Redoing a bathroom?

[Don't Cut Me!]

Shaving related? Well, I shave in the bathroom, and if I don't do this right my wife may never let me back in there! Really, I guess it comes down to storage. Not "shaving den" level of storage, but finding a good place for my shaving things, plus for the wife's 2.3 tons of $@#!.

We are buying a Cape Cod here in Virginia built in 1935. It has an upstairs attic which was finished in the 80's, so it's very liveable with a full bath there. Downstairs, there are 2 full baths. One is a standard bathroom with subway tile halfway up the wall (white with black trim) and a black/white basket weave tile floor. It has an old pedestal sink. Being so old (though in really good condition), it's not large by today's standards, so I'm having problems figuring out storage solutions. Pedestal sinks don't really lend themselves to attractive undersink storage, and there's not a lot of room for adding a cabinet. Has anyone conquered anything similar?

The other full bath downstairs is, well, tiny. It almost reminds me of something on a train... If you weigh more than 230, you may never get out. Or even in. I may end up claiming that one as my own when we don't have guests.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts, references, or solutions!

[Brodirt]

I live in a 1928 Craftsman. We have lots of bedroom space and little bathroom space. Only one on the bedroom floor as well. While we have a bathroom renovation set for the first week of June we are leaving the storage areas untouched as we like what the prior renovators came up with. The constructed a floor to ceiling enclave in one wall. It is 8' high, 1 1/2' wide and about 1' deep. The enclave goes intrudes into the linen closet in the hall that abuts the bathroom. We added 1/2" thick glass shelves and are putting glass tile at the back wall of the enclave to match the glass tile throughout the bathroom that we are putting in in the renovation. This space is my wife's and daughters storage, along with the 3 drawers in our small vanity. I get the entire under space of the vanity and keep most of my personal vanity items in their.

If you can do an enclave like I described...I highly recommend it. It is an efficient use of space and if your family is decorative (mine isn't) it can be quite attractive as well.