Accessories That Will Improve Your Bathroom Design [Top 7]

Looking to improve your bathroom design? Check out these seven affordable accessories to get started. From plants to bath mats to shelving, we’ll cover it all.

The bathroom is usually the last room in the house that we focus on when it comes to improvements. But redesigning this frequently-used space can help your entire day run more efficiently!

It’s a frustrating feeling isn’t it?

When you’re constantly trying to shove your stuff into cramped or overflowing drawers and cupboards. So is looking everywhere for the one thing you need on a cluttered countertop.

If only you could wave a magic wand and fix it all into a neat, organized room where everything fit and was easy to find …

The good news is that you don’t need a fairy godmother to fix this problem. You can do it yourself, and quickly!

It doesn’t have to cost a fortune or mean tearing down walls and hiring contractors. A few well-placed accessories and tweaks in the room’s set-up can make all the difference.

If you want to make your bathroom look better and function smoother, grab a few of these seven affordable accessories!

1. Over-the-Toilet Storage

Bathrooms and closets are almost universally the smallest areas of the house, so we have to use every inch to its maximum capability.

Using up your vertical space is helpful here, and the area behind your toilet is usually empty. You can use up that wasted room for storage and decor instead of a blank wall — if you have the right accessories. 

The very first place to start organizing your bathroom is by investing in a storage ladder or rack to slide behind the toilet. This extra space will transform the entire area!

There are multiple options to choose from, such as:

• Ladders with baskets to hold the little necessities and folded towels
• Over-the-toilet shelves with flat space to give you more room
• Over-the-toilet cupboards with closed doors for privacy
• A simple stand-alone shelf for an elegant touch but minimal extra space

Once you choose your storage accessory, you can decide how you want to sort your things. With the extra room from your wall, the choice of decor and organization is yours!

2. Indoor Plants

When it comes to improving the aesthetics of any room, a plant is a natural addition.

Greenery in your bathroom is lovely to look at, but it has impressive health benefits, too. Flowers and leafy greens improve the air quality in humid, moist areas.

Not all plants can thrive in a bathroom environment, though. Stick with plants like these when you redesign this room with greenery:

• Aloe vera – Not only do these plants love some humidity, but they’re also great to have on hand for medicinal purposes like cuts and burns.
• Bamboo – Although these plants can grow to be quite large, keeping them in smaller containers minimizes the spread. They thrive in humid, moist areas and have a calming effect wherever you place them.
• Chinese Evergreen – These plants stay under two feet tall, an excellent size for small bathrooms. The large leaves easily adapt to most environments, and it’s pleasing to look at them.

Before you decide on the plants for your bathroom, head to your local greenhouse and ask them which ones they suggest in your climate.

3. Stylish Bath Mats

Hitting up your local department store for your bath mats limits your design options to what they have in stock.

If you don’t want the same old, same old that everyone else has, look a little further.

Decide on the style you’re looking for before you start online shopping. Otherwise, you could become overwhelmed by the thousands of choices that will pop up in your search.

Not sure which style you want in your bathroom?

Here are some ideas to help you get started:

• Natural stone and wood patterns
• Terracotta-style prints
• Modern abstract art
• Personalized monograms and phrases

Pro tip: Avoid shopping for trendy fads that may go out of style before you get your use out of them. And remember, too much of a good thing is still too much. Try to pick a single design, but don’t go overboard with it.

4. Over-the-Sink Shelves

Clutter on your counter is inconvenient as best; unhealthy at worst. When items sit in a moist, humid environment for too long, they collect and breed bacteria and mold.

Opt for an over-the-sink shelf organizer that has open spaces at the bottom to let it breathe. This keeps your clutter from sitting in moisture and becoming a health hazard.

But if space for a shelf on your sink isn’t an option, you can always adhere baskets to your mirror for a little extra storage.

5. Under-the-Sink Organizers

Under most bathroom sinks, there is usually a lot of wasted space due to the pipes and fixtures. Because it’s such an awkward place to store things, we tend to shove our stuff in the cupboard haphazardly.

This creates an inefficient mess that only gets worse over time.

Instead of throwing in the towel, find some accessories that let you use this area more strategically. Expandable shelves or narrow pull-out drawers and over-the-door baskets maximize the room under the counter.

6. Shower Racks

Most of the time spent in our bathrooms is in the shower area. If yours is like most rooms, though, this space has a lot of unused flat surfaces.

You can easily add more room in your shower, no matter how large or small it is. Keep everything you need to get squeaky clean at your fingertips by using one or more of these accessories:

• Stand-alone storage racks on the side of the wall
• Over-the-showerhead organizers (these come in large and small options, depending on your need)
• Over-the-curtain-rod or shower door caddies

Never waste time jumping out of the hot shower for that essential item you forgot to grab again. It’s all within reach when you have the right accessories!

7. Matching Essentials

Of course, the essentials are also important to your bathroom’s design. When you choose your bath mat style, shop for matching accessories, too.

You may not be able to nail the pattern down completely, but you should be able to find a complementary color or design.

Don’t forget to shop for these accessories as you add to your cart:

• Toothbrush holder
• Soapdish
• Shower curtain and rings
• Wastebasket
• Towel ring and bar
• Storage jars

These basics will turn your once blah bathroom into an efficient, well-designed space you enjoy getting ready for your day in!

Conclusion

The better your storage systems are in the bathroom, the more efficient your time in there will be.

Cleanliness is a major factor in a humid, moisture-filled area, so this efficiency is crucial. With less clutter, you can keep your surfaces and items clean quickly and easily every day. 

Grab whichever of these seven affordable bath accessories calls to you the loudest and enjoy an improved bathroom.

Aaron Hunt is the property manager for Prime Place Arrow. He can be reached by email at

[email protected] or by call or text at 402-858-2858.