Detail Hack- Medicine Cabinets
So, you're renovating your bathroom and looking to achieve a custom medicine cabinet look similar to the one we created for our clients here in New Orleans, but you can't find any stock medicine cabinets that are the right width or height. In this blog post, I'm going to show you how we can get the minimal, clean look in the photo below without costly custom fabrication.
Standard Modification Solution
Not every project has the budget for custom medicine cabinets. In the projects above and below, we used partially recessed medicine cabinets that were purchased either at Ikea or other online shopping outlets. We then flanked the sides with fixed standard flat plate mirror that sits flush with the face of the medicine cabinet. Those fixed pieces flanking the medicine cabinet can be cut to size and pre-drilled for electrical wiring (for your decorative sconces like seen in the above project).
Tips:
1. Layout the entire design before ordering a stock medicine cabinet. This will guide you on what size to look for online or in the stores. In the above project, we knew we needed to find a 24" wide by 40" tall cabinet because we sketched out the bathroom elevation first. The 24" width allows us to create a nice composition under the eyebrow window. If you find something that is close to fitting and cheap, alter your design to accommodate it!
2. Flat plate mirror can be ordered to size at any glass supplier. Once you know what size your medicine cabinet will be, order the flanking side mirror panels to achieve your overall dimension.
3. Edges: I prefer an eased or polished edge but medicine cabinets can come in a variety of different edges: beveled, framed, eased, etc. I would stay away from framed edges, as this does not get you the seamless look in the above photo. Make sure your fixed mirror edges match the medicine cabinet edges.
Here are some online sources we use to help you when looking online for stock medicine cabinets:
Happy hunting!