Bathroom Cabinets Buying Guide

How to achieve peace in your bathroom sanctuary

Resolving the Bathroom Storage Crisis

If you watch the home shows on television today, you'll get the impression that we're suffering through a crisis of epic proportions: bathrooms that are too small. Home owners and home buyers alike have united to rectify the storage problem in any way possible, and you can join the cause by simply installing a bathroom cabinet.

Considering Configuration

First you need to decide what type of cabinet best fits your bathroom's layout. If floor space is at a premium, choose a cabinet that mounts on the wall or a space-saver that fits behind and above your toilet. If you'd rather save your walls for decorative artwork but have ample floor area, consider an etagere or linen cabinet. Really cramped spaces with limited floor and wall space may benefit from a medicine cabinet, which transforms your mirror into a storage unit.

Size Matters

You want your new bathroom cabinet to be in proportion to the space you have. The same size etagere could get lost in a big bathroom or make a small bathroom impossible to navigate. Especially when buying items online, it is vital to visualize the item in your own room before making a final decision.

• To determine how much space you have available for a floor cabinet, find something in your house of similar size (a stack of shoeboxes, for example) and put it where you're planning on placing your cabinet. Can you still maneuver around in the bathroom?


• Over-the-toilet cabinets look best when their top edge is level with the top of your mirror. Hold up a piece of cardboard that's about the size of your desired cabinet; do you still have room over your toilet for a towel rack, if needed?


• A medicine cabinet shouldn't be wider than your vanity or so long that it runs into your light fixture or faucet. You also don't want it to be too tiny or it will look silly. If you are considering a semi-recessed or recessed medicine cabinet, you'll need to know where the wires and studs are behind the drywall so you know how complicated the installation will be.

Construction Details

Bathroom drawers and shelves should be made of water-resistant materials like wire or glass; or they should be finished wood or wood laminate. Even then, you may want to line wood shelves with shelf liner to protect them from leaking liquid items.

If your existing vanity is made of oak, a wire and glass cabinet may look out of place. Try to complement your current style as much as possible, either in material or design, or unify the pieces later by switching in matching hardware. Choose cabinets with open shelving or glass doors in smaller bathrooms so you don't visually close off space.