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Bathroom Storage Options
by Shannon McMahon Bruchal
Your bathroom may be the smallest
room in the house, and most likely, the busiest too. Finding adequate
storage space needn't be a challenge if you know where to look.
Medicine Cabinets
Medicine cabinets are a highly functional and efficient storage solution
for the bathroom, as well as other areas in your home. They not only add
additional storage space, but also provide a design element that coordinates
with and compliments your decor. Not only relegated to the bathroom,
medicine cabinets can also be placed in a foyer or back hall, giving you
extra space for storing keys, stamps, mail, etc., as well as a mirror for
decoration. There are a multitude of medicine cabinets to fit any bathroom.
Medicine cabinets can be recess mounted into your wall, or mounted on the
surface of your wall. Recess mounts require a little more work because you
will need to make sure the wall you are planning to use is not on an outside
wall and that it doesn't contain any plumbing. Then you will need to make a
hole to fit your cabinet. The surface mount cabinets protrude from the wall
for a larger profile.
Once you have figured out whether a
recess or surface mount medicine cabinet is right for you, style and size
are the next elements that come into play. What style or theme do you have
in your bathroom? If your bathroom is modern or contemporary in style, you
may want to use a simple, frameless medicine cabinet with a plain mirror
front.
Broan frameless medicine cabinets
offer the beauty of beveled glass,
which maximizes light and increases sense of space. Depending on the size of
your bathroom, you may want to install a larger cabinet to balance out the
size of your sink or vanity. Some of the larger cabinets include two mirrors
and extra storage space and shelves, which work well in bathrooms where
there are two sinks. Wood framed cabinets offer storage and functionality
with the stylish look of a framed mirror, or a simple frame with lighting. A
wide variety of woods, finishes and styles are available, from simple to
elaborate.
Afina
offers several styles of medicine cabinets, some with crown
molding and some lavish luxury models in gold and silver finishes. Both
recessed and surface mount cabinets can be purchased with optional top
lights or side light kits.
Cabinets
Sometimes all you need to put your bathroom in order is the right piece
of furniture. Storage cabinets come in all shapes and sizes. If your
bathroom is narrow, using a
tall cabinet or a
tower cabinet will take up
less floor space and add height. A
wall cabinet placed above the toilet or
on any free wall will store your bath items without taking up precious floor
space. You can also utilize the space above your toilet with an
over commode
space saver. These usually have several shelves or even a small cabinet and
sit right over your toilet. If you do have the room, consider a
floor
cabinet to store your towels, linens, shampoos and soaps. A
tilt out
hamper will keep your dirty clothes out of sight. Keep make-up,
toothbrushes, hairbrushes and grooming supplies organized and at your
fingertips by using
drawer organizers in your vanity or cabinet drawers. Organize your bath
items by using baskets, bins glass jars or anything you have around the
house.
Bath Hardware
Another way to increase the storage space in the bathroom is to use
towel
rails, hooks and bathroom shelves strategically. Group a towel rail, a
bathroom shelf or two and a couple of towel hooks together to create a suite
of bathroom accessories that look great, don't take up a lot of space and
still keep everything in order.
Utilize the space you have to the
fullest with cabinets and accessories that work with the size of your room
and your decor. Create storage solutions that work for you, using your
sense of style and these tips as a guide.
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