Friday's Organizing Item

Today's Agenda:   I am recovering from some surgery on my leg that I had this week.  It's the first real surgery I've had where I was under general anesthesia and all.  While it wasn't fun and definitely not fun being off of my feet, I am actually enjoying this time to catch up on design magazines, overhaul our filing system from the living room floor and I love being able to spend the time researching so many internet sites and blogs for current design projects.  I'm very very thankful for my new job right now in that I can take the time to heal while working from home in my comfy clothes with my laptop and endless supply of HGTV, Ellen and The Bonnie Hunt Show to keep me company.  While there is no great time for surgery, this couldn't have happened at a better time and I'm making the most of the time to catch up on some things, including getting back on track with Friday's Organizing Item!  I'm hoping for a quick recovery so I can be back on my feet soon!

I have been helping a friend find a vanity and some other fixtures for her bathroom renovation.  This has made me think about how we use the vanity and the best use of space for storage in a bathroom.  Basically, I do not like the big old vanity where you can fit thirty rolls of toilet paper and thirty boxes of kleenex under or need to buy ten plastic drawers to (hopefully) keep everything organized.  I would love to install some combination of the Ikea Godmorgon series in our bathrooms.  The drawer system seems to make a lot more sense. 

But, since it's not the right time to renovate our bathrooms, I have found another solution to make the big old vanity more user friendly.  This.  

Now, I haven't gotten rid of the nice plastic drawers and containers under my sink but I do feel much better because I or a guest or my husband can easily get to the extra roll of toilet paper that I'm now storing in this ottoman without going behind a hair dryer, hair iron, extra shampoo bottles and a cadre of makeup bags to get to it, we know when we are out of toilet paper and I have all of my extra stuff easily stored in there -- qtips, cotton pads, razors, etc.  Easy to grab for me or a guest that forgot something.  See...

It a nice, neutral linen and takes up little space.  Would be nice to have two in a larger bathroom but one fits easily in ours.  And it's a nice place for husband to sit and drink coffee and talk to me while I'm getting ready.  If I ask really really nicely :).