Your Favorite Kitchen Storage Solution Actually Belongs in Your Bathroom, and Here’s Why
It’s no secret that industrial style accents are sought after, especially considering how popular loft apartments — often with exposed pipes, ducts, and brick — have become in the past 10 or so years. While an entirely industrial space is certainly appealing to many, it can sometimes end up feeling rather cold and, well, industrial for a home. So a popular way to incorporate industrial pieces today is by pairing them with warmer, more refined items to create a balanced, thoughtful look. Take the bathroom in Sebastian Cuadrado Andreau’s Buenos Aires apartment, for example. He has taken a very utilitarian metal shelving unit typical of a kitchen and turned it into a luxurious organizer and place for decor in — wait for it — a bathroom.
Yep, you probably recognize this chrome shelving unit, which is commonly used in restaurants, garages, and tiny studio apartment kitchens. I actually schlepped one of these bad boys through multiple years of college, but instead of elevated pieces of decor, mine was filled with garish neon storage crates that held my roommates’ and my various belongings.
A piece like this packs a lot of storage space into a fairly compact footprint, and you can find them in various sizes and different shelf configurations, often, as is the case with this Amazon version, for under $100 (there’s even a compact version on sale for just $41 right now). It’s no surprise that Andreau, owner of the brand Sixta, an online store for eclectic and timeless objects, has outfitted his own chrome shelf with decidedly more aesthetic necessities.
In fact, instead of taking a page from my college decor handbook, Andreau has chosen to display a curated selection on his shelf, including fluffy white towels (an inviting touch for guests), an assortment of black and white framed art, snake plant cuttings, colorful vases, and a glowy vintage lamp. It’s not overstuffed with decor and objects, but it’s also not left barren or only home to un-decanted bathroom products (like a box of cotton swabs). For that reason, the utilitarian look of the shelf feels balanced with a bit of luxury. Oh, and a bonus? A piece like this a super-affordable way to add extra storage in a bathroom that might otherwise not have much space for extra items. That’s why one of these can be the unsung hero in your bathroom if you have the space for it, and it can look just as good as any fancy shelf, that is, if you style it with things that marry form and function.