Store bath essentials out of sight

"Judgment is not upon all occasions required, but discretion always is." Lord Chesterfield (Philip Dormer Stanhope, Fourth Earl of Chesterfield (1694-1773), British politician, Letters to his godson, 1766

Over the years in this column we’ve seen bathrooms to fit every style, shape and budget. Today I want to focus on how we live with those bathrooms, regardless of style, size or number of folks using them.

If you are putting your home on the market, you definitely want to note these tips. But even if you’re not, why wouldn’t you want to make your bathroom prettier and less cluttered?

Some of us are lucky enough to have a window in our bathroom. Although bathroom windows can be a little tricky to dress if they happen to be over a bathtub and privacy is a big issue, they also brighten up what is normally a relatively small room and provide great ambient light for putting on makeup, checking out colors of your clothing, etc.

Bathroom windows also provide one of my biggest pet peeves. It has nothing to do with fabrics or choice of window treatment, it’s what happens to the window sill.

My home office is on the second floor and I have a great view of the pretty little neighborhood across the street. The house front and center in my view has a small window on the side and guess what I see in that window — shampoo bottles.

I’ve never understood that mode of product storage, but so many people put their shampoos, rinses, etc., right up there — I suppose for their convenience. But, hello, homeowner, we can see them.

In any home store you can buy handy little storage racks to put in your bath for bath products. Invest in one; they’re not expensive, and do you really want your neighbors to know that much about you?

And another thing, regardless of the square footage of your home, don’t give people the impression that there’s not room to store a shampoo bottle. Prospective homebuyers (and those of us driving by) will be paying attention.

For those of us lucky enough to have more than one bathroom, visitors most likely will never see your inner sanctum, but if you have only one bath and they must use your bathroom, it’s a constant struggle to keep the room picked up and ready for company.

It is, after all, one of the most used spaces in your home and you have some pretty personal things in there. Visitors certainly don’t want to see them and, quite frankly, even if you have many bathrooms, I imagine you really don’t want to see those personal items all day either.

So here is my solution for your personal space or one you must share. And homeowners, if your home is on the market, please, please do this.

It’s so simple and has such a huge impact.

We all have a collection of cosmetics and health and beauty products that we use on a daily basis. Rather than leave them out on your counter, purchase a medium size plastic storage box at your local hardware or home store.

Put those items that you use every day, i.e., curlers, dryer, makeup, lotions, creams, etc. in the box. Pull it out at the end of the day when you are getting ready for bed and put it away the next day after your morning rituals.

I’ve found that even if bathrooms have a lot of storage space, there are certain things that always get left out. You may have places for each of your things — medicine cabinets, drawers and under-sink storage — but that also means you have to get into each of those places.

Make yourself a little travel kit containing those essentials that you use every day. You will be amazed at how time efficient this is, and you just store it away under the sink or in a storage cabinet and, voilá, your room is perfect.

These two little tips will save you time and make your space more agreeable. And if you clear out your bathroom window sill, your curb appeal will get a boost.

Carolyn Muse Grant is a founder and president of the Architectural & Decorative Arts Society, as well as an interior design consultant/stylist specializing in home staging. Her Inside Spaces column appears weekly in the Home section of the Review-Journal. Send questions to creativemuse@cox.net.