Go beyond de-cluttering with sophisticated bathroom storage

Look through any interior design magazine and you'll notice one common theme across all the featured homes: a lack of clutter. No matter whether the style is minimalist or maximalist, in the most beautifully decorated homes in the world, you're unlikely to see hairdryers and beauty products sitting out on the bathroom counter. You might think that it's just a trick of styling for a photo shoot, but with the right storage solutions, clutter doesn't need to be a part of any home's decor.

The first step to creating a magazine-ready, uncluttered room is to assess which items you need and which are taking up more space than necessary. If you have an abundance of lotions, soaps and shampoos in your bathroom, make a conscious effort to use them up, until you have just one of each. Make sure that your stash of gadgets isn't too expansive, either. If you have extras that still work, they can easily be donated.

Once you've gotten rid of the excess, look carefully at how you can make alterations to your current bathroom that will better suit your needs and fit the items you need to keep. One of the simplest ways to add extra style and improve the function of your bathroom is to add new cabinetry. And with the advances that have been made in storage solutions, you might be surprised how chic and efficient your bathroom can become in just one step.

The best design ideas are based on how people live, taking into account the mundane tasks people go through every day. For many women, styling their hair is something that must get done every morning, and along with that comes tools like hairdryers and curling irons. These tools also involve high temperatures and unruly cords.

It makes sense to not want to put a hot hairdryer away in a drawer right after using it - it might damage your cabinet or worse, be a fire hazard. That's why so many people end up leaving those items out on the counter, causing unsightly clutter. Some creative thinking on the part of cabinet designers might just make your morning routine a little less cluttered. Cabinets made of glass and metal can withstand those hot temperatures, making them ideal materials for bathroom cabinets and vanities. Models from cabinet maker Robern even include a dedicated hair dryer organizer with in-drawer electrical outlets and a place to keep cords neatly tucked away.

Those who have small bathrooms - whether it's a second bathroom or a space-compromised master - know the hassle of having to lean back to open and close a medicine cabinet door. One new innovation from Robern, ideal for de-cluttering cramped spaces, is a medicine cabinet with seamless mirrored doors that slide up, rather than open out. Simply changing out your existing cabinet for these new models can make your bathroom infinitely more usable - not to mention the aesthetic boost it will get from the sleek glass-and-aluminum design.

Courtesy of ARA Content