Spotted Around Houzz: Refrigerators in the Bathroom

I am constantly learning new things from the Houzz Comments sections. For example, a few weeks ago I featured a bathroom with a very dated “before” situation that included lots of black, lucite and gold faucet handles, a bidet and a refrigerator. I’ll hold off on what folks had to say about the bidet, as fans shared insight that was informative but, well, perhaps too much information. But the comment about a refrigerator in the bath — now, that was intriguing.

While all instincts tell us that food and toilets should not share the same space, Houzz user Vanessa Coles left a comment that taught me about storing creams and beauty products as well as keeping the mixings for a martini handy near the bathtub. It got me thinking about why it might actually be cool to have a refrigerator in the bathroom.

First off, saying that the toilets and the refrigerators were sharing the same space was misleading, as many baths have a separate water closet for the commode or are so large that the two items have plenty of distance between them. Besides, I’m not advocating prepping a charcuterie plate in here, I promise. So we’ll ignore the hygiene issues in the “con” column and concentrate on the “pro” column.


1. Morning caffeine and getting ready go together like coffee and cream. What’s better than having your java brewing while you’re soaping up in the shower in the morning? A small coffee bar, including a cool place to keep the cream, will let you wake up before you go anywhere. I know I could use some before I attempt descending the stairs first thing in the morning.


2. It’s important to stay hydrated if you’re taking a long steam or soak. Having cool bottled water in the bathroom for these moments, as well as for taking medicines and vitamins and for grabbing a bedtime drink, is luxuriously convenient.


3. Sometimes couples want to retreat to the suite for a nightcap. Or the suite has a balcony with a fabulous view. The dreamy space seen here has a wine chiller for stashing bottles of Champagne for toasts out on the adjacent balcony.


4. Some medications and vitamins are best kept at below-room temperature. In addition, the humidity and steam typical of most bathrooms can shorten the freshness of some medications, vitamins and beauty products. (Check with your pharmacist regarding your medications.)

15-inch Refrigerated Beauty Drawers: Perlick


5. Products like eye cream and lotion simply feel better when you apply them cold. This is especially true if your skin is irritated or burned. You can also cool your face masks, extend the life of fragrances, make eyeliner easier to sharpen and prevent your lipstick from melting in a heat wave by tossing them in that convenient bathroom fridge.


6. In addition to bottled water and vino, natural beauty aids can be stored in the bathroom. When I was a tween, the teen magazines used to tell us to crack eggs over our heads for protein and to wash our hair with beer. (I don’t know why; it was the ’80s.) Let me make it clear that I tried both of these things and recommend neither — they were messy and stinky with questionable results.

Despite my bad experiments with eggs, beer and my once-big-permed locks, there are plenty of good ways to use perishable food products for beauty. For example, cucumber slices for puffy eyes, ice cubes for a pore-tightening face dunk in the sink, or ingredients like yogurt and milk for homemade masks.


7. They’re easy to hide. Thanks to modern technology, refrigerators in the bathroom don’t have to make the space look like a dorm room — they can blend right in with the rest of the cabinets. Refrigerated drawers like these are the best way to completely camouflage things.

Can you think of any more good reasons to have a refrigerator in the bathroom? If so, please keep schooling me in the Comments section.

More: 18 Dream Items to Punch Up a Master-Bath Wish List

URL: Spotted Around Houzz: Refrigerators in the Bathroom http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-26749.html