In terms of storage in the bathroom, most of us are limited to the small area underneath the sink. It's a good spot for extra tissues and occassional towels, but not a great spot for the bathroom gear you use everyday, like your hair dryer, electric razor or electric toothbrush charger.
But we have good news: You can take a cue from the home office and use slim desk-side (or cabinet-side) storage to keep bathroom appliances in easy reach.
Carrie from Dream Green DIY came up with this brilliant storage idea for her bathroom: By moutning a mesh file box (the kind you can buy at your local office or supermart store for less than $20) to the wall or the side of the bathroom counter, she now has easy access to her hair dryer and straightener while keeping everything off the countertop and in easy reach.
You can see by the photos above that the mesh file box has moved around the bathroom a bit; Carrie originally had it mounted to the wall to the left of the sink before moving it to a low-profile spot on the right side below the countertop. If you want to try this at home, find out what works for you. Some things to consider are how much you want it to show, where your outlets are located and whether you're right or left handed.
And if you're a renter thinking that your landlord won't like you drilling holes in the bathroom cabinets, think again: The file box in the photo above is hung with removable 3M Command wire hooks!
Read More: Dream Green DIY
Via Lifehacker
MORE BATHROOM STORAGE ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• 10 Cord Control Solutions for the Bathroom
• Suggestions for Hair Dryer Storage in the Bathroom? Good Questions
• Bringing Furniture Into the Bathroom
• Floor Cabinets for Extra Storage in the Bathroom
• 8 Renter-Friendly Products for Maximizing Bathroom Storage
• Small-Space Bathroom Storage Solutions
(Images: Green Dream DIY)
Coming to Terms with a Knockoff: Original vs. Reproduction Furniture Design
Monica & Austin's Charming Bungalow
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Ercol Bar Stool
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
Why is under the sink not a good spot for these things? That's where I keep them and it works fine.
Practical yet unattractive. I'd find a storage basket that hides (opaque?) the hair dryer and messy chord.
@Bibliovore, there you go. Good idea.
After reading her blog post, the intention of this was to ease her fears of the hot hair dryer or straightner catching something in her cabinet on fire.
I also have this fear but I simply leave my hot straightner on my stove until it is cool enough to return under the sink.
This is right up there with open shelving for me.
Hide that s*&t!
I'm on board with the folks who don't care for this design. How about a metal container that you can decorate to match the decor in the bathroom? This may be a win/win. (??)
If you're concerned with it catching things on fire... wouldn't putting it next to the vanity do the same thing with the toilet paper? For that matter, if that's such a big concern you should either not use it or find one that is safer to use.
I purchased a heat-proof acrylic organizer that fits multiple styling tools and hairbrushes. It rests on a lazy susan under my sink. It's out of the way and easily accessible.
This would work for me; I have a hidden space on one side of my vanity just about the width of one of those baskets. Thanks for the tip!
Buy one of those silicone mats (like for hot pans) to place it on... Inside the cabinet. They also make heat-resistant zippered bags for straighteners for that very purpose. I like the idea of the office organizer, but maybe for some white towels or spare toilet paper or something--things I wouldn't mind looking at everyday.
I bought one of those plate/utensil baskets to put under my sink. The plate side holds my dryer, and the utensil compartments are perfect for my straightener and curling irons.
I bought the Grundtal kitchen series rail system from Ikea to use as storage in my bathroom. They make awesome baskets to store cosmetics, hooks to hang hair dryers and curling irons and racks to display lotions and soaps. I was also able to rob pieces from the Asker and Bygel systems to use on the Grundtal. I am in a rental apartment but find the 2 small holes drilled was well worth all the storage I was able to gain from this great system.
Hey! Carrie here of DreamGreenDIY - Thanks for all of the feedback, even if some of it isn't exactly the most positive. Constructive criticism is just as important in the end! Natalie G. - That's an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing.
**Looks like the blog is mentioned incorrectly at the beginning of the post - I'm "DreamGreenDIY," not "Green Dream DIY." But still so thankful to be featured - Thanks again!!
@GREENKEY in my case, because my bathroom seriously lacks storage. It does have an awkward space between the sink and wall that I'll be measuring tomorrow. I'd love to have a bathroom where the focus was on design not functionality but given the size of my bathroom (and I'm guessing many bathrooms of fellow city dwellers) that not really an option. I'll settle for something that functions that I can reconfigure if I have a party, but is acceptable if it's only close friends over.
nothing great about this idea at all.
General think but adoptable, keep bathroom clean and safe.......
Bathroom Tips
These would be better if painted a pretty color that matches the bathroom decor. I may even go so far as to staple aluminum foil onto the inside wall of the basket. Then whatever color I painted the mesh, it would look nice against the silver backing and completely hide the hair tools.
I like this idea especially with Confounded's suggestion of using it as a place to store towels!
While I understand what a lot of people are saying about the way it looks, it's much better than leaving it on the floor, which is what I have to do currently. My sink is really old and in a corner (no storage under it—just exposed pipes), so I've been looking for a way to use the small space and keep my hot tools off the floor. I hope this works for me!