Storage, furniture and accessories

Bathroom storage should combine open shelves or glazed cabinets for display and closed storage for those items you would prefer to hide. In bathrooms where space or budget is limited, the traditional bathroom cabinet mounted on the wall above the basin provides basic storage for essentials.
Floor-standing cabinets, trolleys and shelf units are a useful addition to most unfitted bathrooms. Cabinets are generally low and square, with a cupboard, drawers or a combination of the two. Storage trolleys are designed for manoeuvrability and may be fitted with brakes so they can be parked wherever they are needed. These mobile units range in style from mesh or polished metal trolleys to contemporary wooden designs and rustic painted cupboards.
Freestanding shelf units are efficient space savers. Like cabinets, they come in many materials. Glass shelves must be made from special toughened glass and have polished edges; they are ideal for small spaces since they allow light to pass through. Painted shelves are practical and easy to refresh with a new coat of paint when they begin to look shabby. Wire mesh is well suited to shelves, but the mesh will not contain spilt liquids. Although wooden shelves intended for bathroom use will be protected with a durable finish, furniture that has been designed for other rooms may not be so resistant to bathroom products. Even in the smallest bathroom, space can be found to hang wall shelves. Ready-made units are simply screwed to the wall but cut-to-size shelves will fit any available space.
Towel rails keep towels tidy and allow them to air after use. Unheated towel rails are made of wood, plastic or metal and can be wall-mounted or floor-standing. The wall-mounted types take the form of a ring or a single or double straight rail supported on brackets in a design to match other wallmounted bathroom accessories. Rings for hand towels are placed beside a basin or bidet, but straight rails are large enough to hold a bath towel. Floor-standing rails usually have more than one rail and allow several towels to air at once.