Make a medicine cabinet into a bar

Let's say you're upgrading or renovating your bathroom, and you don't know what to do with a couple of leftover shower pipes, an old medicine cabinet, or a sink you no longer need. Here are a few ways to rethink those things.

1. Install a medicine cabinet on a bedroom or entryway wall to create a space-saving vanity, or use one in the dining room as a wall bar.
2. Hang shower curtains on the windows. They're just the right length for big windows with a 72-inch (or less) sill-to-frame height.
3. Martha Stewart suggests using a toothbrush holder as a flower vase. Just slip the stems through the holes for an instant arrangement.
4. Another idea from Martha: use a wall-mounted soap dish as a key catch in the entryway. You could also try one above a bedside table or dresser to hold earrings.
5. Cardboard toilet paper rolls make good cord wranglers, especially if you cover them in fabric to make them more durable (and prettier).
6. There are lots of different ways to repurpose pipe plumbing into furniture or wall racks. For ideas, click here.
7. Make a wooden bath mat into a boot tray, or use it as a door mat.
8. Fitted into a hallway alcove, an old sink becomes a heavy-duty, industrial looking planter. The porcelain is easy to clean and it's moisture-resistant, so the plant won't cause it any damage.

Photos: Furniture Store Blog, Sarah Coffey, Martha Stewart, Wall-Mount Soap Dish from Restoration Hardware, Gregory Han, Jeannine Brennan, Viva Terra Teak Bath Mat, Phillip Maisel