Bathrooms Organization

Our Organized Bathroom Storage Area

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I’ll be starting on bigger changes to prepare for moving soon, but until an agent comes and I can go over my ideas for what we will do, I figured I should start small.

Our home has 2.5 baths — one full bath upstairs by the bedrooms, one on the main floor, and a half bath that we added to the basement when we finished it. The bathroom upstairs has storage directly outside of it. It wasn’t bad, since the system I put in place six years ago is still working for us, but it needed a little attention. Do you think we should add doors? There were bi-fold doors when we bought the house, but they were broken when we moved in, so we took them out. I don’t mind having the area open, but what would you prefer in a house?

Here’s the space now.

Bathroom Storage Closet

It’s not a huge difference (hence no “before” shot), but I was able to consolidate some things. Brandon’s stuff was on the other side before, along with the extra toothbrushes, bars of soap, and assorted other sundries. Now it’s all together, and the other side can be devoted almost entirely to linens.

We keep a small garbage can in the bathroom but when we have something recyclable to throw out, like a plastic bottle or the cardboard tube from a roll of toilet paper, we bring it downstairs to sort in the kitchen bin. Trim Your Waste with Glad has more green ideas, and by signing up, you can be eligible to win prizes like $2500 to green your home, or make a donation to Keep America Beautiful. (More information and rules can be found here.) We do try our best to live cleaner and greener. Sometimes that means going through fewer paper towels by using cloth instead, and sometimes that means buying refills for cleaning products, soap, and anything else we can. My giant shampoo and conditioner refills are comically big, but I use them to refill the smaller ones in the shower so we are buying less packaging in the long run. It’s a small step, but it helps.

Shampoo and Conditioner Refills

A quick aside: I remember that I wrote years ago about not caring about what shampoo and conditioner I used, and that I just went with the cheap stuff. That was before I fried my hair, trying to bleach it and go red. When I went for a hair cut the next time after dying it, my stylist used Kevin Murphy and my hair was instantly better. I’ve used it since.

I know it’s a little thing, but having my storage areas organized makes me happy.

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  • WES
    May 23, 2013 at 10:45 am

    Yes add the doors back in, your system is neat not everyone is (I am looking at myself in the mirror now) and I would think uggg I need to put doors on that.

    I think your agent would tell you that as well.

    • Nancy
      May 23, 2013 at 11:14 am

      I don’t know how much elaborate staging you want to do but I’d vote for leaving off the doors and taking the shelves down completely. I cringe at the work and system rearranging this creates, but visually those shelves up to the ceiling make my eye believe the space is small and crowded (even when it is neat as a pin and organized). Also, I don’t know if you planned on taking them with you or how IL works but you might have to convey the shelves if they are attached to the wall. A perky delicate vanity with another mirror above it would make the space seem usable but allow a bit more visual breathing room. Then again, it’s a small space and you may have bigger fish to fry elsewhere!

      • Making it Lovely
        May 23, 2013 at 2:47 pm

        We would leave the shelves for the next owners, so I’m not worried about that. I’m surprised by the suggestion to take them out completely though!

  • Kathleen
    May 23, 2013 at 10:57 am

    Doors would be ideal since, yeah, you’re way more organized than 99% of the world. But if you’d rather not spend the cash, maybe a simple tension rod with a fun window panel?

    • Natalie
      May 24, 2013 at 10:07 am

      Tension rod and curtain is exactly what I was thinking. It will be cheaper and easier than doors, and it will help someone who needs doors to visualize what the space could be like with doors.

  • sue
    May 23, 2013 at 11:34 am

    i’d need doors on this baby if it were my home…

  • Heather
    May 23, 2013 at 12:27 pm

    I would personally need doors – I tend to like all of that stuff hidden, or as a previous commenter said – get rid of the shelves entirely.

  • jeanna
    May 23, 2013 at 12:33 pm

    I think you should put the doors back on. I think the shelves look great and your things do look super organized, but you should eliminate some things off the shelves when you are showing it. My mom even goes so far as to put the hamper of their clothes in the trunk of their car when they show the house!

  • Lisa
    May 23, 2013 at 12:36 pm

    It’s not a little thing. It’s a big thing. Organized storage is very important to me. Every cabinet and closet in my home is extremely organized. And, yes, there is a door on every cabinet and closet. Your shelves appear very organized and pleasing to the eye, but I would buy some doors. Also, about those framed pictures next to the shelves – I would change those. I’m sure you love them, and they’re great, but I’m just saying this from a buyer’s perspective. I have not problem envisioning art of my choice there, but apparently most buyers aren’t able to visualize their own personal items in place of yours. When your home is for sale it should still look like your home, but just should be just a little more generic… if that makes sense. I’ve only owned 1 home, and when we sold it, it sold in 10 days! I kept it homey, but depersonalized it just enough so the perspective future owners could imagine it being their own.

    Also, I agree that the right shampoo & conditioner really makes a difference. :)

    • Making it Lovely
      May 23, 2013 at 2:48 pm

      I’ll definitely change the art. The pictures are of ladies in their underwear, which I’m guessing is a little off-putting to see in a stranger’s house.

  • Stef
    May 23, 2013 at 4:32 pm

    Definitely need doors before showing and ideally cut the amount of stuff on the shelves by half. Our Michigan house is listed now and the realtor was after us about dusting/cleaning/organizing closets. I think a potential homebuyer will see the lack of doors as a project they need to deal with. Even the nicest storage is still just storage, and I would question why its out in the open.

  • Jill
    May 23, 2013 at 4:56 pm

    Definitely doors, although I would remove the shelves completely. I find they look odd the way they are installed, not touching the sides of the cupboard. No matter how organized, open shelves do not look good to the eye and ‘stuff’ is clutter.

    Jill

  • AnnW
    May 23, 2013 at 6:11 pm

    I would add doors. You want to have the least number of problem areas in your house. Everyone wants more closets, and the doors help deter kids and dogs from fooling around. We Must get more pictures of the basement before you move, though. Ann

    • Making it Lovely
      May 27, 2013 at 9:59 pm

      I know! I’m working on making it presentable. It’s bittersweet, because I’m finally finishing up the little things that make it so cute, and now we’re going to be out of here.

  • jo
    May 23, 2013 at 6:13 pm

    I would put doors up.

    I use Kevin M curl lotion and ‘motion lotion’ – love that stuff. I’ll have to try the shampoo…

  • Mari
    May 23, 2013 at 6:20 pm

    I don’t know that the right answer is but I’m thrilled you are moving! I’ve missed your projects so much!!!!!

  • kristi - Simple pretty things
    May 23, 2013 at 9:04 pm

    I would strongly suggest adding doors to the linen closet for sale. Most people probably aren’t super organized and want to hide it behind doors. I keep our closet orgsnized as much as possible but sometimes it gets out of hand. Its also a design pet peeve of mine when people take doors off of closets but thsts personsl preference.

    • Making it Lovely
      May 27, 2013 at 10:00 pm

      We only took them off here because they were broken and beyond salvaging.

  • Kathryn
    May 24, 2013 at 4:43 am

    Absolutely keep the shelves and put doors on.

  • Sarah
    May 24, 2013 at 8:57 am

    I utterly loathe closet doors. As soon as we moved into our house I removed them. I always use pretty curtains to cover up closets. You could probably get away with a tension rod in such a small space!

  • Catherine
    May 24, 2013 at 4:07 pm

    Ha! I think these comments only show that everyone has their own opinion about the lack of doors! Maybe try at first without them, then put them up if you think you need to. The lack of a door on an upstairs closet would not be a deal breaker for me.

    • Making it Lovely
      May 27, 2013 at 10:01 pm

      I doubt it would be a deal breaker for many people, but it might be one of those things that people might notice.

  • Casey @ Waffling
    May 24, 2013 at 9:16 pm

    I use Kevin Murphy too! I wear a wig and my hairdresser at the wig salon say the ingredients in cheap shampoos and conditioners are different and salon quality stuff is WAY better for your hair. Since mine cant repair itself or grow out, I need the best. My wig is 2.5 years old and still looking great!

  • Madeleine
    May 27, 2013 at 3:38 am

    I was just looking for good terrarium tutorials and now I have spent the entire morning reading your blog. Your home is amazing! Love love LOVE the decorating style. Very unique.

  • Making it Lovely
    May 27, 2013 at 10:02 pm

    OK, so I’ve been advised by my realtor not to bother adding closet doors. It is apparently a seller’s market for homes in my price point, and the storage area should be fine as-is.