Decorative Bathroom Shelves Ideas for Your Home

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The bathroom is one of the most critical spaces in your home. It's where you keep yourself clean and sanitized by practicing good hygiene. It's a place for self-care, much like your bedroom. But sometimes, your bathroom can get cluttered and disorganized. One effective way to solve this problem is to have bathroom shelves.

Putting shelves in your bathroom will reduce the mess that usually involves necessary stuff such as towels, bottles of shampoo and make-up, and other containers. Shelves make use of spaces that maximizes your bathroom storage, making it perfect for small bathrooms and even larger bathrooms as well. As simple as they may look like, they can impact your regular bathroom routine significantly.

With shelves serving as your organizer, you can place everything wherever you prefer and have a better bathroom setup. It levels up your convenience, and it enhances the look of your bathroom too.

Having shelves in the bathroom doesn't just add order, but also style. You can have a better-looking bathroom than you had before just by maximizing space with them.

A decluttered bathroom with beautifully arranged toiletries placed on a shelf is one that exudes cleanliness. Put your bathroom in order in style with these decorative bathroom shelves ideas.

Floating shelves

Floating shelves look great on any bathroom or at any space in the house, for that matter. These generally come in different styles, sizes, and lengths and are also made using different materials. You can place this above your bathtub or even below your bathroom mirror.

Soduku Floating Storage Shelves

Amada Rustic Floating Shelves

HOMFA Bamboo Bathroom Shelf

Depending on where you place it, you can mix and match the bathroom stuff you can display. Putting on above your bathtub will make room for additional bath products like your conditioner, rubber toys, or scrubbing brush. Putting one on the wall beside the mirror means that you have plenty of room for make-up essentials.

You can also make one on your own! A brilliant DIY project featured on Remodelaholic shows the versatility of shelves that can be made for your bathroom, particularly floating ones. If you want to learn more about DIY bathroom shelves, consulting a reputable hardware store like Magnificent Hardware can help you.

Dual-purpose furniture

You can never go wrong with furniture that does double duty, especially if you put them in the bathroom. How about installing a wide shelf that can also serve as a bench beside the shower? You'll be able to sit while waiting for your bath water to heat up or when you're filling up your tub.

Christopher Knight Home Carlisle Acacia Wood and Rustic Metal Bench

SONGMICS 3-Tier Bamboo Towel Rack Bench

You can also have it placed right beside your sink to avoid the crowding of containers on it. You can put your phone or book down on it when you're lathering or rinsing yourself during a relaxing bath to reserve it after you finish. It's also perfect for multitasking if you're in the bathtub.

You can also add an extra shelf below the sink for added storage space and give a little spatial intrigue. Besides complementing the wide one, you can also display plants or room flavoring stuff to give your bathroom the scent you like.

Open shelves

Open shelves are useful in the bathroom for your laundry. If you have wide enough open shelves for your laundry basket, then you can use it to display it there. It provides a more prominent and organized placement for your dirty clothes.

You can either have one built that you can put inside your bathroom or remodel your bathroom to fit in a built-in open shelving system that won't occupy floor space. Besides your laundry, you can also use it to store paper towels and other bathroom cleaning supplies. Seeing them arranged neatly in one place will help in encouraging you to keep it that way.

Racks on the door

Simple Houseware Over Door/Wall Mount 6 Clear Window Pocket Organizer

Cabidor Classic Behind The Door Bathroom, & Kitchen Storage Cabinet

NEX Upgrade Over the Door 3-Tier Hanging Basket Organizer

The primary purpose of having shelves in your bathroom is to prevent the disorganization of toiletries and other bathroom products. The decorative part comes second to that but placing a rack on your bathroom door is one thing that does both. If you only got limited wall space, then this helps a lot.

You can hang it on the inside of your bathroom door so that you can place small toiletries, including paper towels and your toothbrush container, on it. You can also use it to dry your used towels after using them. Add a small jar with a flower on it if you wish to add some life.

The chicness of it is quite a sight for something so simple. A hanging door shelf gives your bathroom door an added feature that also makes your self-care space look nice.

Repurposed storage options

Who says that you can only use shelves for decorating and decluttering your bathroom? If you don't lack imagination, then you'll see that there are other things that you can refashion or repurpose to serve as storage space for your bathroom. You would even think that some are so far-fetched until you actually use it.

HOMFA Bamboo 4 Shelf Multifunctional Ladder Shaped Stand Rack

MyGift Wall-Leaning Rustic Gray Wood Ladder-Style Blanket Rack

VASAGLE ALINRU 4-Tier Ladder Shape Bathroom Storage Rack Shelves

Ladders can be used as a towel rack or hang small wire baskets on them for additional storage. You can turn baskets into makeshift shelves, or my personal favorite, a bar cart to house your toiletries and hygiene items.


These ideas are all great ones that can be integrated into most bathrooms. Here are other ones that focused on specifics:

Small bathroom shelf ideas

Decorative Bathroom Shelves Ideas

One might be worried about adding shelves to decorate and organize your bathroom due to its small real estate. You shouldn't. You can always use space that you didn't think is usable until you had to, for the sake of shelves.

The first thing that you can do is to always look at the walls of your bathroom. The wall is the unused space that you can utilize for storage. You can always turn to it if you don't wish to use up what little floor space your bathroom has.

Typically, you use the horizontal wall space for all kinds of shelving ideas. You can select a section of your wall to put high hanging shelves or stack them against the wall. This way, you'll get to enjoy more space for small containers like your perfume, lotion, or even a scented candle. If you want to maximize the shelf space, you can put the items in a basket and then place them on the shelf.

SPACEKEEPER 4 Tier Slim Storage Cart Mobile Shelving Unit Organizer

IRIS USA OWR-200BR 3-Shelf Slim Open Wood Shelving Unit

SimpleHouseware Under Sink 2 Tier Expandable Shelf Organizer Rack

You can also install inverted bracketed shelves for better holding power. Inverted bracketed shelves are perfect for keeping hold of loose items like a cup of q-tips or a pile of towels. Other styles and materials are also welcome for you to use as shelves.

You can use pipes to anchor small shelves or folding shelves that you can place beside the sink and the mirror area if you're going for a minimalistic style. You can also install them on different sections of your bathroom wall.

Placement

Placement is also key in terms of putting shelves in your bathroom. Above-the-door shelves are also something you could consider. You can nail one above the door for your linen or chemicals that shouldn't be near children's reach. As long as you can access shelves easily, you can place them anywhere on your bathroom walls.

There's no wasted space with them if you place them and utilize the right length and style. And they can make your small bathroom space look better and convenient.

Bathroom shelving ideas over toilet

Shelving over your toilet

The space above your toilet is usually the most unutilized bathroom space in most houses. How about using it for shelving? It's a great way to add extra storage space and organize your toiletries and other bathroom essentials. Here are a few ideas for shelving above your toilet:

HOMFA Bathroom Wall Cabinet, Over The Toilet Space Saver

Spirich Home Bathroom Over The Toilet Cabinet Shelves

RiverRidge Somerset Collection Two-Door Wall Cabinet

  • Open shelf cabinet - An open shelf cabinet will look great above your toilet. Any small, wooden open cabinet can be repurposed as such.

ALLZONE 4 Tier Over Commode Shelving, Over The Toilet Storage Rack

UTEX 3-Shelf Bathroom Organizer Over The Toilet, Bathroom Spacesaver

Spirich Home Bathroom Shelf Over The Toilet, Space Saver Cabinet Storage

  • Freestanding shelf - Place a freestanding shelf over your toilet will do just fine if you don't like the hassle of drilling holes on your bathroom wall. It's also an open storage space, so it saves time searching through countertops and cabinets.
  • Rope hanging shelf - You'll only need a nail or a crook and a rope to knot your shelf for this one. It's a unique style of shelving that you typically do with a birdcage, but is also useful and quite an appealing addition to your bathroom space.

  • Over the toilet ladder storage - As mentioned earlier, you can use ladders as additional storage in your bathroom, and you can place a small one over your toilet. Tie a few small baskets in one of the top rungs, and you got yourself extra soap and shampoo bottle container. It enhances the aesthetic of the bathroom, especially those that have higher walls.

  • Metal wire shelves - Shelves made of metal wire is one of the best instant storage options that you can use to maximize the space above your toilet. It's ready-made and affordable too.

  • Shadowbox organizer - A simply repainted shadowbox will make larger bathrooms look fuller in capacity. It's a useful fixture that you can use to place a bunch of bathroom essentials and maybe even a small picture frame.

Bathroom corner shelf ideas

Bathroom corner shelving

Placing a shelf on your bathroom corner can make for excellent storage space. If you think that the bathroom corners are only for the hamper or a small trash bin, you're wrong. It also gives room for little decorative ideas that you can pull-off with a corner shelf.

You can use floating shelves on the corner space of your bathroom. You can either extend them along both sides of it or stagger them on the wall. They're also made in different materials such as wood, marble, and granite, which means you have options that you can choose from to match your bathroom design.

Furinno Turn-N-Tube 5 Tier Corner Shelf, Espresso/Black

Greenco 5 Tier Wall Mount Corner Shelves Espresso Finish

mDesign Corner Freestanding Stackable Organizer Shelf

Aside from floating shelves, you can also use tall boxed shelves. Note that they don't need to be wide to look good on your bathroom wall. A 12x12 boxed shelf is already enough for storing items that you need. Of course, you'll need to paint them if you want them to blend in with the colors of your bathroom.

Styling Bathroom Shelves

Decorative Bathroom Shelves Ideas

Putting a little touch of styling on your bathroom shelves won't hurt at all. Since your thinking of decorating them, it's the best way to go about it.

  • Art - Placing a piece of framed painting or drawing on one of your shelves is a classy touch. You can hang it centered between shelves or above it, or you can lean it against the wall.
  • Jars - Clear jars and canisters don't just serve as eye-candy; it can also be an extra storage option just like baskets.

Wrapping up

Convenience and aesthetics go hand in hand at times, and decorative bathroom shelves are a great example. Regardless of the size or the number of things that you keep inside your bathroom, shelving is one of the best things that you can do to enhance its appearance and usability.

Avatar for Shelly Rhoades
by Shelly Rhoades
Having recognized the need for accessible and affordable solutions in the remodeling industry, Shelly founded Affordable Kitchen and Baths with the mission of helping homeowners create their dream spaces without breaking the bank. Her dedication to providing reliable advice and quality resources has garnered her a loyal following and established her as a go-to resource for anyone looking to transform their kitchen or bathroom.

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