Declutter Your Bathroom With One Simple Interior Design Rule

It seems that no matter how hard you try, your bathroom vanity gets cluttered in the blink of an eye. Items like skincare products, toothbrushes, and hair tools crowd the countertop, vying for space as you try to get ready and leave out the door in time. This bad habit does nothing for aesthetics, leaving your bathroom chaotic and messy rather than spa-like. This can be incredibly frustrating if you spend considerable time and money renovating your bathroom, only to look in shambles for most of the week. If you're trying to keep your bathroom counters clutter-free, there is a great interior design rule you can follow to do so. 

It's called the law of flat surfaces or the flat surface clutter rule. Basically, anything miscellaneous needs to be removed from all flat surfaces. If it's not a permanent part of the design, it needs to go. And before you leave the room, you need to clear anything outside of that permanent display immediately. This will ensure that your counters look clean and curated rather than overrun. However, how do you decide what to display? There are a few different methods to organize your bathroom vanity.

The first method to narrow down what to display is to determine what you use daily. In the strictest version of this rule, you only want items that serve a utilitarian purpose to be visible. That means anything frivolous or decorative doesn't make the cut. So, what would this look like on a vanity? Most likely, only your soap dispenser and toothbrush stand would have a spot near the sink. However, this austere approach can seem rather boring for those who like their decor. 

That leads us to our second option. Rather than focusing on utility, focus on a number. For example, if you have a single vanity, you can choose to have two or three things on the countertop. If you have a double vanity, you can double that given number. This gives you some extra wiggle room because you can add decor and accents into that number rather than just focusing on useful items. For instance, if you have a single vanity in your guest bathroom, you can choose three permanent items, including soap, a decorative hand towel, and a candle. Anything outside of those needs to be removed each time before you leave the room. This will help keep your bathroom clutter-free.