Organize Your Bathroom with Crate Shelves

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MegaPrepped #CollectiveBias

When we made the decision to buy this house a little over a year ago, we were thrilled with many things about it. We love the layout, the kitchen, the huge family room, the bay window, the bedrooms…just about everything but the bathrooms. There’s nothing actually wrong with them, but I had always hoped that when we found our “forever home,” it would have at least one nice big bathroom. You know what I mean. The kind where there’s a double sink, space for two people to get ready at the same time, and plenty of storage. Maybe even a fancy tub. Unfortunately, none of the bathrooms in this house fit that description at all. On the main level, we have a small but functional powder room. Upstairs, we have a full bath that Little Crafter uses and a master bath, both of which have just enough room for a toilet, a shower, and a small sink. The master bath in particular feels especially small because of the layout. It’s long and narrow, with the toilet straight ahead and the shower on the right.

A wall at the end of the shower makes a teeny little alcove that’s just wide enough for a little sink and vanity. Originally, the previous owners had a big medicine cabinet with a mirror and some cubbies built in, but in order for it to fit over the sink, the mirror was literally too high for me to see myself in it! I insisted that we replace it, and after a bit of good natured teasing, hubby agreed. We went with a flat mirror to make the space feel less cramped, which it definitely does, but it also meant sacrificing a lot of storage.

A few weeks ago, as I was thinking about the problem of never having what we need readily accessible in our bathroom, I noticed that none of the wall space was being used to help with storage. I decided to see what would happen if I replaced the art over the toilet with two shelves that could hold some of our personal care items. Here’s how I created them.

Crate Shelves

You’ll need

Unfinished Wooden Crates {mine were 15″ x 5.6″ x 4.8″}
Paint
Clear spray sealer
Paintbrushes
Hammer and Nails

Step 1: Sand your crates, if necessary.

Step 2: Paint the outside of each crate as well as the inside except for the bottom with your first color.
I chose Delta Ceramcoat Chalk in Navy for this step. Let it dry completely before moving on. If you can still see the wood, you’ll want to give it a second coat of paint.

Step 3: Using a small brush, paint the inside bottom of the crate with your second color.
My color of choice was FolkArt Multi-Surface in Patina. It’s tricky getting the edges just right, but you really won’t notice any imperfections when they’re on the wall.

Step 4: Touch up any areas you may need to fix with a small brush.

Step 5: Apply spray sealer.
Depending on the look you’re going for, you can use matte or gloss.

Step 6: Hang your shelves on the wall.
I called in the hubby for assistance with this part to make sure they were straight and well-spaced.

Step 7: Organize!
Once your shelves are in place, it’s time to put them to good use!

I love feeling like I’m making the most of the space we have in the house, and it always feels great to be organized. This way, I know we have everything we need at arm’s reach and that guests will feel right at home too. Speaking of which, the Quilted Northern® Ultra Soft & Strong® with Cleanstretch (9 Mega Rolls) mega pack helps keep you fully stocked at all times so you’re always ready for sudden guests or last minute get-togethers.

The Mega roll, available at your local Walmart store, is 4X bigger than regular Quilted Northern® rolls, so you don’t have to change it nearly as often or worry about running out when you have visitors. I have two Mega rolls on one of my new shelves so we’re always prepared.

The best bathroom experiences are the ones you don’t remember. For 100 years,Quilted Northern® has been designed so you can forget your bathroom experience. What tips and tricks to you use to help organize your own bathrooms?