You could get some ugly baskets that do fit and cover them with contact paper or something like that. I am very, very sorry to say this because I don't want to be negative, but I don't feel there is much you can to to help that etagiere. Do you have to keep it? What about mounting shelves on the wall? I am looking for any alternative. For the blow dryers and other electric hair accessories, what about putting them all in a fun tote bag and hanging it above the toilet? For the other stuff, you could get one of those wire fruit hanging baskets with three different levels and put the stuff in there.

Maybe rectangular baskets. Ikea has them. You could paint them white if you wanted and maybe even line them. Do you sew? All the major pattern companies carry home decorating patterns and I've seen at least one for collapsible bins. It's generally pretty easy to alter a pattern to meet your size needs. You could use a plain white canvas for a clean streamlined look, or try a solid or even a reprodepot-type pattern. Alternatively, you could easily make a curtain for the etagere, hanging it from that top bar, maybe using small rings to improve glide. I think I would measure it so the curtain would lay flat when closed, as opposed to having any bunches at the top.

You can get wide and deep wicker baskets/woven baskets at Pier1. Is it possible for you to get rid of the etagere? You could mount LACK wall shelves from IKEA, and get these baskets. I think the overall cost would be around $100-$150.

Matilda just gave me another idea to give you. If you find it convenient to stack stuff on the etagere, how about bags? The gift bags that have a glossy coating are pretty tough around moisture, as long as you don't splatter water on them. I think I've even seen translucent "paper bags" made of plastic at Container Store. Either would have a flat bottom, so it would stand up as nicely as a bin, and bags may come in better sizes.

If the goal is to hide the cords and products, you might also consider installing a bath cabinent. I bought a pair of really clean lined ones at Ikea years ago and mounted them side by side making one extra large cabinent above the toilet. It held EVERYTHING and I'm a total product girl.

It's hard to tell from the picture what your preferred decorating style is, but I keep my MANY hair appliances in an old vintage train case.

They're more then deep enough, would fit on your shelves, come in a variety of colors and sizes and are all over eBay for cheap. Just type in Train Case on eBay.

for the cost of the baskets, you could prob. pick up a nicer etagere with doors to hide everything..... i think Target sells some pretty great looking ones for around 80- 100 bucks and they go one sale all the time.
here is a cheap great looking one with glass doors (i'd frost them)

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_2/601-5956677-8192162?%5Fencoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000BEPQKO

Don't laugh but I use tall plastic terra cotta planters for my things - one is for all my dental supplies, one is for my face and eye creams, one is for my hair dryer, one for cotton swabs etc.

They don't scream plastic and I like the terra cotta color - they were actually used as planters of varying sizes when I lived in my former apartment - I didn't want to throw them out and found they worked beautifully for this purpose. I have several very large ones which I put in my closet and use for light bulbs, extra extension cords, etc.

I put some shelves similar to these above my toilet:

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=13395&PRODID=69932

Then you could use woven baskets to hide your toiletries.

best idea ever, CR!

do you use the round pots, or those long rectangular ones for deep shelves?

wow! just checked the site per usual for my lunch break and saw my ugly etagere staring at me!

Thanks for all the suggestions... Lavanya, I had considered the IKEA-lack shelves but the tile ends at the bottom of the mirrored cabinet and so I thought that would look odd. Plus, my roomie and I are short and we would need at least 2 shelves.

Szig-- I'm not very crafty (unless we're talking crafty like bad-guy-with-world-domination-plans... then yes I am) but I will explore the bag/basket idea as also proposed by all!
My style is sort of Thomas O'Brien meets Bali-- which is kind of a reach for a small space like a bathroom though no?
Thanks again for all of your help!

CR, I love the idea of planters! I think I'll hit Chinatown for blue and white long rectangular planters. Maybe combining those with Szig's curtain idea...

I liked the idea of hanging a material panel on it. This doesn't have to be hard. If you've got the "bali" look going (not that I exactly know what that is), you could even hang a bamboo blind, or several placemats sewn together in front. I used dishtowels for curtains in my kitchen. 2 together could work for this. If you could manage to get some of those curtain rings that have clips around one of the etagere shelf's rails, you could just clip fabric to them. Though, I tend to agree with the "buy a new etagere" camp, too...

Thomas O'Brien meets Bali... A girl after my own heart! Another place to check out nice decorative baskets and bins is Bath & Bodyworks, as they only stock them for use as attractive gift baskets for their bath products. Nice, diverse selection that aesthetically are several grades above what you'd find at places like The Container Store.

saya, what a relief to hear you describe the etagere as ugly. i agree but aside from buying a cabinet so that all these things can be stored out of sight, best for a small space, i suggest staying as utilitarian as possible. think of your bathroom as a machine, if it were bigger i'd say spa, white plastic bins for everything or stainless steel and glass containers will keep it looking clean and neat. fabric and baskets, and terra cotta pots will add to the clutter and overpower a small bathroom.

small spaces don't require spartan aesthetics, in my opinion. my tiny bathroom is a well oiled machine, yes. but it's a beautiful one with organic elements that make me happy.

i'm sick and tired of the notion that one can only flex their design muscles through material abundance and that those of us on limited budgets or with limited space should be limited to "machine" aesthetics. which basically translates to the idea that only the wealthy should have access to beautiful things and enjoyable spaces.

I like that you're trying to work with what you've got. Maybe down the line after you're in your new place, you can get something more to your taste, but I'm all for making unstylish things work, dammit. And spending as little as possible in the process.

If you want a quick fix, you might want to check out the LIDAN baskets at Ikea. They're off-white, woven, and have a very natural look, but they're made of polypropylene and can handle the moisture.

Another cheap but cute godsend is Ikea's whole line of plant pots. They have everything from stainless steel to plastic to colored glass and ceramic, and any of a number of them would look great holding bits and bawbles on a shelf. And when you're set up in your new bathroom, you can re-re-purpose them as planters.

Good luck, I'd love to see your solution.

Opoponax - I use all different sizes - depending on what I want to hide - but by keeping similar "stuff" in each, I merely grab the one with my toothbrush, paste, floss, for that chore and then put it back - then on to the one with all of my creams - then my hair products - so everything stays in one place and I'm not wasting time looking for things in the morning.

MoMA design store has some great looking lucite/acrylic storage accessories, including small boxes with dividers.

I bought some very simple and cute Rubbermaid baskets on the cheap. I don't remember where I got them (probably Target), but here's a link to some on ebay: http://tinyurl.com/g6zkl.
I've also really enjoyed the Sabrina baskets I purchased at Pottery Barn Kids for my bathroom:
http://ww1.potterybarnkids.com/index.cfm?pgid=k4004&lid=16&cid=f907&area=col
They are much more substantial than the Rubbermaid and come in lots of sizes and colors.