Thanks to my mother’s generous gift of several sets of these Matouk towels (get the look for less with these), I have been eyeing our master bath with an increasingly critical eye. I also went into intense nesting mode while pregnant with mini and am already knee-deep in it with micro-mini on the way (due in May). I have literally penciled in days over the next two weeks when I’ll have the nanny here and will be tackling specific areas of our apartment. Mini’s closet is a horrendous mess and I need to sort through everything, donate a ton, and make space for micro-mini’s clothing. We do — fortunately — have a storage unit in the basement of our building and I’ve not yet explored under-crib storage, so I feel lucky that we have space to grow. For the time being, I ordered a bunch of these for mini’s too-small clothes (had formerly been using decorative boxes for her clothes but now I’m valuing space more keenly than before — plus, these make it easy to write sizing on the front and see what’s stowed without unpacking everything!) and a bunch of these in the large size for temporary under-crib organization. I’m thinking I’ll use them to stow mini’s toys in a more organized way. She has a bunch of play food/tea set kind of toys that I want to group together, for example, and now she has a whole set of Brio trains from Christmas that she ADORES. Would be nice to keep these organized and begin to engrain the idea of taking one toy out at a time, putting it back in its place, etc. (HAHAHAHA. But I will try.)
But I digress. My point is that between my new towels and my nesting instincts, I am eyeing my master bathroom in a new light, and thought I’d share some of the “upgrades” (we rent, so nothing permanent) I have been eyeing. Although that last comment opens a whole other can of worms: Mr. Magpie and I are now contemplating buying an apartment here in Manhattan come next fall. We know we’ll need to move with the arrival of micro-mini and we also know that moving in Manhattan is like the seventh level of hell and we further know that with every passing month we are finding ourselves more and more likely to stay put here in New York, especially with mini enrolling in a twos program in the fall, micro-mini’s imminent birth, and the ecstasy-inducing news that my beloved sister is moving back here from London in A MONTH. ONE MONTH. I am literally going bananas with excitement. BRB, never going to do anything without her again. And probably never going to leave the city if she stays put, too.
OK. But. Temporary solutions and upgrades to our master bath area.
+I stow all of my makeup and cosmetics in an enormous lucite cube similar to this (we actually have two — one for my cosmetics/products and a second for first aid items) under my sink, but have been keeping a small cosmetic kit with all my must-have every day items more easily accessible so I can just lift it out when I am ready to apply my everyday routine. I am thinking I might snag this small-ish stacking set to keep on my counter or in the space where I normally keep my cosmetic bag instead.
+If we didn’t already use all of our under-sink space for aforementioned cubes, a bin for white washcloths I alone use — and stain — while washing my face (though I did buy and start using these; I’m on the fence with them, as I don’t love the texture, but I do like the idea of not staining white washcloths anymore), and a bin for brushes and curling irons and the like, this looks like a genius idea.
+Separately, I absolutely love these little velcro cord management ties for things like curling irons, hair dryers, overly-long cords.
+I am trying to decide on a vanity set. I am drawn to these marble pieces and these acrylic ones.
+I know it’s trendy right now and therefore possibly not a good investment, but I do love gold hardware in a bathroom, especially against marble. This is more a line of inquiry when/if we buy a place, but I am drawn to pieces like this mirror, these faucets (not crazy about the central spigot, but love the faucets for hot and cold water), and these drawer pulls (the price!!!) I also love this flush mount for a bathroom. So chic.
+Someone just told me that this spray is like 23982398 times better than your standard Windex for things like bathroom mirrors.
+We keep our tissues concealed in these chic monogrammed linen tissue box covers. LOVE. Alternately, if you’re going the space saving route with these, consider one of these covers.
+I’m thinking these are not practical for vanity lighting (the bulb would basically blind you), but I’m including them here because I love them so much. Would look so cute bedside or around a reading nook!
+A smart way to maximize storage in your shower. All of SimpleHuman’s products are beautifully designer. So are 90% of OXO’s (just not their peeler, which I hate) — we have this little squeegee to keep our glass shower door pristine. It’s petite and it stows upright.
+How fantastic would you feel if you swapped out your shampoo and conditioner bottles for these?! (Look mommy, wow — I’m a grown-up now! Seriously, these mark some invisible line between childhood and adulthood.)
+I know I’ve mentioned this before, but Container Store is a great place to buy inexpensive but stylish wastebaskets. I was searching high and low for a simple wastebasket under $100 when we first got married. I wound up buying an overpriced metal one from Pottery Barn that I’ve since divested. I’ve clung to my inexpensive CS finds, though, like this — which I own in two colors and love because it adds a nice bit of texture to a room. Also love this.
+For bathmat: contemplating an upgrade with this and a fabulous monogram, this, this (so elegant), or this. For a kids’ bathroom: love this and this.
+For hampers: love this and this.
+As you’ve probably gathered, I’m leaning more in aesthetic towards a marble-gold-white-towels situation, but I do love zen-like feel of a bathroom with some natural wood elements, like this teak bathmat, these dip-dyed stools, and this step stool. I’m especially drawn to that step-stool, which I know we’ll need soon for mini’s toothbrushing (we currently lift her onto the lip of the counter every night) and toileting. I wouldn’t mind having that beauty out and about!
+And while we’re talking more of a coastal vibe, how much do you love this surprisingly well-priced glasscroth-wrapped mirror?! CHIC.
+A VERY CHIC (AND DISCOUNTED!) SHOWER CURTAIN.
P.S. A bedding refresh, a beauty refresh, and an emotional health refresh.
P.P.S. If you liked this post, you might also like this one on staying organized.
P.P.P.S. Are you reading along this month?