A “Smelly” Before and After, How I Store My Perfume Collection

A few weeks back I shared a little update I wanted to make in this upstairs bath. Notice the cabinet on the wall to the left in this photo from when the home was listed for sale a couple of years ago.

Charming Bathroom, Old Home

 

Right after I first moved in and began exploring various rooms, as soon as I opened this cabinet in the hall bath that is located just outside the master bedroom, I thought how perfect it would be for holding perfume since the shelves are quite shallow—only around 8 inches deep. On one of my recent trips to the Dollhouse, I brought along all my perfumes and went about placing them inside the cabinet to see how they fit. It was a bit of a challenge to get them all in, and I kept thinking what a shame it was that there wasn’t a shelf at the very top. I wondered if I could find a shop that could make another shelf in the size I needed, and in a finish that worked with the other shelves in the cabinet.

Perfume Collection Stored in Cabinet

 

I looked on Amazon and found a company that does just that. They make shelves to pretty much any size you need them. From their list of available sizes, I chose one that was close in size to what I needed. In the notes section, I requested that it be cut a bit more narrow, giving them the exact measurements that I needed. When the shelf arrived, I was thrilled to see they had read my notes and had made the shelf to the exact size I had requested! Yay! The new shelf is the one on top and it beautifully compliments the others that were already inside this cabinet. It may have a teensy more wood grain look to the front edge, but not enough to even notice. I’m super happy with how it turned out!

Perfume Storage Ideas

 

If you need any shelves cut for cabinets around your home, this is where I purchased mine: Replacement Shelves. They offer shelves in other colors, not just the maple finish that I needed. You’ll find all the colors they come in here: Replacement Shelves.

Perfume Collection Storage

*If a post is sponsored or a product was provided at no charge, it will be stated in post. Some links may be affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. *



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Comments

  1. Honestly you can find the most interesting things about anything you need. I’m totally impressed. The shelf looks like it was always there; they did a good job matching.

    • Thanks, Anita! They really did do a great job! I was amazed that I could find a replacement shelf so easily. There must be a demand for that type thing since it was so easy to find that company on Amazon.

  2. First of all, I’m amazed that you are always able to find these sources. How in the world do you do it, Susan? Secondly, I’m equally amazed at the number of fragrances you have! I think I have six of my favorites, but that can change, as I’m always trying out new ones. I’m afraid if I buy too many at a time, they will live on my shelves past their expiration date.

    • I just searched on Amazon and there it was. I was really surprised how easy it was to find. So far, the perfume that I have has held up well. I had one Chanel perfume that I’ve had for probably 10 years that was almost completely used up that I threw away recently because I thought it smelled a bit off, but it was ancient. I’ve read that perfumes will last a lot longer than you think if they are kept in a dark area and subjected to big temperature changes or light. Mine have always been in an area with no windows and not a lot of light so maybe that’s why they’ve lasted well. Some of the ones I have are not expensive at all, so even if they went bad, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

      • Why did you throw away the bottle? I would have put it in a drawer to smell good. Not a fan of those magazine perfume pages, but once in awhile, they would be nice enough to put in a drawer.

        • You mean the Chanel Eau Tendre that I’ve had forever? It didn’t smell right so I would want to keep it. It was almost empty and I think that’s why it had finally gone bad.

  3. There are two fragrances I am dying to try: One is Chanel Gardenia, however it is over $300.00 for a bottle and I would like to sample it before I purchase it. The other is Portrait of a Lady, which I’ve heard so much about, but I would like to sample it before making a purchase too. The problem is there are no stores close to me that carry either of them.

    • I purchased a sample of Portrait of a Lady from a seller on eBay once and wasn’t that impressed. It was sort of bland. Makes me wonder if it was a knockoff. If you have a Nordstrom near you, or a Sephora, those are great places to get samples of popular perfumes, or at least try them out. I bet they would have Gardenia. I wonder if you can purchase a sample online? I have done that with some of the perfumes that I’ve wanted to try. Also, some brands will offer a sample pack that has samples of a bunch of their perfume. Lisa, try Googling for Chanel Sample Collection or Gardenia Sample and see what comes up. As we get closer to Christmas, that’s when you really see a lot of the sample sets appearing online, so this would be a good time to look.

    • The Perfumed Court and Surrender to Chance are reputable online stores that sell samples of all sorts of perfumes, including discontinued and vintage ones. You can also by larger samples and decants. I’ve been a customer for many years, but am not affiliated in any way. I have well over 300 bottles of perfume, and seldom buy full bottles any more, but it’s nice to buy smaller decants of fragrances I know I like, but don’t need a full bottle of.

  4. Donna Howell says

    Looks great! Do any of your perfumes ever loose there scent or go bad. I’ve always been afraid to buy more than one bottle at a time because it takes me a good while to use a bottle.

    • Thanks! I’ve only had one go bad that was almost empty. I’d had it for like 8-10 years and there was the smallest amount left. Makes me wonder if the more you spray them and the more empty space/air there is in the bottle, if that’s when they go bad because it’s the only one that I have that’s done that, so far.

  5. Thank you, Susan. Your comments are always so sweet and kind!

  6. Thank you for the information, Susan! I have bookcases that I could use another shelf in. I’m going to check it out.

  7. Elizabeth Roderick says

    Yes perfumes go bad. Kind of a cheap flat smell. I’ve only had one go blinky, as my mother used to say. it wasn’t that old, but you never know how long it had been sitting at the store. I’m keeping it in my makeup drawer. It was my Coco chanel pretty much all I wear but I’d love to find something cleaner, and lighter, it is a pretty heavy fragrance. A young salesgirl called it “an old lady” perfume. I didn’t like any of her suggestions either. Tart and green.

    • Whenever I hear a fragrance described as old lady, I buy a sample immediately, because I know I’ll probably love it! Young people have been brought up in an era where perfumes are now developed in part by focus groups, so they need to be bland enough to appeal to everyone in that group. By all means, look for something light and fresh if that’s what you actually feel like you want, but don’t abandoned what you love based on the comments of someone who has different taste than yours. Coco is a gorgeous classic. Wear it with pride. You have impeccable taste!

  8. Just wow. I love when you write about your perfume collection! I’m very scent-oriented and love it when others are wearing something pretty.

    Wendy

  9. This collection looks fantastic. Very organized abundance. Do you change it up based on mood or use on scent for the season? Even if I’m not going anywhere, I still spritz a bit on…I don’t feel dressed without it. Wishing you a smelly sort of great day.

  10. Michele M. says

    You’d never believe that wasn’t an original shelf. I am SO glad that something the very first time went so perfectly right for you. You have had more than your share of “oh no, not agains!”

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