After spending almost a month pondering what kind of storage I wanted in the bathroom, then shopping for it, then waiting to spend money on it until I had a little saved up, I'm happy to report the search is over! As of Wednesday night, here's what the new and improved bathroom with storage looks like.
I feel so fancy! The whole ensemble looks pretty sweet if I do say so myself. So as far as explaining the title of this post, in the process of my searching for bathroom storage options I discovered 1) the word etagere, and 2) what it means. Apparently that's what you call one of those small square-shaped shelf contraptions that's open on the sides that's used for storing decorative stuff. I thought it would be a good option for this space because it would give me more space for my stuff, and would help eliminate the need to have multiple things on the walls, which just felt kind of messy and cramped to me.
So then I did a bunch of shopping around for etagere options, which I can tell you was quite exciting (sarcasm noted). I found a lot of different shapes, sizes, and finishes, but it was tough to find something that was this nice dark brown color - or rather, tough to find one in that color that didn't cost several hundred dollars. (Pottery Barn had some beautiful stuff that I totally would have bought if I didn't think I'd be racked with guilt for spending so much.) I had already decided I didn't want to spend more than $100 on it, and hopefully less if I could get away with it.
Eventually I found one online that was fairly cheap ($97), and fit that little space between the toilet and the sink. It was 12" x 12" and about 4 feet tall. So kind of smallish shelves and kind of short. Plus, it was a light-colored wood, which was not perfect, but I decided that I could paint it since it was pretty close to what I wanted in all other respects. I ordered it up and settled in to wait for it.
Then earlier this week I made a trip to IKEA to shop for decor for my new office, and lo and behold, saw exactly the type of thing I wanted. Swedish magic! I got the new etagere, took it home, and immediately started trying to assemble it.
Like all IKEA projects, inevitably there were a few things that I did wrong that I had to go back and fix, but all in all it wasn't too bad and it all came together pretty quickly.
After setting it up, I put it in the bathroom to see about size. I'll be the first to admit, it's not perfect. The new etagere fits in that nook, but is a little tighter than I'd want, and actually feels a little too tall somehow.
But - it's exactly the right color and style, has more storage space than the other one, and only cost $50! So, I think it's a good tradeoff...at least for now. When I added all the towels onto it, along with a cute little fake plant I also picked up at IKEA, I really kind of fell in love with it.
So while I'm not 100% sure that this lovely etagere will be the solution for all time, it's by far the best thing I can think of for that weird space right now. And since I didn't spend that much on it, I feel good about considering it kind of an experiment. I think the colors are perfect, so it's just a question of what is the right way to use that space.
It's such a HUGE improvement over the way it looked before! Sorry to keep doing this, I just get such a kick out of seeing the difference.
Doesn't the light look different in there somehow? I swear I didn't change it, I think the whole thing just looks so much lighter now that there's not that oppressive yellow and the sad-looking shower curtain. It's weird that those things didn't seem that bad when I had them, I just thought they could be improved upon. But now I'm looking at that picture and I can't believe I had it like that for 6 1/2 years!
Next up: installing a couple of hooks I ordered for my bathrobes and towels. And someday, art!
