I used to think magazine racks belonged in waiting rooms, gathering dust next to decade-old copies of Reader’s Digest.
Then I installed one in my bathroom, and honestly, it changed the entire dynamic of my relationship with reading. Not in some grand intellectual way—more like, I suddenly had a place for the cooking magazines I’d been piling on the toilet tank, the New Yorker issues I swore I’d finish, and those weird niche publications about mushroom foraging that I impulse-bought at the bookstore. The thing is, bathrooms are weirdly perfect reading spaces—contained, quiet, no phone notifications if you’re disciplined—but they’re also hostile to paper. Humidity warps pages, surfaces are limited, and if you’ve ever knocked a magazine into the toilet (I have, twice), you know the specific grief of watching glossy pages absorb water in real-time. A wall-mounted rack solves this by getting everything vertical, off surfaces, and roughly eye-level when you’re sitting down.
Here’s the thing about DIY projects: they’re only worth it if store-bought versions are either too expensive or too ugly.
Magazine racks fall into both categories, somehow. The decent-looking ones run $40-$80, which feels insane for what’s essentially bent metal or wood slats. The cheap ones look like they were designed by someone who’d never seen a bathroom, all clunky plastic and colors that don’t exist in nature. So I built one for around $15 using a wire cooling rack (the kind for cookies), two L-brackets, and wood screws. Took maybe 30 minutes, and I’m not particularly handy—I once spent an hour assembling an IKEA stool backwards. The cooling rack method works because the grid structure holds magazines at a slight angle, which prevents them from sliding out but keeps covers visible. You can find these racks at any kitchen supply store, usually for $5-$8, and they come in sizes that fit narrow bathroom walls without overwhelming the space.
Mounting is where people get nervous, I guess, because drilling into tile feels permanent and mistake-prone.
Wait—maybe that’s overthinking it. I used a stud finder to locate solid backing (drywall anchors work too, but studs are better for weight), marked two spots roughly 12 inches apart vertically, and drilled pilot holes before screwing in the L-brackets. The cooling rack sits on the brackets’ horizontal ledge, and I added a tiny bead of adhesive putty at contact points to stop rattling. The whole setup holds about 8-10 magazines comfortably, maybe more if you’re willing to cram. One thing I didn’t anticipate: positioning matters more than you’d think. Mount it too high and you’re straining to reach; too low and it’s in splash range from the sink. I aimed for the spot where my hand naturally falls when I’m sitting—about 24 inches from the floor to the rack’s bottom edge—and that’s worked surprisingly well, though I guess everyone’s proportions differ.
Anyway, the unexpected benefit has been reclaiming counter space.
I didn’t realize how much mental clutter the magazine pile created until it was gone—surfaces look cleaner, the room feels bigger, and weirdly, I’m reading more because the rack puts covers at eye level, reminding me what’s available. I’ve seen friends do similar setups with leather straps looped through dowels, or repurposed wire baskets, or even fabric pockets stapled to wooden frames. The cooling rack version isn’t Instagram-perfect, but it’s sturdy, cheap, and doesn’t require advanced carpentry skills. Plus, if you hate it, the holes are small enough to spackle over without drama. The other day, a plumber came to fix the sink and complimented the rack, which felt like definately winning some kind of obscure home improvement validation. I told him it cost less than a fancy coffee, and he looked genuinely surprised, which I guess is the point of DIY—making functional things that don’t broadcast their budget origins.
