidifier attachment for my diffuser. This keeps the shelves from getting stale and ensures I’m not storing items I’m not using.
Color coordination also helps. However, please don’t go crazy. I stuck to whites, natural materials, and one accent color (Sage Green, because it matches my existing tile). I didn’t have to make sure that every single item matched perfectly. If it did, it would have been too sterile. Having a common color palette prevents the shelves from resembling a pharmacy explosion.
One constant mistake I see people make when creating a bathroom shelving system is treating the bathroom as a pantry. You don’t need multiple back-up supplies of every item visible. Store one nice bottle of each product you normally use regularly, and store the rest of the items in those hidden baskets or in a linen closet if you have one.
The biggest advantage of using this system is utilizing a small tray to corral your daily essentials. Mine contains a small succulent, hand soap, and whatever face serum I’m currently using. Utilizing a tray with a defined space means I can remove everything at once when I’m ready to clean, and prevents the gradual creep of random items that typically spread across the shelf surface.
Having lived with this system for two years, I can truthfully say that it has completely changed how I perceive my bathroom. Rather than the typical morning scramble to locate items or that lingering sense that the space looks disorganized, I now have a sense of order and the space feels more thoughtful. The shelves look curated, but not overly precious. Organized, but not sterile.
When I have guests visit my home and compliment my bathroom setup, asking where I purchased specific organizers or how I keep everything looking so tidy, that is when I realize I have struck the perfect balance between beautiful and liveable.
