One thing necessary for this bathroom was a good storage plan. While the previous vanity had been large, it just didn’t function for us. The new vanity was 12” smaller than the original with a single drawer and shelf. Creativity is my middle name, so I relish this challenge. Ok, my middle name is really Harper, but, finding the right balance of storage in this bathroom is fun. Turning an unused cavity of space within the wall along with a few other ideas, this bathroom has twice as much functional storage as before. Finding hidden bathroom storage is so much fun. #HiddenBathroomStorage #HiddenStorage #BathroomStorage #BehindtheWalls
See where the bathroom started and my spin on classic subway tile.
Creating Storage with a DIY Create Drawer
The vanity was a complete steal (similar). I scored the floor model from the bathroom display shop we use since they no longer carry this line. The style was spot on as was the square sink and quartz top which were included with the vanity. It was 6” smaller than I had planned and the storage was open… two things that could have been problematic.
Six inches smaller turned out to be perfect making the room feel larger and more open. The extra space works great for the trash can and toilet paper holder. I’ve been in some bathrooms where the trash can is hidden under the sink.
Yeah, that would result in the trash on the floor (remember that whole 11-year-old boy thing?!?!).
The open storage wasn’t ideal for that same boy though. An open shelf would just be an invitation to stuff things on it.
After measuring and planning on building a “drawer” to fit the space, I realized there was a much simpler option… two wooden crates!
By attaching the side of the crates and cutting out a small portion, I ended up with a drawer that worked perfectly under the built-in drawer.
Finishing the wood to look like the wood plank tile made it fit perfectly into the design.
And one crate holds half of my Costco supply of toilet paper! Creating hidden bathroom storage in plain sight!
Recessed Medicine Cabinet
Due to the patching of the drywall, I’m pretty sure there was a medicine cabinet in this bathroom at once point in time. When we purchased the house the mirror was large with cabinet space but surface mounted. The 4 inches it protruded into the room blocked the light and made the room feel cramped.
Since O-Man couldn’t reach the cabinet when we first moved in, we removed it when we took down the wallpaper.
Now 4 years older and several inches taller, a recessed medicine cabinet works well for him. The large size is so great we aren’t even using half of it yet!
I’ll probably use the upper shelves to store extra shampoo and other supplies if needed.
And close the door no matter what it looks like inside!
A medicine cabinet is always useful in any bathroom. Recessing it into the wall makes for easy hidden bathroom storage. Our cabinet (similar) is larger than standard stud spacing, so I took that into consideration before drywalling the room. Even if you can’t reframe the space, recessed medicine cabinets are available in a variety of sizes.
Finding Hidden Bathroom Storage Behind the Walls
Based on measurements, I was fairly certain there was a large cavity of space behind the wall. The home’s main stack is hidden in here. It also serves as an air return but, it was considerably larger than needed.
When the room was down to the studs, Dave and I framed the space out to be used as a recessed linen tower. We then drywalled the newly found space, enough room for O-Man to fit!
Smaller versions of the vanity crates turned out to make perfect drawers. Painting the shelves and mini crates the same as the larger one, to match the tile, pulled everything together.
Installing the shelves using outside corner molding made it easy.
For trim, the same outside corner molding was used. Painting all of the trim the same color as the walls gives the perfect finishing touch.
I can’t wait to show you how much stuff fits in this small space! The hall linen closet is now nicely cleaned up and the hall bathroom stores everything it needs!
What do you think? Have you ever considered finding hidden storage behind the walls?
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