Bathrooms do more than they get credit for. They handle personal routines, medical storage, laundry prep, quick cleanups, spa moments, and the chaos of family mornings. Good storage turns that daily churn into a calm, efficient flow. Poor storage makes every task slower and messier. As a remodeling contractor, I’ve seen both extremes. A 45-square-foot hall bath can work like a small command center if you treat inches like gold and think through the order of operations: where wet towels go before they mold, where power tools like hairdryers live without tangling, how medicines stay safe yet accessible, and how deep drawers change your morning timeline.
NEA Design and Construction works primarily in New Jersey homes where bathroom footprints are often fixed by plumbing stacks and hallway geometry. That means we design storage into the walls, under the sinks, and behind mirrors, not as an afterthought but as a core feature. The biggest wins come from three decisions made early: the vanity style, the wall cavity strategy, and the lighting-power plan. Get those right and the rest falls into place.
Start with how the room is used, not how it looks
Most people begin with tile choices and a vanity photo. A better starting point is a two-day audit of habits. Time how long it takes to get ready and what slows you down. Are you bending for a blow dryer, hunting for floss, or moving a razor off the edge of the sink? Do you share the space with a partner who needs separate zones? Does the room double as a linen closet? That short exercise lets us map tasks to storage zones and pick the right hardware. A wall cabinet that’s two inches deeper, a drawer that opens with a toe kick when your hands are wet, an outlet inside a cabinet so cords stay put, all of that begins with the reality of how you move.
A couple with two school-age kids may need vertical dividers for tablets and toothbrush chargers in a cabinet with a USB-C power strip. A single professional might prioritize a tall pull-out for skin-care bottles and a tilt-out tray for contacts. A guest bath calls for labeled, intuitive storage so visitors don’t have to rummage. Different use cases, different solutions.
Vanities: drawers win, but not always
Vanities do the heavy lifting. In small bathrooms, the vanity can carry 70 percent of the storage. Three rules guide the design.
First, drawers almost always beat doors. A 24 to 48-inch vanity with two deep drawers and one shallow one stores more, and more efficiently, than the same box with doors and one shelf. Full-extension slides put everything visible. With doors, items get lost in the back and baskets become band-aids. That said, if you use a vessel sink or a wall-mounted faucet, you can sometimes reclaim enough internal height for a third drawer. We often notch the top drawer around the trap and angle the back to fit water lines. It looks custom because it is.
Second, vertical dividers and inserts matter more than capacity. In a 36-inch vanity, a hairdryer rolling around eats as much space as ten bottles standing upright. We build a holster with a stainless steel liner for the dryer and brush, plus a grommeted cable pass to a 20-amp GFCI outlet inside the drawer. Add a heat-safe cup for a curling iron and you stop draping cords over the counter. Drawer organizers should be adjustable; rigid pre-molded trays often fail when you change products.
Third, the toe-kick has jobs. That 3 to 4-inch-high space at the base is prime real estate. A toe-kick drawer hides flat items like extra toothpaste or guest toiletries. For aging-in-place projects, we’ve installed a touch-to-open toe kick that triggers a waste bin drawer so you can toss a tissue without bending or using wet hands. It’s a small gesture that feels like luxury every day.
Single-sink versus double-sink is a storage decision too. Two bowls shrink counter space and steal drawer width. If two people get ready at different times, one wider sink with separate drawer stacks saves arguments and clutter. We’ve replaced double sinks with a single 36-inch trough and gained two tall drawer stacks that hold everything. Households consistently report the space works better.
Medicine cabinets, mirrored storage, and wall cavities
Every wall that faces an interior space has a cavity between studs. That cavity is your friend. A recessed medicine cabinet adds 3.5 inches of depth without stealing elbow room. People worry about style, but modern cabinets come with beveled edges, integral lighting, magnetic organizers, and small internal outlets. We like mirrored cabinets with a side mirror for makeup and a soft-close door so items don’t tumble. On a 60-inch vanity, two stacked cabinets look clinical unless you frame them carefully. We often use one oversized cabinet centered and flanked by surface sconces, or two narrower cabinets with integrated lights.
Over the toilet, a recessed niche cabinet keeps tissues and cleaning supplies within reach. Between studs, a 14-inch-wide cabinet with a 4-inch depth stores quite a lot: four rolls of toilet paper, a couple bottles, a box of wipes. Use a solid door if you don’t want visual noise. If you prefer open storage, keep it narrow and uniform. Open shelves with mismatched items read as clutter unless you commit to tidy containers.
Showers are where wall cavities shine. A niche sized to common bottles prevents visual chaos. We measure the tallest product you regularly use and add about an inch. A two-tier niche can be 12 by 24 inches on top, 12 by 12 below, centered between studs. For families, a vertical niche with three equal compartments gives each person a section. We slope the niche base a quarter-inch per foot to avoid water pooling and choose a single, easy-to-clean surface like a large-format tile or solid-surface slab. Skip tiny mosaics in niches; grout lines collect shampoo residue.
If studs don’t line up with the desired niche location, we add blocking, but we avoid cutting into exterior walls that contain insulation unless energy losses are addressed. In older homes, keep an eye out for plumbing vent stacks, which can limit niche placement. A quick site inspection with a stud finder and a small exploratory cut can save change orders later.
Tall storage that doesn’t feel bulky
A tall linen cabinet is the workhorse of an efficient bath, yet it can swallow space if it feels like a closet shoved into the corner. The trick is depth. A 15 to 18-inch-deep tower, either freestanding or built atop the vanity counter, offers generous storage without crowding. Counter-mounted towers are excellent for master baths: they break the counter into zones and keep daily items at eye level. Build them with adjustable shelves and one or two drawers. Doors should open away from the sink user’s face, so left-right swing matters.
If floor space is tight, try a half-depth tower, 9 to 12 inches, with doors that open to reveal shallow shelves sized for bottles. Shallow storage is honest about capacity and prevents double rows that hide products. We often use a tall pull-out, like a kitchen pantry, in a 12 to 15-inch-wide slot. With full-extension slides, you get visibility top to bottom. Weight matters; shampoo is heavy. Use heavy-duty slides rated for at least 100 pounds.
I’ve also recessed a slim broom closet into a chase wall for a handheld vacuum and NEA Design and Construction cleaning supplies. Put it near the door, not by the tub, so wet feet don’t cross the room to access cleaning tools.
Open storage: when to use it and how to make it work
Open shelves look great right after staging. Three months later, they reveal who you are. They work when you limit them to a purpose. A single 30-inch shelf over a toilet can hold a plant, a jar of cotton rounds, and a candle. Two to three narrow shelves stacked vertically create a rhythm that breaks up tile and offers spots for hand towels. Keep open storage narrow and high, not at hand level where it invites clutter.
Baskets can be useful if you set rules. One client had each family member’s morning kit in a labeled basket that lived on a shelf. Grab the basket, use what you need, return it. That stopped product creep across the counter. Baskets need breathable bases if they store damp items and should fit the shelf snugly so they don’t slide off. Choose materials you can wipe down. Fabric bins in bathrooms can mildew.
Hidden power and cord management
Power is central to bathroom storage, not an afterthought. We place GFCI-protected outlets inside vanity drawers or behind door cabinets for hair tools and electric toothbrushes. That change alone clears counters. In-drawer outlets must be rated for in-cabinet use and routed with a flexible cable system that won’t pinch. Plan your amp load. A hairdryer and curling iron draw plenty of current, and if the same circuit powers radiant floor heat and a towel warmer, the breaker may trip. We typically run a dedicated 20-amp circuit for vanity use.
For mirrors with defogging pads, power feeds need to be hardwired per manufacturer spec and placed exactly where the unit expects them. Measure twice. A misplaced box behind a fixed mirror means either an unsightly bump-out or more drywall work. Add a low-voltage box if you plan on smart controls.
Cord holes with grommets inside cabinets let you thread chargers through tidy openings. I like a 1.5-inch hole with a rubber grommet near the back corner of a shelf so cables hug the wall. As a guardrail, we never put live outlets inside tall linen cabinets that might store towels. It’s too easy for fabric to smother a warm plug or collect moisture around an energized point.
Wet items: real-world drying and containment
Wet towels, washcloths, razors, and bath toys generate mess and mildew if you don’t plan for them. I aim for dedicated zones with airflow. Heated towel bars do more than warm; they dry towels faster and cut laundry volume. Mount them near the shower opening within a comfortable reach so you don’t drip across the floor. If you can’t fit a bar, use double hooks rated for damp areas. Hooks outperform bars for households that won’t fold towels perfectly. Put them at different heights for adults and kids.
Inside vanities, keep a breathable bin for damp washcloths, with a ventilated door and an easy-clean liner. Slatted drawers or perforated panels help. If you store a hamper in the bathroom, choose a hard-sided bin that can be wiped down and that sits on feet, not directly on a mop-prone floor. For shave gear, a small, vented drawer insert prevents trapped moisture. Electric razors should live in a cabinet with a tiny fan or at least a louvered door if they’re put away damp.
Shower squeegees and cleaning sprays deserve a hidden but ventilated nook. We sometimes add a shallow niche near the shower entrance where a squeegee hangs vertically and dries, with a lip so it doesn’t slide out.
Specialty storage: small items that ruin mornings when they go missing
The tiniest things slow you down the most. Contact lens cases, tweezers, floss picks, nail clippers, cotton swabs, hair ties, pill organizers. Deep drawers become junk drawers without dividers. I like a two-level organizer: a shallow top tray that glides back to reveal a deeper space. That way, daily items sit on the top tier and less-used items below. Use modular trays with straight sides so you don’t lose space to curves.
For medications, humidity is the enemy. A bathroom is not ideal, but many households store meds there anyway. If you must, use a cabinet that’s not over the steam source, ideally outside the shower zone. A locking compartment keeps controlled items out of reach. We’ve installed small keyed boxes inside a linen cabinet at shoulder height. Label shelves with broad categories rather than individual items so the system flexes as needs change.
Jewelry dishes on counters collect water spots and stray hair. A velvet-lined drawer with ring slots protects pieces and speeds up routines. Add motion-sensor LED strip lights inside the drawer for visibility in early mornings.
Tile, grout, and finishes that support storage
The materials you choose either hide or highlight storage. Matte tile shows fewer streaks where hands reach into niches. Large-format wall tile reduces grout lines in niche backs, which makes them easier to wipe. In shower niches, bullnose tile or a solid-surface edge trim improves durability at the corners where bottles bump. Glass shelves look airy but show water spots unless you squeegee them; consider low-iron glass which stays clearer. Wood shelves can work if sealed well and used in dry zones.
Hardware counts. Knobs are pretty, but pulls give you more purchase with damp hands. We often mix: pulls on drawers, knobs on doors. Soft-close hinges reduce rattling of stored items. For built-ins painted on site, a hard enamel or conversion varnish holds up better inside cabinets than basic wall paint.
Color plays a role in perceived order. A dark shelf interior hides shadows but also hides small items. A light interior makes organizing easier. Same with drawers, where a light gray or white bottom helps you see hairpins and cotton swabs at a glance.
Layout choices that unlock storage capacity
Moving a wall three inches is expensive. Moving plumbing can be more. Before you tear anything open, explore whether a wall-hung toilet or a wall-hung vanity can gain apparent space. Wall-hung vanities give you 9 to 12 inches of toe space under the cabinet. It reads as openness and allows a robot vacuum to reach. They also raise the visual line, which makes a narrow room feel wider. You will need a reinforced wall and careful trap placement to keep drawers deep.
Pocket doors save dead-swing space and eliminate conflict with tall storage. If the pockets can’t clear plumbing stacks, consider a surface-mounted barn-style track, but weigh the privacy and aesthetic. On traditional homes, a well-detailed pocket door with solid-core construction feels right.
A curved or clipped vanity corner can improve movement around tight spots. I’ve carved a 2-inch curve on a vanity to avoid hip bumps near a shower entrance while keeping internal storage nearly intact. These micro adjustments matter in small baths.
Safety and code realities that shape storage
The National Electrical Code requires GFCI protection in bathrooms, and local jurisdictions may add AFCI. Outlet placement near sinks is regulated. We maintain at least a foot of horizontal separation from tub edges for switches and outlets, unless they are part of a listed assembly. When adding in-cabinet outlets, we follow listing requirements and avoid running cords through holes that could abrade over time.
For families, consider childproof latches on cleaning supply zones. Magnetic locks inside doors are unobtrusive and effective. If you’re building for aging in place, leave blocking in walls for future grab bars near the toilet and in the shower. Storage should not impede safe egress, which means no shelves that jut into the walking path near the shower threshold.
Ventilation prevents mold in cabinets and linen towers. A properly sized bath fan (typically 80 to 110 CFM for a small room, up to 150 for larger or jetted tubs) with a humidity sensor does more for your storage longevity than any sealer. Duct to the exterior, not the attic. We’ve seen perfect carpentry ruined by a fan that vents into a cold space, causing condensation and swollen shelves.
Budget smart: where to splurge and where to save
Storage dollars buy either capacity, convenience, or finish quality. You don’t need to spend on all three everywhere. Put money into drawer hardware, in-drawer outlets, and moisture-resistant materials. Save with simple box construction for tall cabinets and spend on the doors and fronts you touch every day. A flat panel door in a durable finish with quality hinges will outlast a showy but flimsy design.
Custom inserts are worth it when they solve a daily pain, like a hot-tool drawer. Off-the-shelf dividers do the job for makeup and small items. Recessed niches require careful waterproofing but not exotic materials, so spend on membrane systems and keep tile simple. A solid-surface niche sill saves you from regrouting and looks clean.
If you are interviewing a bathroom remodeling contractor, ask to see inside their past projects’ cabinets. A good bathroom remodeling company shows work that’s as considered inside as it is in photos.
A few field-tested configurations that work
First, the family hall bath. This room sees morning sprints and evening baths. We like a 48-inch vanity with two deep drawers on each side, a shallow top drawer bridged around the plumbing, and an in-drawer outlet on the more used side. Above, a single wide medicine cabinet with integrated lights keeps toothbrushes and daily meds. Two vertical shower niches, one low for kids’ bottles, one high for adults. Hooks on the back of the door plus a heated bar at the shower’s reach. A shallow over-toilet cabinet for backup supplies. Everything labeled simply: “Hair,” “Teeth,” “Skincare.”
Second, the compact primary suite bath. Space is tight. We use a wall-hung 36-inch vanity with two deep drawers and a counter-mounted tower only 12 inches wide for skincare and shaving. Inside the tower, a small in-cabinet outlet for toothbrushes. A recessed mirrored cabinet, shallow but wide, to keep the counter clear. A single large shower niche with a slab sill, and a handheld shower on a slide bar that doubles as a grab bar. No open shelves. Lighting is layered: sconces at face height plus a backlit mirror.
Third, the guest bath. Guests need simple, intuitive storage. A 30-inch vanity with two drawers, a standard surface-mounted medicine cabinet so they see it, and a single open shelf styled with spare towels. Inside a drawer, a labeled kit with travel-size essentials. No complex organizers that confuse visitors. Keep power straightforward with standard outlets at the backsplash.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
One, shallow drawers that don’t fit common bottle heights. Before finalizing, measure typical items. Aim for at least 8 to 10 inches of clear height in one drawer for tall sprays.
Two, beautiful but impractical vessel sinks that steal drawer space. If you choose one, verify trap location early and model your drawer notches. Otherwise you’ll surrender the top drawer entirely.
Three, niches on exterior walls in cold climates without addressing insulation. That cold spot will condense moisture and lead to mold. Use interior walls for niches when possible, or add foam board to maintain R-value.
Four, no plan for trash. A small pull-out for a bin keeps the room tidy. Without it, trash cans float and collect dust.
Five, too many small shelves. They create 200 linear inches of edges to clean. Fewer, better shelves and more closed storage reduce maintenance.
Six, ignoring sight lines. When you open the door, what do you see first? If it’s stacked toilet paper, rethink the layout. Put your best elements in view and hide the rest.
Working with a professional makes the details sing
A bathroom remodeling service that leads with questions about how you live will help you avoid missteps. Ask how they handle in-cabinet electrical, drawer notching for traps, moisture-resistant finishes, and niche waterproofing. A seasoned bathroom remodeling contractor coordinates the electrician and tile setter so the power lands in the right drawer and the niche aligns with grout lines. Those details separate a passable bath from one that feels custom in daily use.
When homeowners search bathroom remodeling near me, they’re often trying to solve a storage frustration. The right bathroom remodeling company will walk your space, review product dimensions, and mock up drawer configurations before anything is built. That process adds a week and saves years of annoyance.
A practical pre-design checklist
Use this brief list before you meet a contractor. Keep it tight and honest, and bring it to the design meeting.
- List the five daily items you use at the sink, the three you use weekly, and anything that needs a cord or outlet. Count towels in rotation for your household and where they dry now. Note what doesn’t dry fast enough. Measure the tallest and widest bottles you use in the shower and at the sink. Decide which items must be out of sight and which can live on open shelves without bothering you. Note any mobility needs now or expected in the next five to ten years.
Materials and construction that stand up to bathroom life
Moisture is relentless. Plywood boxes with a high-quality veneer or melamine interior handle humidity better than particleboard. Edge-banding should be waterproof and sealed. We run a bead of clear sealant along horizontal interior joints in linen cabinets to prevent spilled products from seeping into seams. For drawers, dovetail boxes with undermount soft-close slides endure bathroom weight, which includes liquids far heavier than they look.
For countertops, quartz is resilient and low maintenance. Marble looks gorgeous but etches with acids common in skincare. If you choose marble, accept patina or enforce coasters and trays. Solid-surface integrated sinks remove the joint at the rim, a notorious grime line. If you want an under-mount sink, specify a slight positive reveal so you can clean the seam rather than chase a shadow gap.
Inside cabinets, pull-out trays on heavy-duty slides reduce crouching. Put cleaning sprays on a lower pull-out with a guard rail. For the cabinet floor, a removable drip tray catches spills of mouthwash or soap and can be washed in the sink.
Lighting that supports organized living
You can’t organize what you can’t see. Sconces mounted at 60 to 66 inches off the floor, flanking the mirror, put light evenly on the face. Overhead-only lighting casts shadows and makes drawer interiors murky. LED strips inside tall cabinets on a door-activated switch feel like a small luxury and prevent rummaging. Choose warm to neutral white, around 2700 to 3500 Kelvin, for flattering tones. In showers, a wet-rated recessed light positioned away from niche faces reduces glare off bottles.
If you opt for a backlit mirror or medicine cabinet with lighting, confirm lumen output and color rendering index. CRI above 90 helps with makeup and shaving accuracy. We also include a nightlight circuit with a motion sensor under a wall-hung vanity; it doubles as a gentle night guide and a neat detail that shows off the floating cabinet.
The renovation sequence that protects storage outcomes
Design storage early. Electrical rough-in and plumbing rough-in lock in locations that are hard to move later. If in-drawer outlets and tall pull-outs aren’t specified in the first drawings, they’ll be value-engineered away or overlooked. We perform a box walk after framing to mark niche centers and cabinet power. Tile layout should reference niche openings and medicine cabinet edges so grout lines align; your tile setter will appreciate that clarity.
Finally, we dry-fit organizers before final topcoat. That lets us adjust for the real world, where a trap sits half an inch left of the drawing. It’s not glamorous, but it prevents a beautiful drawer from sticking the day you move in.
Why NEA Design and Construction focuses on storage
Projects that succeed share one trait: the homeowners touch what they need without friction. Storage design is the choreography. Done well, it speeds mornings, encourages tidiness without nagging, and keeps surfaces peaceful. We’ve built bathrooms in pre-war colonials with sloped floors and in new builds with strict HOA specs. Constraints change. The goal doesn’t. Every inch should serve you.
If you are considering a remodel and want a team that treats storage as a craft, not a checkbox, reach out. Bring your habits, your frustrations, and a tape measure. We’ll bring samples, shop drawings, and practical ideas that stand up to humidity, kids, and time.
Contact Us
NEA Design and Construction
Address: New Jersey, United States
Phone: (973) 704-2220
Website: https://neadesignandconstruction.com/