We have this little powder bathroom that is nestled just inside our garage door. It’s in close proximity to the heart of our home: the family room, kitchen, and office. Naturally, it’s the most-used bathroom. There is proof of that every day. Especially with little ones and their friends running through the house.

I have struggled with the organization of this closet for quite some time. I wanted to get it organized but wanted to do it without spending a fortune. Let’s be honest, if I wanted to spend money here, I would have have beautiful drawers built into the closet. Seriously. With label holders, of course. We did this in our pantry and we LOVE it.

But back to the bathroom.

My game plan: Everything in drawers and every drawer labeled. Organizing this way usually satisfies my organizational needs. The drawers? You can pick those up at Target or WalMart or Home Depot or Lowe’s, etc. Fast-forward to the end result. Here’s a little before & after.

Disclaimer: I so enjoy this paint color. Love the energetic and fun shade of fiery orange that it is. But it is horribly un-photogenic. So try to look past the confusing shades. I know some stuff in Photoshop, but not the kind of stuff that can make this orange look the way it’s supposed to.

If you’re looking to organize a bathroom closet also, these are my top 5 tips:

1. Figure out the function. Your master bathroom may be for taking a shower and getting dressed. But that’s not the same function as the powder bathroom or the kids’ bathroom. Focus on the functionality of the specific bathroom you want to organize. For example, our powder bathroom serves as the place for doing my daughter’s hair, storing my makeup (since I put it on in the office or kitchen), and even where the kids brush their teeth half the time. And since it’s near the garage door, we even keep the kids’ socks here so it’s convenient for them to grab them as we get ready to leave the house. Note: In the summer, the socks go back up to their bedrooms and the bathing suits go in these drawers. Again … it’s about being practical and functional. What makes sense for you in this space?

2. Make a game plan. Once you know the function, know how much space you have to work with. Get out the measuring tape and jot down how big your spaces are. I do a quick sketch of my space and write the measurements in their respective places. Then … take this to the store with you.

3. Purge. This is a really good time to get rid of stuff that you don’t need. Throw away those 27 bottles of sample lotions that you’re really not going to use. Donate the old bins that aren’t working for your anymore. Toss the random garbage that somehow got stuck in the closet. Having a hard time letting go? Here’s a good read about why we hold onto sentimental clutter.

4. Label everything. Self explanatory.

5. Remember: It’s a closet. Not a museum. We need to keep in mind that closets are supposed to be for storage, organization, and function. Keep the doors closed. That’s what they’re for. But when you open those doors, you want to not only feel good about what’s inside, but you want to be able to find what’s inside.

As for the rest of our bathroom … this is how I did a little bargain decorating that resulted in a fun, organized environment. Bathrooms should be fun, right? ; )

I found this sign at the office supply store and knew it had to be on our bathroom door.

I paid under $20 for the mirror. Just deciding what color I want to paint it because I am sooo going to paint it. Many of you know my little obsession for spray-painting. If you missed that post, I recommend having a look here.

Found the decorative shelf at Ross or TJ Maxx or (Marshall’s) Home Goods a few years ago. Painted that. Painted the star. Got the little floral thing at Michael’s. Towels and yellow circle rugs at Target. Toilet & sink … boring as they are, at least they’re simple and white. I am leaving those alone.

This is the other wall. One of my favorite walls in the whole house. It’s not only organized but it’s sentimental. Found these frames at TJ Maxx years ago. Yes, they already had the labels built-in. The theme is, obviously, is the 12 months of the year and a favorite family photo that represents that month.

Tags: bathroom, bins, closet, drawers, labels, orange, photo grid

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at 7:32 pm and is filed under home, organization. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.