Bathrooms should be serene places where you can hide away from the pressures of modern life and give yourself a few minutes of respite. A simply designed and elegant bathroom is the best way of helping you to relax and reach a peaceful state. The problem with this is that most of us need our bathrooms to be a repository of some kind, as well as a haven. Most householders require their bathroom to house essentials, like toiletries, but also towels, cleaning products and spare linen tend to find their way into the mix all too easily.

With some much else going on, it is easy to fall into the trap of a bathroom that is a purely functional space. Ideally, your bathroom will serve two purposes, but with a few design ideas you can make it appear that the room is solely dedicated to enhancing your life with relaxation. Find a place for all the things you need to store, but do so in a way that hides the amount of space that has been given over to storage. When planning your next bathroom design, take on the project with an illusionist’s eye.

The Cubby Hole.

Need the perfect recess for those essential bathroom items? Everyone’s bathroom must have a cubby hole or two. However, to keep up the appearance of a luxury bathroom that is entirely devoted to pampering relaxation, hide your cubby holes away. A small recess, tucked away behind a pedestal hand wash basin, will not catch the eye but makes for the perfect closet location. Another good tip is to create a false wall, over which you tile and decorate just like the rest of the room. In the space left behind the wall fit out a storage unit with shelving, which makes it appear the room was originally designed this way. Continue to tile over the front of your cubby holes to add to the illusion.

Personalized Storage.

Say something about yourself in your bathroom. A personalized storage space, that also acts as a kind of display cabinet does not need to be hidden away. If you can not disguise your storage area, then make a virtue of it. Use family photographs, small objets d’art and ornaments among your toiletries to make the storage space more integrated into the relaxation zone of your bathroom. A cheap idea is to paint an old book case white and use that as a personalized bathroom storage rack.

Sliding Storage Ideas.

In bathrooms without a great deal of space, it is hard to tuck your cabinetry out of the way. One of the best approaches to take, which will maximize the space within a storage unit, is to go for sliding doors. Hinged doors need room to open. A sliding unit will allow you to pack more of your items away and mean you need less closets in the first place. A recessed area behind the head of a bath tub is ideal. Sliding units make the most of small, thin spaces that would otherwise be lost. Alternatively, go for a hinged door, with some sliding bins stowed within. This is ideal for a linen basket which you can remove, to take to the laundry room, with ease.

Mirror Fronted Hideaways.

If you cannot avoid installing a unit that takes up valuable floor space, then go for one that is floor to ceiling, so that you get the maximum storage out of it. Front your cabinet with a mirror. This will minimize its visual impact and help it fit in with the rest of your bathroom’s design. For the perfect, low impact storage space, use a mirror fronted door over a wall recessed storage space. This is particularly helpful over a toilet, where a cabinet might stick out and create an awkward head space.

Bath Tub Storage.

If you think that a bath tub space will offer no storage help, think again. Use the recess behind a paneled bath for your bathroom items. Alternatively, how about using the space under the head of a bath to fit out a storage cabinet? And for a traditional look, there’s nothing wrong with a bath rack to hold a few items that you use everyday.

Picture sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14.