"Private" Bath Essentials | by a Salt Lake City Designer

So, it's half way through the bathroom poll on this page, and I'm somewhat surprised that of the options available, they are all pretty well equal. This means that most of us want a big shower, separate from the tub, great finishes and double sinks! OK, that's pretty basic, but there are endless ways to achieve these few little essentials.

In my last house I had three bathrooms, all with their different styles and functions (so to speak). I mean, they all had showers, tubs, toilets, sinks and fairly nice finishes, but one was reserved for "day" guests, one for "overnight" guests and the other was for the master (Perry).  The very best part of having three bathrooms is the ability to keep your "private" bathroom essentials private!

So the conversation started on my facebook page (Regeneration Interiors) this week about how to do that if you only have one bathroom. It just so happens that Perry and I had discussed that same thing this past weekend. We love our bathroom, it's quite functional for us, but it is the only one and so when guests ("day" or "overnight") are here, our stuff is just out there for all to see!

My shower before.

We have stuff sitting on the counter, because who has a bathroom with enough closed storage space? and who wants to have to put every single thing away and pull it back out every single day? We also have a glass surround in our shower, so all the bottles, tubes and bars of soap are there in the open as well.

Not only does the glass surround make it impossible to hide your essentials, it is hard to keep clean! The tile in the shower is a pain to scrub, but possibly the worst part of all is the glass!

I never dreamed that this blog would turn in to a "how to clean your house" informative, but here's what I've found! I have a squeegee in my shower and after each shower we use it to clear all of the glass, this doesn't stop every spot, but it sure cuts down on them. I'm not going to promote any particular product here, but let's just say that the best thing I've found was once promoted by Billy Mays (God rest his soul!).

Those of you who know me personally and know my craziness will not be surprised that I have to buy hand soap  that matches my bathroom colors because.... well, because they have to match! I don't care what the scent of the soap or the brand, if the color is right, it works for me. What might surprise you though is that I also bought mouthwash, shampoo, razors and body wash that is the color of the bathroom. Why?, do you ask. Because it has to match! Now, I'm not saying that you have to change all of your products to match your bathroom, but it is one way to get a neater look with little effort.

(a little side note: when I worked at Thomasville Furniture, I actually ordered M&Ms to match the upholstery that we were showing at market! I mean, you can't have the candy clashing with the upholstery!)

OK, back to the bathroom...

Dental Organizer!

So, I set out to find the perfect solution to the bottles and tubes that were in my bathroom. What I found is that your imagination is the limit of what you can find and prices range from $9.99 to well over $20.00/container. We've all seen soap dispensers in every style, color and theme. There are little jars and cups and toothbrush holders to go with every design! and I bought a good selection! (it's research, people!)

So, I don't like my toothbrushes out on the counter, because I couldn't find ones that matched the bathroom and it's unsanitary!  The toilet in my bathroom is next to the sink, ewwww!  I did find this "dental organizer" when I was out shopping today but resisted buying it, but it is a good solution to keep them handy and sanitary.

Silver finishes create cohesive look.

What I do have on my counter is cotton rounds, cotton swabs, tissues and mouthwash. I put the mouthwash in a decanter that has a glass turned upside down as the top, this way you always have the glass to use as well. I bought a soap dispenser, even though my soap matched, I didn't like the label showing. I found glass jars with silver lids for the cotton rounds and swabs and even found a matching one with a candle!  I found the tray that allowed me to utilize the back of the toilet without worrying about the jars falling off.

My shower after!

I found soap/lotion dispensers for the shower as well. It took some time to find plastic ones and I was afraid of glass in the shower. I actually found these in the kitchen section and found that the kitchen ones were nearly half the price of the ones in the bath section.

Well, I hope this has given you some ideas about how to have your private essentials out for all to see, but make them look as neat as possible. The key to keeping any area with lots of items seem less cluttered is to have the same colors and finishes. Our eyes then relate them to each other thus the illusion on less clutter!