The Popular IKEA Piece That's A Storage Game Changer For Small Bathrooms

It doesn't matter what size bathroom you have, space always seems limited. And if you share a bathroom with one or more people, you'll quickly find just how little storage space you have available. Toilet tank lids quickly become a place to house lotions, potions, and extra rolls of toilet paper, and cabinets become stuffed with personal care products, hygiene products, and more. If you don't have a linen closet, your bathroom must also house all your towels, often with every free drawer at full capacity. A shelf is a great way to add storage space, but not every bathroom can accommodate one. This is where IKEA comes into play. The Swedish retailer has an incredible wall shelf that occupies minimal space while delivering big results — the HEMNES. 

If you're looking for small bathroom ideas that will make your space seem bigger, this $100 shelf is where it's at. It fits perfectly above your toilet (among other places), providing extra space to store your bathroom products. If you have a window above your toilet, you can easily hang this shelf elsewhere in your bathroom. Wall-mounted mirrors above sinks usually mean you don't have a medicine cabinet, but the HEMNES can fix this. Hang these shelves on one or both sides of your mirror, providing your toothbrush, toothpaste, and other personal hygiene products with their own dedicated storage space.

There are pros and cons of buying home decor from IKEA, and this shelf falls under the "pro" category. It's 46.5 inches high and 16.5 inches wide, so it offers plenty of room for storage. It's also narrow, measuring less than 4 inches in depth, so it won't make your small bathroom feel cramped. Unfortunately, you're limited to the size of items you can stash on this shelf, but it comes with a built-in towel bar for added functionality. 

One drawback to this shelf is that you must mount it to a wall. If you're a renter, you need to first check with your landlord before making any type of modifications to your house or apartment or risk losing all or part of your security deposit. If you're adding significant weight to this shelf, you want to mount it on the wall's studs. If you don't secure it to studs, you can use wall anchors to hold the shelf in place. 

The HEMNES comes with five shelves, which means you'll have tons of room for bathroom organization. This shelf's other amazing feature is its pigmented polyester powder coating. This adds a waterproof layer to its fiberboard base, which means it's not likely to warp when your shower steams up the bathroom.

If you love this shelf but can't hang it due to rental constraints, you can place it on the floor in a corner, leaning it up against a wall or next to your sink. If you have a pedestal sink, you could even add the HEMNES on either side for a cohesive look. And since it's about four feet high, you'll have plenty of space to store the essentials. You could even decorate the top of this shelf with succulents, incorporating miniature plants in your bathroom for a spa-like feel. 

Although you can place items right on each shelf, you can take things a step further and organize your HEMNES with baskets. You'll need slim storage baskets to accommodate its narrow shelves. For $19, Amazon sells clear stackable trays that will fit perfectly on the shelves. They're great for housing items such as makeup, cotton swabs, candles, and anything else that isn't cumbersome in size or weight. Depending on the width of your toilet paper rolls, you could even stash a few on your HEMNES or keep flushable wipes organized and handy.