Bringing order to our lives through the spaces we live in has become a hot topic of late. Books have been written; apps have been created; professionals have been deployed. Architects and life coaches evangelize about the benefits of organized spaces.
It’s true that our lives run at the breakneck pace of a wired world, so perhaps staying organized is one more way to hold chaos at bay with one hand and wave calm and happiness in with the other. Just think about the undeniable satisfaction you feel when you open an organized closet or sit down to a tidy desk. In that ordered space, you’re able to attend to whatever business is at hand rather than merely struggle to find it.
Master Your Morning
Perhaps nowhere do we feel more acutely aware of being disorganized as we do when the morning goes wrong. It’s hard to feel confident about your day when untangling a nest of cords to dry your hair, after searching for the eyeliner that’s never where you left it, has made you late. Again.
The good news is that there are smart ways to streamline your bathroom so everything has a place, and moreover, a place that’s easy to see and access.
First, Take Stock
Look around your bathroom and take stock of “things.”
- What’s out in plain view, on the counter, in the shower, on the back of the toilet?
- Are items out because you want them to be or because you don’t have the space to keep them stored out of site?
- Is everything yours or do share the space?
- What kinds of things need a home – big shampoo bottles, a curling iron, an electric toothbrush, your eyeglasses?
- Is there anything that should be stored in another room?
Once you have the lay of the land, you can find solutions. Remember, the first step in organizing well is knowing what needs to be organized. Here are a few common chaos ailments, and the storage solutions to cure them.
1. CLUTTERED COUNTERS
If your vanity top or sink deck is “cleverly” decorated with face cleansers and lotions, you may be happy to know there is an affordable solution. If you currently have a mirror above your sink, replacing it with a medicine cabinet is a fast, easy way to bring organized storage to your styling space.
Medicine cabinets can be mounted on the surface of the wall or recessed, and rather than just a mirror, you now have hidden storage. Adjustable shelves can accommodate a range of bottle heights so your cleansers and lotions have a permanent home, and mirrored interiors give you a clear view and easy access to all the contents. A medicine cabinet puts you just one quick weekend project away from being better organized. Browse medicine cabinets.
2. TOO HOT TO HANDLE
If, when your flat iron has finally cooled down enough to put away, it’s nearly time to take it back out, think about installing a rollout appliance tray in your vanity. Appliance trays with metal cups can safely hold hot items, so they are perfect for storing hair dryers and curling irons. Combine appliance trays with electrical outlets that can be added or built-in to the vanity itself, and you can plug your flat or curling iron in, roll out the tray, and let it heat up without taking up coveted counter space.
3. TINY ITEMS. BIG DRAWERS.
If you can never find the right tube of lipstick because it’s lost in a sea of everything, try a makeup tray or drawer divider to keep your beauty items organized and easy to find. Breaking larger spaces into smaller spaces with designated purposes is a simple but smart organizational principle. So, vanity accessories designed to make the most of big drawer or shelf by carving it up into small, specific-use spaces are an easy fix to lipstick chaos. The Tailored Vanity collection, a vanity line by Kohler, invites you to personalize your vanity inside and out. With a variety of drawer and shelf configurations, tray sizes and types, and outlet options, you can organize your vanity with a place for everything. Explore Tailored Vanities.
4. WIDE BOTTLES. NARROW SHELVES.
If you’ve resorted to storing your shampoo and conditioner on the floor because the shower caddy you bought keeps sliding off the showerarm and spilling everything out, consider installing a shower locker. Part of the Choreograph shower system, this locker has wide (really wide) adjustable shelves that hold even the biggest bottles. Plus, it has a basket to keep small items, a holder for your razor, and a hook for your body wash puff.
While adding a shower locker requires remodeling your shower walls, thus a larger commitment in terms of time and budget, quick and more affordable options exist. Adaptable shelves, designed specifically for shower environments, can be placed anywhere in the shower, giving you the freedom to set up your shower storage any way you see fit. Then again, you can mount it outside the shower for additional storage.
So, if you happen to be remodeling your bathroom, be proactive and give yourself space to be organized. If a remodel isn’t in the works today, keep in mind that you can start small. Getting organized can be a simple as installing a medicine cabinet. And truly, you’ll be all the happier for it.
