apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

ooo yay I just bought those handtowels that were featured last week! They are so adorable - little pin-up girls!

"Throw out that dated medicine cabinet and put a framed mirror in its place. This is relatively inexpensive and makes a huge difference."

Dumb idea.

Most if us have so little space for all the razors and scrubs, lotions and body-goo - that replacing a perfectly serviceable unit with some storage for something "Pretty" with zero storage certainly will make a huge difference...
...transforming your space into a cluttered mess.

I agree with bepsf, I wouldn't be able to pull off a no-medicine cabinet bathroom due to space concerns. It is possible to frame out your medicine cabinet with moulding.

agreed.

when i first moved into my place a year and a half ago i did that. i took off the medicine cabinet and put up a framed mirror. after a few months i took it down and put the medicine cabinet back up!

i greatly needed that space.

I have one of those old medicine cabinets (the kind that is actually carved in the wall with a mirror that opens left to right). Does anyone know of anyone that could do a custom mirror/door for an old medicine cabinet like this (I'm in NY)? It would look so cool if you could combine the 'frame' idea with the medicine cabinet and call it a day. Any ideas anyone?

Ummm, this is APARTMENT therapy remember.
That means mostly small spaces.
That medicine cabinet is *precious* space in the bathroom!!

I live in a 280 sq foot studio and my bathroom has no medicine cabinet, just a framed mirror. And I somehow manage to not end up with a cluttered mess.

Nothing is impossible, unless you want it to be.

I had a rental bathroom once that was sooo dismal even though it had a window in it. I decided to buy several new towel sets in different, not-bashful colors. Wow, how it made the space look inviting. I've continued with that habit ever since. I love color so it wasn't so bold a move for me. Another thing I've done since I don't have the luxury of a medicine chest in my current tiny bathroom: I purchased a tall (about 3' high) skinny floor cabinet with a glass door and fit it into a little niche in the bathroom. I've neatly arranged necessary items in it and managed to place the ugly items in the back so others show through the glass, including a cool old alarm clock to make me be on time. It's an attractive storage solution and my stacks of colorful towel sets are placed handily on the top of the cabinet. One red-painted wall for a little drama and some fun art work and happy, happy tiny bathroom!

I replaced my white, plastic medicine cabinet door with a framed print. The old door was screwed onto a piano hinged metal plate that couldn't be removed, so I used the metal plate as my "backer board" and framed the print accordingly. I got the metal frame sections from Dick Blick in the lengths I needed, cut the mat board (I have a mat cutter) and got the glass cut to size at Lowe's. Sorry if the pic isn't that good.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36199548@N04/3341930779/

I have an incredibly dinky medicine cabinet that might as well not exist. I solved this by hiding plastic drawers in a nearby tiny closet to store all the necessities of modern life, while staying ruthless about what goes on the sink.

If you have a small not-so-well-lit bathroom, beware dark solid shower curtains! I bought an opaque curtain that is very pretty and makes the bathroom look much less bare, but when you're actually in the shower it's far too dark. Quite a disappointment.

Love that green doorknob in the top picture.

Hanging plants are nice in a bathroom.

In a tiny bathroom with no storage space, I put a tall, skinny wire plant stand in a corner and used it to store clean towels and washcloths. If there's no floorspace, you could also use one of those hanging wire fruit baskets.

"one of the most necessary rooms in the house"

No kidding. Thanks for that insight.

ditto palmetto. how puzzling to describe a bathroom that way.

I want to know where to buy that mirror!?

acaj08- I love what you did with your medicine cabinet door!

I have a big 3 1/2' x 3 1/2' mirror on the wall above the sink in my rental. I plan on going to a local framing shop and asking them to build a frame I can attach to the edges to improve the look. Any suggestions for attaching the frame to the mirror?

great ideas..mansardroof, great idea...that's what I am going to do!..Usually I think of these things..I have a tiny bath as well..painted bright 'pale pear' (BM) glossy white trim/white cotton shower curtain..black framed black and white print..and bought HOT pink and HOT turquoise hand towels..I was going to get the ikea natural color knit bag's and hang on a black hook/roll them..but i do like the your idea for now..a tiny little stand to sqinch in somewhere..the mirrored little med. cab..? well..some fool installed the hanging light fixture so low that you CAN'T open the cabinet door..nice..rental and can only imagine the ughness in there..

I'm renting an apartment with no medicine cabinet now - it is annoying. We have a minuscule vanity around our sink but it only has two very small and very narrow drawers. Half our stuff is either under the sink or hiding in the tub/shower since we keep the shower curtain pulled.

I just repainted my bathroom and hung a new towel bar, TP holder, and small shelves. Even if you are not allowed to paint, replacing some of the small things can really make a difference! I love the shelves, they almost disappear and don't cast shadows like solid shelves do.

Acrylic shelves from the container store
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?searchId=19085265&itemIndex=1&CATID=234&PRODID=60609

Optimism towel holder from Bed Bath and Beyond
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=115962
If you see something online that they don't have in the store, go in and have them order it, and you can still use your 20% off coupon.

acaj08, love the hidden medicine cabinet!

I agree with the medicine cabinet comments above. I don't see why you can't paint or refurbish a preexisting one rather than chucking precious storage space. Everything else is spot-on, though. I recently redid my bathroom with Tiffany-blue paint, new white towels and nice wicker baskets to hold random items and it looks so fresh and pretty now.

Bepsf, I always enjoy how you skip the BS and get to the heart of the matter.

I've mentioned this here before, but since it didn't come up in this convo (and since acaj08 made a version herself), there's a company that makes a medicine cabinet with a picture frame door. The product is called the Concealed Cabinet. I can't remember the company, but I think the website is just concealedcabinet.com. I bought one and it's my favorite thing in the remodeled bathroom.

Check out the medicine cabinets at www.woodessentials.com
Handcrafted in Brooklyn, custom sizes are possible.

We put a shelf over the door for TP and tissue boxes. A clear shower curtain with a print helps our tiny bathroom look larger than a solid curtain.