Okay friends I’m at it again. Yes I’ve reorganized my ensuite bathroom again. For those that might not know about my love hate relationship with my ensuite let me fill you in. First let me just say that I absolutely love having an ensuite, I’m not complaining about that. I’m not even complaining about the storage space because there is in fact cupboards for storage (although a few more drawers would be nice). I’ve just been having trouble making this bathroom work as an area where I can get ready each day in a manner that allows for a smooth flowing process. I think it’s because I do the dreaded comparison game and it will get you in trouble every single time. In our old house I had a lovely little niche separate from the bathroom that housed a vanity complete with two drawers and a big cupboard. This area was completely dedicated to my hair and makeup stuff. It was all in one place and contained. Oh how I love things to be contained and I loved that space. However I don’t live there anymore and I really have to let it go.
So as I’m sitting in my current bathroom the other day doing my hair (and yes I have to sit down to do my hair because I’m there for way too long trying to tame the beast) I realized that the cupboard right in front of me and the one beside it underneath the sink house items that I use very infrequently. In fact I rarely go into them. Meanwhile all the products I do use regularly are behind me either in the shoe organizer on the back of the door or in the cupboard space behind the door. I sit to get ready in front of the door, so every time I needed something I had to stand up, move the chair and swing the door closed for access. I don’t get ready with the door closed as it gets too hot with no window in there. Here’s a couple pictures of the bathroom to give you an idea of configuration:
Not huge but it gets the job done 🙂 Sorry about the lightening being wonky.
So I knew what I needed to do was utilize the cupboard area behind the door for the least used products in order to move my hair products up into the cupboard in front of where I sit for quick access and clean up. It was time to do some rearranging.
Here’s how the cupboard directly in front on me used to look.
And after:
I added a slide out divided organizer (it has three sections) and only kept what would fit inside. I purchased this pull out a couple of years ago from Bed Bath and Beyond but I see that Amazon has something similar.
I used to keep my hair products in multiple spots with the majority of them being stored in the shoe organizer behind the door so now it is very exciting to have them contained all in ONE spot so I can actually see what I have. Super yay! The blue bin on the side is extra shampoo and conditioners that I stock up on when they go on sale. I’ve also added a small container at the front for my daily used makeup removers.
Side note: If you are new here please don’t be alarmed by my hair product collection, I am a hair product junkie! I’ve tried to change my ways but those darn products just keep calling out to me promising to change my life forever. Giving myself limits and boundaries is the only way to keep it in check.
Next is the cupboard right underneath the sink. Here is the before:
Not bad at all but again the products on the right aren’t frequently used. I knew I could use this space more appropriately. The pull out on the right is the same one I am now using for my hair products. I just took the two pieces apart and am now using them separately rather than stacked one on top of the other.
And the after:
I’ve switched things around and added some more drawers to take care of the items that used to be in the now hair cupboard. I’ve got drawers for makeup, hair ties and elastics, a drawer for my husband’s contact lenses, tanning stuff and other odds and sodds.
I purchased the two drawer sets at Walmart.
I’ve also moved my frequently used basket (the brown one) of hair products/hair brushes down to underneath the sink as you can see. I’m just really sick of having it out in the open on the counter. I’ll take it out when I need it and then I’m going to force myself to put it away after each use and see if I can make that habit stick. Wish me luck!
The smaller three drawer unit houses my feminine products.
Finally I want to show you how the cupboard behind my bathroom door changed.
Before:
After:
Top shelf still holds toilet paper and paper towels. The next shelf down holds a basket of my husband’s things like shaving cream, deodorant and cologne. I have a basket for my dog’s bathing supplies at the back and then in front is my nail polish caddy.
The bottom shelf holds the bottom half of the pull out bin I mentioned earlier. I use this for my curling irons and straighteners as well as some small travel cases. Next to that is my toiletry travel case that you can see more of HERE. Then I have a pretty basket for my curlers. You know, all the essentials of life 🙂
The back of the bathroom door went from having a shoe organizer to none! I no longer needed it as I moved my hair products plus purged a few things as well. I may still put back a shoe organizer there but only if I find a clear one. I hate not being able to see what’s inside. Very frustrating!
So that’s my bathroom reorganization. I now have frequently used items in more prominent spots which I think will be better for my laziness efficiency and tidiness. For the sake of keeping it real, here is an honest before and after picture for you of my counter in the throes of a morning rush. How many of you can relate?
Before:
After:
Side note: For those wondering, the green caddy on my counter top that I use for my everyday makeup is called the Stuff It from Clever Container. More information can be found on the post I did HERE.Even Professional Organizers will struggle with clutter and chaos without efficient systems in place to manage it.
There is right or wrong way to organize. I had a system in place that was no longer meeting my needs so I changed it.
If you know an area of your home isn’t working for you, it might be time to try a new system. If you feel the clutter creeping in, it’s time to evaluate the systems you have in place for how you you deal with it. It’s not too late, there is always a way through it. You are not a failure. Following my PROCESS steps will guide you every step of the way. It’s the same process I use with my projects and it’s very beneficial to have steps to follow so as not to get ahead of yourself. Doing that will only stall the project you are trying to complete and we don’t want that. Give it a try!
If you have any questions, let me know!
Happy Organizing!!
Linking up: The 36th Avenue
Amy Ballou says
Thank you for this! New fan.
Jessica says
It looks a lot better! I love those slide out baskets you used too. Makes things easy to find.
AlysonRR says
Have you considered moving your non-sticky hair and makeup efforts to a vanity in the bedroom? We had a similar bathroom in one of the houses where we lived and we both had to get ready at the same time, so I moved everything after hair gel (which I *must* wash off my hands) into the bedroom.
At first, it was in/on an old vanity table, but then we stayed at a wonderful hotel where there was a vanity table setup with a tabletop (plywood shaped in a gentle curve) set onto setback shelves and two front legs. Fabric that coordinated with the drapes was glued (or invisibly stapled?) over the tabletop and covered with glass shaped to fit exactly over it. It was very nice and suited our (then) decorating style so we copied it at our house.
It took me out of the shared en suite for most of my prep, and, as a bonus, I got to sit down while I did my styling and makeup with a lovely tri-fold mirror supplemented by a lighted makeup mirror (much better than the bathroom lighting!).
When we planned our current (hopefully lifetime) home, we went more modern, and have a bigger ensuite, so I had room in the bathroom to have a long 18″ deep shelf with three 10″ shelves below, and a mirror with sufficient lighting (natural and halogen) above. I store my things in pretty baskets or on glass plates.
I enjoy your organizational posts, so I thought I’d share one of our successful reorganizations 🙂
Laura says
Oh my how I would love a vanity in the bedroom, I would really prefer it especially so I could have natural light to put on my makeup. Unfortunately our bedroom isn’t large either so there is no space to put one. I keep dreaming about how I could make it work though. Thanks for the suggestion!
Laura
AlysonRR says
I completely understand. We had to get rid of a dresser in order to make it possible (much purging and addition of shelves in closet ensued), but it made our morning routine so much easier that it was worth it.
I, too, love the green on-the-counter basket you’re using!
Leanne says
Very helpful! Where did you get the green organizer you have on top of your vanity?
Laura says
Hi Leanne, oops I should have mentioned that. Here is the post I did about it. It’s called a Stuff It from Clever Container. I love it!
https://orgjunkie.com/2014/04/makeup-storage-ive-changed-mind.html
Laura
Laura says
I’m glad I’m not the only one who keeps reorganizing things! My problem area is my freezer!
Laura says
Oh I know right! Freezers are such a pain. Did you see the post I did when I reorganized my chest freezer? Here it is just in case:
https://orgjunkie.com/2014/01/quick-tips-organizing-the-deep-freezer.html
Laura
Margarita Ibbott says
I need you to come over and help me organize my bathroom STAT. I have two large deep and one shallow one. Help.
Laura says
I hear you Margarita, it’s so hard. I think I’ve changed my mind about 5 times about how I want it organized since we moved in here. Uggg.
Wanda L. Mwalwanda says
I love it!! I have the same little cabinet under my bathroom sink but that is all the storage that I have. To make matters worse, the cabinet only has a left side because the right side is the side where 2 drawers slide in and out. HELP!!! I tried organizing everything in shoe boxes but I can barely fit 5 in there… What should I do? Oh!!! and did I mention that my hubby already broke one of the shoe boxes taking his shaving things out? They haven’t even been there for a week…. uggghhhh. HELP
Laura says
Hi Wanda, would the plastic drawers that I used fit in that space around the plumbing? You can also buy open containers that stack (try walmart or target) that aren’t too big which might work because then you could just reach in and grab what you need without having to remove a lid.
Laura
Wanda L. Mwalwanda says
I would have to buy one of the plastic drawers and see if it would actually work but that is a good idea. I didn’t really want to get open containers but I think you are right, Laura. This would prevent hubby from breaking the darn lids. lol!!! I will continue to work on this project and touch base with you again after the weekend. Wish me luck!!!! You are AWESOME, Laura 🙂
Laura says
Yes please let me know what you figure out. Can’t wait to see it!
Margotgn says
The Container Store has clear shoe pocket organizers! 🙂
Denny says
I want to see your hair!
Laura says
This is the funniest comment yet! You would think with all that product it would look amazing but unfortunately it doesn’t, hence the reason I keep buying all the stuff lol.
Laura
Marcia Francois says
Rubbish! Your hair always looks amazing 🙂 I love that you’ve got this hair product “thing”. I have shampoo, conditioner, and when my Brazilian treatment is nearing the end of its wear, something to keep the curls looking nice and not frizzy from the body shop. Those 3 are IT 🙂
Melinda says
My family and I moved 4 months ago and went from having 2 tiny bathroom, to 2 good size bathrooms and a half bath. I am so greatful for the extra space and I am not sure how I managed to control our bathroom clutter before.
In our master bath, we did not have a medicine cabinent, and only had 2 small drawers and storage under the sink. I wish I would have thought about the plastic drawer storage, that is a great idea! I did eventually buy one of those metal over the toilet shelf racks and then I put clear containers on it and stored shampoo, conditioner, nail polish, cotton balls and much more and it looked nice.
The over the door shoe storage is a great idea too. I just read an organization book and this lady explained how she put one of her bathroom door and stored all of her daughter hair items by color. I am thinking of doing this for my daughter so she can find her hair things easier!
Thanks for the great post.
Paris (the green minimalist) says
Great post! I personally have tried and tried for many years to organize my life. The clean and nice containers looked wonderful for few days. Then, I was back to where I started. By the time I cleaned rest of the house, one area at a time, I was back at square one. The only thing that honestly helped me, was reducing. I reduced everything donated and gave away almost all my stuff and kept only around 1/6 of what I used to own. Life had become wonderful and easy now.
No more plastic containers. No more spending time organizing just to see everything going back to where I started. But even now, I sometimes feel overwhelmed. Still feel like I have too much stuff.
Still need to reduce more.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Paris
Marcia Francois says
Paris, you’re right. The best thing to do is to have less to make all the sorting out and organising quick and easy.
Susanne says
Well I’ve been complaining for over 20 years that my bathroom vanity has no drawers and never once did it occur to me to go buy some that would fit inside underneath. You are brilliant!
Lucie says
I love this! Will certainly borrow some of your ideas. Are those Real Techniques make up brushes in your green organizer? 🙂
Laura says
Yes some of them are 🙂
Jane says
how are you doing at putting your hair products away everyday?