I Tried Using Only Open Storage in My Small Bathroom – These Are the Solid Solutions That Stayed, and the Maintenance Nightmares That Failed

I spend a lot of time speaking to interior designers about small spaces, especially bathrooms, where extra care and attention are required to balance sufficient storage with visual appeal.

And as open storage is always championed in compact spaces, I thought I'd experiment by using only open solutions to see what works and what doesn't. And it's fair to say, I learned a lot about small bathroom storage from the process.

These are all the open bathroom storage solutions I tried, and months down the line, the ones that have proved essential and those that didn't quite meet the mark. Spoiler alert – you really do need a mix of open and closed storage for the best results.

3 Open Storage Solutions I Tried in My Small Bathroom

My small bathroom has always lacked built-in storage. Other than a recessed medicine cabinet, the only place I had to keep products and essentials was on the windowsill or a ledge behind the toilet.

'People often don’t plan properly for storage in bathrooms, and leaving space for it wherever possible is really important,' says interior designer Laura Stephens. 'People often end up stacking toiletries on the countertop or in corners, which looks untidy and can make everyday routines more frustrating.'

And clutter was certainly becoming an issue in my space, so I tried a few open storage options before committing to more built-in solutions. And although I made a few small bathroom storage mistakes, there are some I would never want to be without again.

Stayed: Wall Shelves Beside the Bath

My open storage experiment began with my shower area. I have an over-bath shower, and without a built-in niche or ledge, my products end up lining the perimeter of the tub. It's not functional, nor does it look organized.

I've seen a lot of people have success with shelving that hangs over the shower head, like this Flex Wall Mounted Optional Shower Caddy from Wayfair, but I don't have the right shower fixture for this to work, so I opted for floating shelving on the wall at the end of my bath instead.

I love the look of glass shelves with brass fixtures, so I installed Anthropologie's Nellie Shelf, which comes in three sizes, on the narrow wall next to my bathroom window, and it's been such a success. It's the perfect size to hold my most-used shower products without looking overfilled or messy, and it's away from the water flow while still being easy to reach.

I also love glass shelving because it not only looks elegant, but it's so easy to clean. Even purple shampoo rings wipe away easily without leaving a trace. This open storage solution is perfect for small bathrooms, as long as you have the wall space at the far end of your shower or bath. Needless to say, this one stayed!

Failed: Open Vanity Design

I've seen so many beautiful small schemes that feature a bathroom vanity with open shelving rather than closed cabinet storage, and I immediately wanted to try it in my own scheme to utilize the space below my sink, especially as designers usually advise against cabinet doors in a compact space.

'Limited space means every element has to work hard. Vanity doors that swing open can interrupt movement, create awkward moments, and make the room feel cramped,' explains Melissa Hutley, co-founder of Hutley & Humm.

But while this approach did work from a functional perspective, it didn't quite live up to expectations aesthetically. The vanity really has to work hard in my small bathroom, and it quickly created a more cluttered look, despite attempts at elevating it with pretty woven baskets.

And it's an open storage attempt I was quick to fix, with some designer guidance. 'A simple solution is to add a curtain under the vanity, with shelves behind. It’s an easy, flexible way to add storage at any stage, keeping the space tidy without sacrificing style,' says Carina Raymond, founder of Studio Raymond.

If you do prefer easy-to-access closed storage, small bathrooms work much better with drawer-focused vanities. 'Choosing drawers over doors for vanity units is another simple but effective tweak too, it improves accessibility, organisation, and overall flow in the room,' Melissa notes.

Stayed: Wall-Mounted Towel Rack

I've always wished I had somewhere to store towels in my bathroom. I've seen some people keep them in a vanity or a freestanding unit – I distinctly remember my grandmother's floor-to-ceiling bathroom cupboard that kept towels perfectly warm.

But I don't have space for anything like this, so I instead looked for open storage that allowed me to keep bath, hand, and face towels nearby. And it turns out, wall-mounted designs are the perfect towel storage idea.

'One solution is to fit a smaller heated towel rail above a wall-mounted toilet. This keeps the rail off the floor, maximises circulation space, and removes any hazard in a tight bathroom,' says Melissa.

My toilet sits below a sloped ceiling, but I had the perfect wall space behind my bathroom door for a wall-mounted towel rack. After a lot of shopping, I chose Rejuvenation's Riley Train Rack with Double Towel Bars in Aged Brass, and I'm so happy I did.

I love that I can keep my towels rolled up on the rack above, and also hang the towels currently in use on the bars beneath. It's become a really hardworking feature in my bathroom, and it creates a luxury hotel feel. It's probably the open storage solution I've had the most compliments on, too.

While not everything was successful, I learnt a lot from trying to only use open storage in my small bathroom. More things worked well than I expected – it was really only the bathroom vanity that failed. Take note from designers and embrace drawers for closed storage, or add a sink skirt to conceal shelves filled with essentials, as I did. It's a small, and generally affordable, swap that transforms the look of your small bathroom.

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