My $24 Bathroom Storage Transformation Started in the Nursery Aisle

I’m not naturally a morning person, so I try to make my journey from bed to commute as seamless as possible. That means I tend to leave whatever I’ve used to get ready that morning out on the bathroom countertop — something that, in theory, should make it easier to see and grab what I need, but in actuality just makes my bathroom counter too cluttered to be functional, and leaves hardly any room for my husband’s things. Not ideal!

I knew that my no-system system wasn’t exactly working and that I needed to make the bathroom more practical for both me and my very patient husband. I got inspiration from this hack on Apartment Therapy, which uses an IKEA BEKVAM spice rack as wall storage, but I wanted something a smidge longer than a typical spice rack. I ended up discovering a solution in the kids’ furniture section: nursery bookshelves.

I looked online but couldn’t find any long spice racks until I thought to check the kids’ section for wall-mounted bookshelves. The book display shelves in the nursery or kids’ sections have the same basic shape as wall-mounted spice racks, with a 2- to 3-inch depth that’s just the right size for storing toiletry bottles, plus a front crossbar to prevent books from toppling over. But unlike spice racks, book display shelves come in a large range of lengths, from 16 inches to 36 inches.

I chose a set of three nursery bookshelves made from solid wood so I can paint or stain them whatever color I choose (a project for a different time). The set cost just $23.95 and delivered a very similar look to the ultra-hackable, best-selling IKEA BEKVAM spice rack. 

After assembling the shelves, hanging them up took about 30 minutes total; the trickiest part was ensuring the screw holes were level. But once they were up, the transformation was incredible. My bathroom looked bigger, and I could see every one of my toiletries at a glance. If you try it yourself, make sure to use paint or stain on the bare wood, which will help prevent moisture damage. 

I like the bookshelves so much here that I’m considering adding them to the guest bathroom, too, so that soap, shampoo, and other products guests frequently need to borrow are all in one place. They’re also the perfect size for desk supplies and art supplies, so I may need a longer set for my office, too. What I love about this brilliant storage hack is that there are so many different styles, colors, and sizes of kids’ bookshelves to choose from, so you’re sure to find one that works for your space.