Have A Bathroom With Limited Wall Space? Here's An Easy Storage Solution

It's the age old battle: You versus your tiny bathroom. If a cacophony of bottles and toiletries fall out every time you open the medicine cabinet, you've likely been seeking ways to maximize on your bathroom's storage well still trying to maintain some semblance of style. While hacks like creating space around your toilet to make the most of a small bathroom and adding in-floor storage solutions are great for utilizing your tiny layout, hanging shelves in one of the most unexpected places may just double your organization and storage options. Rather than filling your walls with floating shelves and potentially making the area feel even smaller, you can hang them across your bathroom window to optimize surface space in a chic way. This also gives you a place to add decorative touches that elevate your room.

In other areas within the home, installing shelves in front of a window might seem odd or even outlandish, blocking natural light and a potentially good view. However, in your bathroom, it's rare (for most at least) to specifically use this room to gaze outside, birdwatch, or generally hang out besides the obvious reasons of a bathroom. Because of this, it makes hanging shelves across a window a great way to increase storage. Depending on what's stored on the shelves, this hack could even add privacy. It also lets you style your room in a new and creative way that could make it even more aesthetic than it was prior to the shelves.

The great thing about attempting this DIY is that the shelving won't completely block out the natural light. If you are intentional about how you decorate these levels, you will still get a good amount of illumination. This hack will work best with recessed windows where you can attach shelves to the inner ledges. Add hooks and brackets that will prop up your slats but are also unobtrusive. Depending on the size of your window, you can add as many shelves as you want. You don't want this area to become too busy, though, so make sure you have at least 6 inches to a foot of space between each plank. Two to four shelves for a larger window will provide plenty of space without adding visual clutter, while a smaller, single pane window may only work with one or two shelves. Measure the width of your window and purchase (or DIY) shelves that will fit perfectly in the space.

Installing these is the easy part — it's decorating and organizing your shelves that can get tricky. It's instinctual to want to utilize all this extra space to the max, but because your shelves are so visible, a curated collection is the best option. Think plants (real or fake), a few decorative ornaments and trinkets, and candles. For a really aesthetic finish, consider putting liquids like soap, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner in matching glass bottles that are both stylish and functional. Some products (like skincare) should not be stored in direct sunlight, so always check the label and avoid keeping these on your window shelves.