So...what have you guys been up to this week? Not much to report over here, aside from countless viewings of that video of the three-year-old sobbing hysterically over Justin Bieber. And to think, only a week ago, we were asking ourselves, "Who the hell is Justin Bieber?" Right, well, perhaps the question we should be asking is, "What can Justin Bieber do to help my ugly bathroom?" The answer is: Absolutely nothing. Which is why we're going to rely on the expertise of Martha and her minions to show us how to spruce up the "second office" without breaking the bank.
Somewhere, deep in the cavernous maw of your kitchen cabinets, is a collection of mismatched bowls and other service wares. And if they are as pretty as the ones pictured here, then it's practically a crime to keep them on the bench and out of the game. If you can't find use for them in the kitchen, consider using them as handy organizers for your toiletries.
Good for: Bathrooms with lots of counter space.
Pedestal sinks are quite nice to look at, but if space is at an all-time low, you may want to consider this option: Get a low cart to hide your beautifying valuables, and keep it under cover with a sink skirt. Even if you're unskilled around a sewing machine, Martha has a how-to that uses velcro instead.
Good for: Um, small bathrooms with pedestal sinks and people who can't or don't want to sew.
Outdated bathroom? Or how about outdated bathroom in a rented apartment that allows you to paint the walls? Or maybe you like the retro bathroom, but just want to give it a little update without ruining the whole look. In that case, pore over some color combinations that are centered around your bathroom's existing tile work and carve out a weekend to paint the walls.
Good for: Me. Laure told me once that my bathroom looked exactly like her Grandma Muriel's bathroom, circa 1973, right down to the cramped shower with the mustardy-yellow tiles.
Skip the bathroom shelves section at Bed Bath and Beyond and head over to the kitchen section. You'll find sleeker alternatives to bathroom storage like this one, along with a nifty bar for S-hooks to hold anything from towels to back scrubbers.
Good for: Loft bathrooms where the industrial look won't be too out of place, bathrooms that need both shelves and hooks.
At first glance, we thought this was a bad idea: A hanging fruit basket in your bathroom instead of one of those ugly shower caddies. But after some research on how rust-resistant these are, it doesn't seem so bad after all. You can get these pretty much anywhere.
Good for: People who hate shower caddies and have low-ceiling bathrooms to hang these.
No room for a towel rack? Install hooks instead. Probably handier, too: Instead of just having one clean towel next to the shower, you can have multiple just waiting in line.
Good for: Shared bathrooms, people who don't like to tuck the hand towel on top of the bath towel on the rack, bathroom walls that aren't fully tiled.
There's a lot more tips over at Real Simple (these were our favorites), so check 'em out--it's probably a more productive way to spend a few minutes than watching this.
(Images: Real Simple)
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Not sure how hanging a bunch of towels around makes these look any better. Looks like they need to do some laundry. That skirt around the sink looks really bad -- looks like it's hiding something that needs to be addressed -- maybe a filthy bucket to catch drips & a LOT of duct tape around the rusty pipes? I'd be compelled to peek behind the curtain to see what mess lurks behind.
I like the idea of the fruit basket for storage. Great idea.
~ Sarah @ http://www.queenofdiy.com
Grumpinator? What?
A problem with these hook and rack ideas is that they would require putting holes in wall and ceilings, something renters need to avoid. I do like the idea of using extra pottery, glasses, etc. on a tray for supplies... this looks like the freshest option here to me. There is a knack to blending colors/shapes but it's a versatile way to corral small often used items in many places in a household.
I like the idea of a hanging fruit basket, but I'd use it by the sink for storage, especially if you have a small countertop (or non). That way you have something easily accessible that isn't taking up floor or counterspace.
I've been loving Real Simple lately, they have some really great ideas. I like figuring out ways to make things multi functional or in ways other than their intended purpose.
I love those little pitchers on the yellow tray, esp. the one w/ the pattern. I'll have to see if they listed the source.
I like the idea of using extra glasses and such for bathroom storage; the yellow tray looks great, too. Having said that, I've never had much space in any of my rental bathrooms, especially not for anything like that.
I think the hook idea works, but it works better if there's a bar of some kind instead of individually installed hooks. I think a heated towel bar is a fabulous idea -- place for wet/used towels to go; dry more quickly; good solution for damp basement apartments.
fab idea about the pottery. I have just the tray...thanks for the tip!
i highly recommend the 3M Command hooks with the easy to remove, no wall damage adhesive. They are a bit pricy, but once you own a few you can move them from apartment to apartment by simply purchasing more of the adhesive strips. I'm currently using 4 in my bathroom...just pay close attention to the weight guidelines listed for each hook. I learned that the hard way.
Hm - this gives me the idea to use a hanging fruit basket to hang plants. I have one lone bright window, and would like to have a little herb garden growing near it. Any thoughts on if this would work? I prefer metal to the awful macrame that seems to be the only other budget plant hanging option.
I have some beautiful small food safe pottery a friend made that I wasn't using, so I put it in my bathroom arranged together and put my makeup in it. taller pottery hold eyeliner and brushes, smaller bowls hold lipstick and lipgloss, a wide bowl holds eye shadows and pigment. I bought a small tray at ikea (in the food section) to tie it all together.
Jenc229 beat me to the punch on the command hooks and adhesive strip recommendations. I think I should be part owner in that company by now with all of the money I've spent on their products.
And I'll flat out disagree with the criticism on sink skirts. After seeing this on the Real Simple website, I made one using a dupioni curtain panel. Aside from ironing in the box pleats, the process took all of 10 minutes. It's made a dramatic difference, and the only thing it's "hiding" is the ugly visual clutter of shiny pipes.
Grace, my compliments. I like the way you wrote this. Perhaps you had a little extra time to go through this, or you're trying out a new "voice", but whatever you did, keep it up. This post sounds confident, clever, and conversational. Your grammar and punctuation serve your style by imitating the phrasing of one side of a phone call, which works well. Good work.
Aw, I bought that little white wheelie cart for myself when I first left home! I forgot about it.
Great post! I too really enjoyed the fun and light tone. The tips were pretty good, too. :-P
I've rambled about pretty similar solutions myself over at my blog. The kitchen rack in the bathroom was a new one to me, though -- I'm going to have to start looking at storage from other rooms with a new eye.
I have both towel hooks and storage caddy. I love both.
Hooks: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2666/3834894041_3b6e62091e_b.jpg
Caddy: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2495/4058738327_bcdf3653c0_b.jpg
If you can put holes in the walls, there are some really nice products out there. Mine are from Emery & Cie.
That sink skirt is no different from putting a fitted carpet mitten over your toilet seat. TACKY. Maybe bib for the collar of the toilet, while you're at it?
I respectfully disagree about the sink skirt. It's a great solution in a rental.
I just recently repurposed a teeny-tiny galvanized bucket as a Q-Tip holder and a stained glass votive holder as a catch-all for hair elastics and barrettes in my bathroom. I don't have much counter space so these are inside my cabinet. Not viewable by my guests (unless they're snoopers), but it makes me happy to open up the cabinet and see pretty things inside instead of a jumbled mess.
Who the hell is Justin Bieber? I am always the last to know these things.
mdbee, I need to go do that right now! A votive candleholder is the perfect size for hair clips and bobby pins!
outonalimb, he's some 12 year old pop singer. I don't know what he sings, but I heard him on the radio and thought it was a girl singing the song lol. He's really popular right now, he's even coming to the rodeo (ugh, so sick of pop at the rodeo!). His grandma actually lives here in Houston, my morning radio show was talking to her this week.
When we did a walk-through of our current apartment, the former tenants were just in the midst of moving out... I went in the bathroom and someone had thought to put a wineglass on the bathroom counter to hold various items. It actually looked really great and I kind of want to do this now!
Grace, this post made me very happy. Which is good, because I was crying over Justin Bieber when I found it.
love the little hanging fruit basket idea (I loooooathe shower caddies).
http://mylittleapartment.blogspot.com/