organizing tips for the bathroom vanity cabinets and shower

6 Master Bathroom Organization Ideas for the Vanity + Cabinets + More

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Are you dreaming of a bathroom where everything has its place? Turn your bathroom into a clean, serene and clutter-free oasis with these bathroom organization ideas you can use in your current space or when you’re planning your next bathroom remodel.

How to organize the bathroom vanity, cabinets, shower, and moreIt’s been a while since I did my last organization post and this will be the first time I’ve done one for a whole bathroom!

Having a place for everything saves you precious time. Having less visual clutter, in turn, makes you feel less stressed. If I can help just one person find more time in their day or feel less stressed, then I’ve done my job. 🙂

Let’s face it, figuring out how to organize a bathroom and keeping it looking clutter-free can be quite a challenge. I’m certainly not the most organized person when it comes to the rest of my house but getting the master bathroom in order was a priority.

A full year before we started our master bathroom remodel, I began gathering ideas on how to tackle the problem areas such the vanity drawers, storage cabinet, and shower stall.

It was a process and it didn’t happen overnight, but I finally get to share with you guys how it all came together!

Hint: I’m saving my favorite part for last. 😉

I’ll start with the cabinet that’s to your left as you walk into the bathroom and I’ll work my way to the vanity.

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1. Bathroom Cabinet Organizers

The reason I didn’t do this post sooner is that I had the hardest time finding the right sized lidded bins to fit inside our shallow built-in cabinet. Well, I lucked up and found these pretty blue filigree baskets.  I love that you can sort of see what’s inside but it doesn’t look messy.

lidded baskets with labels for bathroom storage

Labels take the guesswork out of what’s stored in each bin so I tied on some label holders with hemp twine. Then, I used thick cardstock paper and my trusty label maker. Because a few of the labels wanted to fall through the bottoms of the holders, I put some double-sided sticky tape on the back. Next time, I’ll use thicker cardstock.

I was a little disappointed that a couple of lids arrived bent during shipping, but they straightened themselves out after a few days once I stacked another bin on top.

organization idea for bathroom cabinet using stacked lidded bins with labels

blue filigree baskets | Label Holders

Above the built-in cabinet, are some deeper open shelves that hold baskets where I can store larger items and extra toilet paper.

built in storage cabinet for the bathroom

Diamond Patterned Planter

2. Shower Stall Organization and Storage

If you have a bathroom with a glass shower enclosure, then you know it’s not easy to hide all the shampoo bottles and soap compared to having a shower with a curtain. One way to hide all that clutter is by putting a hidden cubby in a pony wall.

Keeping the soap scum off a glass enclosure can be a challenge, too. So, I keep a squeegee and a dish scrubber filled with 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 Dawn dish detergent. When the glass starts looking cloudy, I give it a quick scrub with the brush while I’m in the shower. I know. It sounds unorthodox but it works. And I also use the squeegee after every shower.

shower cubby in pony wall to organize shampoo and soap in the bathroom

We installed another cubby higher on the wall for even more storage in the shower. You can see better pictures of the shower enclosure in the master bathroom reveal post.

black and white tile inset shower cubby - Merola Twenties tile from Home Depot

Charcoal and White Tile

shower cubby with Merola Twenties medallion tile from Home Depot

3. Over the Toilet Storage Shelf

Don’t forget to use the valuable real estate on the wall above the toilet to put some extra shelves. We made a repurposed shelf from shutters we had in the garage. You can see the tutorial here. There’s also a post and a quick video on how we made the metal shelf brackets.

DIY storage shelf over the toilet

4. Bathroom Towel Storage

Another tip I want to share has to do with something as simple as where you place your towel hooks. Just by hanging them over the vent, they dry faster and they’re warm and cozy in the winter when you get out of the shower. We end up using our Turkish towels more often than our white ones under the vanity because they dry so much quicker.

Turkish towels - how to organize a master bathroom

Turkish Tassel Towels

under the sink basket and bathroom towel storage

Similar Set of Four Baskets

For the washcloths, I keep a few in this cute striped jute bin and the rest go in one of the baskets beneath the vanity. They have a leather loop on the back so you can also hang them on the wall which is great for small bathrooms.

striped jute storage baskets- bathroom organization

Striped Jute Bins (or same set in black & white) | Round Wooden Tray

5. Vanity drawer storage for his and her essentials

What I love about this bathroom is there’s a place for everything. This means I can get ready, go directly to what I need, and then before I leave, I can throw everything in its respective place. My side of the vanity is where I store makeup, facial cleansers, and pretty much all the stuff I need to get ready for the day and ready for bed.

Because I try to keep as much as can off the countertops, there’s less visual clutter in the bathroom.

How to organize a bathroom vanity drawer with organizers for makeup

How to organize your bathroom vanity drawers for makeup(left and right) Large 6-section Acrylic Organizers | (center) Small Rectangular Organizers (comes in a set of 6)

On the other side of the vanity is where my husband keeps his things. There’s not a whole lot to talk about here since he’s not a high-maintenance-kind-of-guy (well, except he likes my attention but I’m cool with that).

how to organize bathroom vanity drawers with acrylic drawer organizers for men

organizing drawers with acrylic drawer organizers

(center)- (2) 3-Section Acrylic Organizers

6. Vanity drawer storage for hair tools and supplies

Last but not least, here’s what I didn’t know I was missing all my life…a hair tool organizer! My husband, Jason, made compartments to hold all of my hair products and the cords are stored out of the way towards the back. It’s truly my favorite part of the vanity!
how to organize your hairdryer, curling irons, and hair supplies in a vanity drawer

Custom Hair Tool Organizer Drawer Insert

If you’re interested in having a custom made hair tool organizer insert made, we have it in our shop.

When Jason built the vanity, he made the drawer front that holds the hair tools 16-1/2″ tall but there’s still another inch of clearance. That’ll give you an idea of how deep your drawer needs to be to do this too.

If you have a vanity with doors, we can make a custom vanity cabinet pull-out organizer.

hair tool and hair supplies drawer organizer found in the Simplicity in the South Etsy shop

I hope you found an idea or two that you can use! If you have a tip for how you organize your bathroom, I’d love for you to share it with me and others who read the comments. I’m pretty sure most of us can use some more inspiration and motivation.

Update: I had a reader ask me about the runner rug that’s in front of the vanity that I forgot to mention. It’s a machine washable rug and can be found in this link. It has 2 pieces: the rug and the non-slip cushioned backing that comes off before you throw the rug in the washer. It’s perfect for entryways and for pet owners too.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I’d love for you to follow along by subscribing to Simplicity in the South! I’m pretty thrilled about our multifunction guest bedroom makeover that’s coming up next. And we always have budget-friendly projects and tips to share with you guys.

Happy DIY’ing,

tricia

Looking for more organization inspiration? Look no more! Here are a few more posts to inspire you to get organized this year:

Linen Closet Organization: small homes / BIG IDEAS

Office in a Closet Budget Organization

Organized Laundry Room Reveal: small home / BIG IDEAS

master bathroom vanity organization ideas (1)

I’m sharing this with some of my favorite blogs such as:

Finding Silver Pennies

6 Organization Ideas for the Bathroom

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18 Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing these tricks. I’ve never been a big fan of organizing space, but after I appreciated how quickly and easily you can find things, I was just surprised. Your example is also one of my favorites, because it shows how much love and care for the house it was all done. An excellent example.

  2. Very well organized! Stunning ideas that you shared for bathroom vanity. I think by using these simple tips and tricks anyone can make their small bathroom big as twice.

  3. I love this bathroom and all the ideas! Do you know where you got your mirrors and vanity lights? Love how those look over a double vanity. I’m struggling with what to choose for an 84” double vanity in a dark gray.

  4. Hi Tricia, absolutely stunning ideas your shared for bathroom vanity. I think by using these simple tips and tricks everyone can make their small bathroom twice as big.

  5. I saw this bathroom pictured on Pinterest in a posting by decoona.com. An article entitled “53 Cozy Farmhouse Master Bathroom Remodel Ideas”. Your bathroom was pictured with your signature watermark in the corner, but a different rug on the floor. Do you know anything about THAT rug?

    1. The black and white rug shown in our modern farmhouse master bathroom reveal is this one and I noticed they’ve marked the price down by almost 50% since the last time I looked ? Thanks for stopping by!

  6. Oh My! Mad love for the hair tool drawer storage! I will be showing it to my hubby. Stopping by from Merry Monday. Hope to see ya next week.

    1. I’m so glad you like the hair tool drawer. It took a little convincing to get my husband to make one but once I told him he’d have more counter space, he was on board. 😉 Thanks for stopping by!

  7. I just Adore your bathroom, and as for the organised draws…?Just love it…..
    Wish it was my bathroom ???

    1. Aw, thanks, Penny! We’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve never had a vanity with drawers so it’s been a nice change.

  8. I am in love with your bathroom and I can see why the vanity drawer is your favorite thing. I wish I had room for one also. Where’d you get the blue rug? I must’ve have missed where you linked it. Thanks and I can’t wait to see your guest bedroom. Hugs!

    1. Thank you, Missy! The drawer makes my life so much easier. I didn’t even think about adding the link to the rug but thanks for reminding me. You can find it here. It’s pretty awesome because it can be thrown in the washing machine and the back is non-skid.

  9. Absolutely gorgeous! I love every thing about your bathroom. Great job.

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