When I was growing up, one of my chores was to keep the bathrooms in our home neat and tidy. Rule number one: Find a rightful place for everything. Now, as the home editorial director of this magazine, I know that looks are just as important, even in the most utilitarian areas. The lessons of function and form are evident on these pages, in which I give three bathrooms -- one for a family, one for a couple, and another for guests -- a stylish yet practical makeover. If yours is already perfect, hold tight. I'll do the same for other rooms of the house in upcoming issues.

Family Fare
As you might expect of a bathroom shared by four people, this one can get a little chaotic, especially during the morning rush. Although large by most standards, the space wasn't used efficiently. The sink area was crowded with toothpastes and hair brushes; towels were constantly finding their way onto the floor. The result: It felt more cramped and cluttered than it really was.

Sufficient storage is the most important factor in any bathroom, so my first move was adding a standing cabinet, which I painted white to coordinate with the sink and mirror. Then I focused on the wall-mounted medicine cabinet, eliminating items that don't belong there, such as prescription medicines (which can be affected by humidity and heat). To the right are four more storage solutions, including one for all those pesky towels, which I ended up replacing, since they had suffered a few too many falls to the ground. The new green ones match the walls and the linoleum floor.

Compartmentalize
If you can, choose cabinets that offer separate spaces -- preferably one for each person who uses the bathroom. On this refurbished antique, the bottom drawer contains the kids' bath toys, while the top one holds mom's hair-care essentials, plus a first-aid kit. Lazy Susans make accessing toiletries, stored in pretty clear containers, a snap.

Make Use of Magnets
Sometimes you have to think behind the box. This medicine cabinet became more efficient after I affixed a sheet of precut galvanized steel to its interior with construction adhesive. Magnetic hooks now hold scissors and a mirror, and small plastic cups with magnetic bottoms corral small necessities, such as rubber bands and hair clips.

Think Vertically
The walls and doors in this bathroom were underutilized. I wanted towels and washcloths to be handy for bathers, so I installed a hotel-style multitiered rack on the wall next to the tub. It's also essential to have plenty of places to hang wet towels when a lot of people will be in and out of the shower. I added three towel bars to the back of the bathroom door, replacing a single, inefficient hook.

Bottle It Up
Uniform plastic bottles not only look better than the usual shampoo and soap containers, but they also fit more neatly in storage devices, such as the hanging wire basket I installed in the shower stall. It's always helpful to identify bottles with laminated labels, adding either the names of family members who prefer their own products or else listing the contents of the containers.