medicine cabinet

yay or nay? we are redoing our bathroom and I am debating if we should go with a recessed medicine cabinet or just go with a decorative mirror over the vanity. Thoughts?

Re: medicine cabinet

1. Do you need it?
2. Do you have the space for it?

We're still looking here and there for a mirror for our 1/2 bath which is on the main floor. It's a really small bath so a medicine cabinet is out for us. I wish we had one so we can keep vitamins, bandaids, first aid stuff there instead of in the kitchen taking up cabinet space.

medicine cabinet

Our main bath just has a decorative mirror and I love the look. But it is a pain because I have to store a lot of stuff in the bathroom that doesn't get much use, so we are going to replace with a medicine cabinet. Hopefully I can find one I love.

Re: medicine cabinet

I vote "nay." There's nothing wrong with having one, but I think it's a more modern trend to have a decorative mirror and use a vanity or other furniture like pieces in the bathroom for storage.

We have 2.5 baths, and only the master bath has a medicine cabinet. I don't really find it all that useful. In our main hall bath, we just store things like bandaids and q-tips in a drawer of our vanity (which is very long and has a lot of storage). And it's not recommended to store real medicines in the bathroom anyway because of moisture and temperature fluctuations (they are supposed to be stored in a cool, dry area, like a kitchen cabinet!).

Buyers usually love storage, but I've honestly never seen anyone comment or get excited over a medicine cabinet!

Re: medicine cabinet

I vote nay. It's not like a ton fits in it, & I like a decorate mirror & beautiful lights above so much better.

medicine cabinet

I still like a medicine cabinet.. For every day things like toothpaste, perfume, q-tips etc...

Re: medicine cabinet

we have three full baths in our house, they all had medicine cabinets before we renovated. I wanted medicine cabinets in our master but had trouble finding something I liked so I scrapped the idea. I don't miss it at all.

We have an apartment in NYC that has one typical tiny bathroom and we have a medicine cabinet there. Storage is a such a challenge, it was a must.

medicine cabinet

We have 2.5 baths. One full and the half bath have medicine cabinets. That full bath also has recessed cabinets, which add plenty of storage. So for my guest/DDs bathroom, we went with a decorative mirror. I'll have the vanity for storage and will add either baskets or another cabinet above the toilet if I need storage beyond that in that bathroom. So I think it depends on what your storage needs are and how that bathroom will be used.

Re: medicine cabinet

thanks! I'm not sure If i need it - we have one now and of course its filled. But we also have a lot of storage space in the vanity. It's just really hard to find a nice medicine cabinet! I don't want to regret not getting one which is why i keep going back and forth.

medicine cabinet

I like the medicine cabinets that can be recessed into the wall. Then they look like a plain mirror hanging on the wall. Check out the Kohler ones.

Re: medicine cabinet

I love our recessed medicine cabinet - we put everything in there: toothbrushes, toothpaste, facewash, deodorant, etc. etc. etc. We have a huge mirrored one from kohler and it looks nice. I like the look of the a mirror better, but I couldn't live without the practicality of the medicine cabinet in a main bathroom.

In a half bath or a guest bath I could see going with just a mirror.

medicine cabinet

We only have one bathroom, and dh was adamant about a medicine cab when we redid it...i will say that it was a good decision. i keep meds in there (even though i know you're not supposed to), but i keep them in air tight containers..i feel like it's easier to organize also

Re: medicine cabinet

I'm in a 1 bath townhouse and we need the storage of a medicine cabinet.

I know a mirror is neat and gives more space, but we need the storage

Re: medicine cabinet

We have a decorative mirror.

Re: medicine cabinet

I vote Yay

I love the look of a decorative mirror but I am a storage junkie and need places to put stuff at all times lol

We installed this in our downstairs bathroom. It's mounted on the wall. It's decorative and holds a lot!

Re: medicine cabinet

I could not live without my medicine cabinets. But I only like the ones that are recessed into the wall. The ones that sit on the wall create a shadow, and block the light, IMO. In my master bath, I keep all my hair/face/teeth supplies plus DH's shaving/hair stuff. In the hall bath, I keep bandaids, nail polish, sunscreen, extra body wash/lotion etc.

Re: medicine cabinet

we are in a 1Bath and do not have a medicine cabinet, just a decorative mirror. Instead, we have a vanity with a cabinet and two drawers for everyday stuff. The rest of it, we have a linen closet right outside the BR and we hung one of those plastic shoe organizers on the inside of the door and keep meds, lotions, and other stuff that isn't used daily.

Re: medicine cabinet

We have a medicine cabinet but f I had to do it over I'd get the decorative mirror. I think it just looks fancier.