Ditch Bulky Over-The-Toilet Cabinets And Try This DIY For Chic Storage

Every room in a home is deserving of chic storage, even bathrooms and water closets. If your toilet is currently outfitted with a bulky over-the-toilet storage solution, consider replacing it with a sleek and practical design. You don't need a clunky premade cabinet when floating shelves are just as easy to assemble. This minimalist look offers a timeless appeal and makes it easy to keep up with current trends by switching up the decor.

It can be difficult to find bathroom storage options with enough space for all of your essentials without cramping the room, especially in a confined water closet. Instead of trying to cram all your belongings into a pre-designed cabinet, install invisible shelves with plenty of flexible space. Invisible shelves won't take up any floor room, and you can easily paint them to match a bathroom's interior design. Leave items out and exposed on the shelf, or tucked away in organized baskets, depending on your preference. The result is an organized bathroom that's truly satisfying.

Seeing as floating storage is a popular trend, this style of shelving easily makes a bathroom feel chic and trendy. Blending function and aesthetics is a priority in interior design at the moment, and this is the perfect opportunity to integrate those features. These shelves can be decorated with many functional but decorative features, including illuminating lights, a fresh-smelling bowl of potpourri, or even a unique bathroom storage and decor idea to hide toilet paper.

Before starting this project, ensure you have all the necessary tools on hand. This idea is a beginner woodworking project, so you will need a miter or table saw to make the shelf pieces. Use scrap wood to make the project more budget-friendly or pick up a 1 by 12 piece of lumber from a home improvement store. As far as tools go, you'll need a sander, drill, brad nailer, and stud finder. Also, pick up plywood, wood paint, stain, and conditioner to put finishing touches on your shelves.

Before you start building, decide how deep, wide, and high you want the shelves to be. A water closet is easy, as you can design the shelves to run across the width of the entire room. The lowest shelf should be at least 10 to 12 inches above the toilet tank. Put at least 12 to 16 inches between each additional shelf to leave enough room for storage. Make sure the shelf depth is slightly less than the toilet tank, around 6 to 8 inches deep, so they don't overwhelm the toilet or pose as a hazard when standing up. Use a level when marking your walls to ensure nothing is slightly slanted. Anywhere from one to three shelves should look aesthetically pleasing without cluttering the space.

The first step is to cut your boards. You'll need two shelf-sized boards, one front piece, and one cleat per shelf. Sand down all of your lumber and plywood and condition them before applying wood stain or paint on top. You don't need to stain or paint every side of every board. Most of the boards only need one side colored, while the front pieces need to have the front, top, and bottom covered. The cleats don't need any paint. 

When assembling the shelves, put the larger wood pieces on either side of the wood cleat. The cleat eliminates the need for brackets to create the true floating look. You can also slide scrap wood in this space between the shelves to improve support. Hide the cleat, by installing the front wood piece over the gap between the two shelf pieces. If you want to maximize their weight limit even further, there are more things you should know before installing floating shelves.

Once the shelves are installed and drilled together, decorate them as you see fit. Potted plants, toilet sprays, potpourri, and toilet paper are common additions to these shelves. Don't be afraid to repeat elements to make the design more cohesive, such as spreading your plants out among the shelves. You should also stick to the rule of three items per shelf whenever possible to maintain a purposeful appearance.