A narrow, tall bathroom storage cabinet is the perfect solution for maximizing storage in a small bathroom. With multiple shelves, it can hold all of your towels, toiletries, and cleaning supplies in an organized manner.
More than just providing storage, a cabinet with doors also keeps the clutter hidden. Combined with open shelving, this storage solution ensures easy access to your daily necessities.
Ultimately, these tall storage cabinets help keep any bathroom neatly organized. Getting ready will be a breeze when everything has a dedicated space, and you can easily see where everything is located. The following IKEA hacks will show you how to make the most of the vertical space in your bathroom.
1. Tall bathroom storage cabinet from kitchen cabinets
For their bathroom storage solution, Adam wanted a cabinet with both enclosed and open shelving. While the kitchen cabinet from IKEA wasn’t ideally suited for a bathroom, they believed it could work with some modifications. He bought the following from IKEA:
- IKEA METOD high cabinet 40x37x200cm (or IKEA SEKTION high cabinet 18x15x80″)
- 4 x CAPITA leg
- 3 x UTRUSTA shelf
- 2 x VOXTORP dark gray door
- UTRUSTA door hinges 2 packs
Also pick up a drill bit for tiles to anchor the cabinet to the wall.
1.1. Assemble a tall bathroom storage cabinet
He assembled the IKEA kitchen high cabinet according to instructions and added legs to the bottom of the cabinet.
To accommodate their desired layout, Adam installed the top VOXTORP door upside down so its groove handle faced downward. Below, they mounted a second door in the standard orientation, leaving a gap for open shelving between the two doors.
By inverting the top door and spacing out the bottom door, the hacker cleverly hacked the IKEA high cabinet to include their wanted combination of enclosed and open storage.
Lastly, they anchored the bathroom cabinet to the wall to minimise tip-over risk.
2. Tall bathroom storage cabinet with mirror
Ruth from Dublin, Ireland, had downsized her living space and needed clever storage solutions for her small bathroom. With limited wall space between the door and tub, she wanted to find a way to maximize the utility of a vertical cabinet. In this IKEA hack, she shares how she transformed the plain cabinet into a statement piece through a simple DIY mirror project.
“This was a simple IKEA hack, but I’m thrilled with the outcome. I have a small area of blank wall in my bathroom, and the NYSJON high cabinet was the perfect fit between the bathroom door and tub. But it was a bit bland.”
2.1. Add mirrors to narrow bathroom cabinet
“So, I got a pack of LOTS mirrors (now called BLODLÖNN) and stuck them on the door. Like I said, simple,” she added. Once the cabinet was assembled, they measured where they wanted the first mirror to go and ensured it would be level. Then they just stuck the mirrors on with the sticky tape included with the pack, leaving a consistent gap between each.
It was a very easy hack to get a mirrored bathroom cabinet with this method.
3. Two is better than one bathroom cabinet
Jean Rea had bought a house that had a tiny primary bathroom. They decided to expand it by taking three feet from the adjacent bedroom.
“In doing so, I needed storage space and a space to anchor my new quartz countertop to create a vanity. It had to be narrow but deep. I had about 12 inches in width to work with,” she explained.
At first, Jean looked for a storage solution, but their only option seemed to be having something custom-made, which was not within their budget. Then they went to IKEA, where they found potential options.
3.1. Maximize space with two bathroom cabinets
3.2. Creating Storage on Both Sides
Jean and their daughter put two IKEA units together. They positioned the TYNGEN unit facing the toilet against the wall, and the mirrored front LILLÅNGEN unit backed up against the side of the TYNGEN unit.
This configuration provided the narrow width needed, along with sufficient depth. The units were not the same height, but Jean’s contractor attached the shorter back unit to the mirrored unit. He covered the side and back with beadboard and trim, making the units look like one from the vanity side. On the back side, there were open shelves and a lower cabinet. The setup turned out to be perfect for Jean’s space.
4. Create open shelving on a budget
When Copie realized their tiny bathroom had wasted space above the washing machine, they wanted to find a creative storage solution. Commercial bathroom shelves didn’t meet their needs in terms of size or budget. Inspired by IKEA hacks, Copie devised an ingenious DIY project using affordable LACK side tables.
He bought 2 LACK side tables and 3 kitchen rails with S-hooks and got to work.
4.1. Side table to open shelving
They assembled the two LACK side tables. Then, they attached the tables with L-brackets, fixing the brackets to the legs of the first table and onto the top of the second table. Next, they screwed the rails onto the sides of the tables. Finally, they put the hooks onto the rails.
This created a two-tier bathroom shelf they placed on their washing machine. Alternatively, stack three or four LACK side tables to make a taller, freestanding version.
“One thing to take note of — as ours is near the sink, we need to be careful to wipe off any water splashes. The LACK is made of particleboard and will not withstand much moisture. Not the most ideal IKEA furniture for the bathroom, but it works for us for now,” he adds.
5. Go up for more bathroom storage
Ryan McCulley from Tucson, Arizona needed a tall, narrow cabinet above the toilet in their tiny bathroom. While a kitchen cabinet may have worked, an IKEA BILLY bookcase was on sale for just $20 and was a better size for the space. The bookcase is constructed quite similarly to the IKEA kitchen wall cabinet so he figured it would hold up fine for the application. With a bit of hacking, of course.
5.1. Upside down bookcase
Ryan assembled the bookcase and mounted it upside down against the ceiling for maximum height. He secured it to the single wall stud using wood cleats and plywood mounting strips, similar to IKEA kitchen cabinets.
The bookcase was hung using cleats, screws and plywood strips to distribute the weight across the single stud. Multiple long screws through each cleat into the plywood ensured secure mounting.
This article originally appeared on IKEA Hackers.
READ NEXT: Even more IKEA Bathroom hacks.
Alexia’s Unique And Creative Floating Shelves
Alexia, a talented DIYer on Instagram, takes an entirely unexpected and unique approach to the ubiquitous IKEA LACK shelving system in her DIY floating shelf hack.
Space-Saving DIY Apothecary Cabinet
Cristina Garcia transformed six IKEA MOPPE mini chests into a stylish and space-saving IKEA Apothecary Cabinet you’ll love.
Rotating Bookshelves For Kids
Teresa Casamonti shares two ways to hack an affordable and functional Montessori rotating bookshelf for her kids using IKEA pieces and some wood boards. See the 2 simple rotating bookshelf hacks.
Easy DIY: Chic Door Stopper
Diego improvised a nice doorstop with an IKEA snack bag. Easy way to make a chic, stylish door-stopper bag.
IKEA Slashed Their Prices: Here Are 33 Items We’re Adding To Cart
The furniture retailer has again risen to its budget-friendly reputation, slashing prices across various products, including a 20 percent cut on the popular BILLY bookshelf.