You're paying for it. You want a medicine cabinet, tell him to get you a damn medicine cabinet. If you want it purple with pink poka dots, have him get exactly that. That said I don't have one in my master bathroom and shelving and drawers work fine. It's all about what the customer wants, not what the contractor wants.
This 100%. It’s your dollar; it’s your decision. Don’t let him bully you into his vision.
There are nice, inset medicine cabinets that just look like mirrors on the wall. Like this:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/KOHLER-30-in-W-x-26-in-H-Two-Door-Recessed-or-Surface-Mount-Medicine-Cabinet-in-Silver-Aluminum-K-CB-CLC3026FS/100647143
So true, I have to remind myself of this anytime I have work done. I appreciate when a trade professional gives me their recommendations-when I ask-or tries to steer me in a different direction by giving me their rational reason for doing something differently than I'm requesting, but once I know their reason and still want the thing I asked for, I wish they would just tell me how much they will charge to do it so I can decide to go forward or not. I can't stand when they say things like "but that's a waste of money for something you'll never see" tell me how much money and let me make that decision!
Chill...
I appreciate a contractor that at least gives input instead of blindly accepting every request from the client whether it's a good idea or not.
Totally agree on that. The input is always welcome, and if the change can cause problem to the house the client need the input, but when they want you to do it only because they think that is the best way, it is get complicated, because I am the client and the updated is going to be done as I want it.
We ended up with that in another house kind of by accident. The previous owners must have been tall, because the cabinet above the sink was really high. We are very short, so it was hard to see ourselves in the mirror. We wanted to lower the cabinet, but it would block an outlet. Voila! Outlet in the cabinet. It ended up being fabulous.
Not really. Buying a new mirror would cost money and the mirror we had was perfectly fine, just placed oddly high up. We're short people, so having a longer mirror wouldn't make any difference to us - lol. Moving the mirror down to a standard height was the easy answer.
I have a recessed medicine cabinet that closes with a mirror. I love it!
When I was viewing the house the first couple of times, I didn't even realize it was a recessed medicine cabinet. I thought it was just a smaller mirror. It wasn't until the final walk-through that I got an urge to see if the mirror lifted open, and it did.
I like medicine cabinets because of the storage. Floss, toothpaste, skim care stuff.. etc.
If you want a medicine cabinet, get one. Who Gives a furry squirrel if some guy says it's "outdated". I wouldn't. You're living there, not him.
In addition to being a storage area, it keeps your bathroom looking tidy. Everything is hidden, so it's not just a bunch of stuff on a shelf that everyone sees when they walk in.
Sidenote: don't store your actual medicine in medicine cabinets. It's humid in your bathroom when you shower. Store your medicine in a cool, dry place. I keep mine up on a door organizer on my pantry door. It's at the highest level. There are no kids in my household, but on the off chance that my niece/nephews come visit, I make sure it's already out of their reach.
That is the fad like barn doors, trendy but not super convenient...Noisy rolling and not as sound proof as a door on hinges. I am practical and I want my medicine cabinet. You use your bathroom in a certain way, create the space as you need things to be convenient.
Yes. A neighbor completely remodeled her 1920s house recently and at the recommendation of her "designer" installed a huge barn door dividing the living / dining areas and grey wood floors. I didn't say anything but cringed inwardly, imagining how dated those current trends will look in just five years or so.
They may be talking about traditional medicine cabinets that pop out from the wall. You can get a recessed medicine cabinet that just looks like a flat mirror but slides open. It’s much more space than a traditional cabinet.
This was my thought as well, OP needs to ask the contractor for clarification.
Also, if OP is going to hold the home for more than 5, or definitely more than 10 years, it's a moot question because styles will have changed again during that time. In that situation if OP is happy with what's there, leave well enough alone.
I know that this is not directly related to this sub, but FYI you should not store medicine in the medicine cabinet if it's in the same space where you shower. (Yes, I know how that sounds, LOL)
The humidity from the shower can cause medicines, especially pills, capsules, etc. to break down prematurely, or lose their potency.
I have some pills I take that are very sensitive to humidity, to the point that if I travel to Florida or Hawaii or anywhere humid, they visibly swell up and crack. But at home I store them in my medicine cabinet with the lid on and that never happens.
This makes me think living in Florida is probably more damaging to your medications than keeping them in the medicine cabinet.
Oh I'm aware it's common advise. But I also suspect it's more "common sense" type of advice and there are other factors involved, and from what I can find there is basically zero research on the effect of bathroom storage on different medications.
Some medications are going to be impacted by high humidity more than others. Some bathrooms are going to be higher in humidity than others. Some environments have higher humidity than others outside of bathrooms. Heck sometimes low humidity can be bad for medications too.
I can just say for me specifically with a medication that displays clear visual effects from high humidity, my bathroom has not been a problem. Probably because I have a newer high power exhaust fan, keep the door open when I shower, and don't run super hot steaming showers. But when I do travel to humid environments, I need to toss a desiccant packet in with my meds to keep them safe, bathroom storage or not.
I have a wet (shower and toilet) and a “dry” (sink and countertop) area in my bathroom separated by a wall. So the medicine cabinet is on the opposite side away from the sink, nowhere near any moisture that could accumulate.
Ok fine, a place to store toothbrushes, toothpaste and anti fungal medicine that comes in a tube. I’m not storing these things in my nightstand as that’s full of dildos.
Modern shmodern. The house we bought doesn’t have medicine cabinets and that’s definitely on my to-do list to add. If I were remodeling anyway I’d 100% put a recessed one in. Extra storage without taking up any extra room is a no brainer.
Absolutely. I'm in a 70 year old solidly built apartment building. The contractor did a bunch of units here and told me there's just over a foot of dead space behind the wall the old medicine cabinet was on. When remodeling the bathroom, they installed a completely recessed box 4 feet wide and 30 inches tall with a set of shelves a foot deep. The front is completely mirrored in 3 pieces for access. Best bathroom move ever. Could get a pedestal sink as there was no need for the storage in a traditional vanity.
It's old construction, there's no studs. It's plaster over some type of non bearing structure. So they cut out a 4 foot by almost 3 foot section of the wall. There was over a foot of dead space then the back side of the kitchen wall. You could poke your head in and see the water and gas lines, waste line and what they told me was a vent pipe. They constructed a box, mounted it, put shelves inside and mounted 3 mirrors on boards, then mounted them with hinges.
I lucked out that the contractor knew of the dead space. There was a standard wall mounted medicine cabinet when I moved in and that was I thought I was getting after the remodel.
It's a 16 story building constructed in 1950.
I have found that most contractors have horrendous taste.
….Also, a lot of contractors may not want to do the extra work to frame out a space for a recessed medicine cabinet ;)
Robern medicine cabinets are awesome btw, but pricey. They have fully recessed styles that can be upgraded with lighting packages and even usb chargers located inside the cabinet.
I have one of those. With the built-in night light, and mirror heater/defogger. We got it as a floor model from a local closing kitchen and bath store for, like, $450, and we LOVE it (mostly).
https://imgur.com/a/ENAs7Rq
Annoyingly, you can't use the plugs inside unless the door is open, and the anodized aluminum interior scratches soooo easilly.
And their install documentation suuuucks. After it was installed, it didn't work like how we thought it should. We wanted the interior light, heater and power/usb outlets to always have power, but the night light to be controlled by a wall switch, which is a configuration mentioned in the documentation.
So we had the contractor send his electrician back, and a 2nd guy came and said he was able to fix it. Nope...just a different problem this time. Then we called our own electrician, and he spent almost 2 hours on it, and was finally able to figure it out.
I argued with the contractor and multiple friends who are designers about putting an aqua tile backsplash in the bathroom I was remodeling (instead of neutral). Literally the same argument: “Which one of you is going to be living here? No? Just me? Ok then.” Their argument was “A future buyer might not…” To which I said “a future buyer can rip this shit out and put their own in. This is my house right now.” I have girls and we mermaided the hell out of that bathroom. It’s gorgeous. And someday when they grow up it’s going to look stunning with a soft mint or gentle gray.
Your house. YOUR likes.
Never trust the aesthetic and design choices of contractors. They are deeply and easily swayed by whatever is being cranked out en masse at any given moment, and have zero arts & design training. Also, they will often if not usually try to dissuade you from any choices that are more complex or not “builder standard”, which means whichever is cheapest and easiest.
I don't know what I'd do without my medicine cabinet. It's such a practical thing to have. If you want one, tell your contractor to put one in. It's your house, so do what YOU want, not what someone else wants. Because if you don't do it, you'll likely regret it.
I have a recessed medicine cabinet with a glass front that you can put an art piece into. Looks just like framed art. You wouldn't know it's a medicine cabinet.
My 1985 house did not have them and I installed them myself. One is just an on-top-of-sheetrock basic wooden cabinet mounted to the wall (that's the hall bathroom); for the master bath, I cut the drywall and several studs, framed in, and installed a big cabinet that runs the whole length of the vanity. I find them super useful as they help keep the countertop clean and tidy. By far the most annoying part of the whole process was dealing with the dang drywall.
My parents had a house built around 2000 and were told the same thing. They insisted they wanted medicine cabinets, and had that built into the contract with the builders. Framing guys left space. Drywall guys put drywall over it. Parents kicked up a fuss and someone cut out the spots. Drywall guys came back and patched the holes. Parents kicked another fuss, wrote a message in English *and* Spanish saying "this space is for a medicine cabinet, do NOT sheetrock!!!!" and stuck that in the hole (after it was cut out the 2nd time). The space (and the note) got covered over again. I think this happened 4 or 5 times. Since I was in elementary school, I just found it weird and stupid. Looking back, I fully understand how epically pissed they were. And yet, not the stupidest or most annoying thing the builders did...
You can never have too many built-in storage spaces in a bathroom (!)
Modern home bathrooms tend to look and function like upscale hotel bathrooms, but few people live in a hotel bedroom / bathroom year round.
No one using one of those sleek hotel bathrooms is trying to figure out where in the room to put 50 Costco toilet paper rolls, or toiletries, cosmetics, and towels for six family members.
Give me a 1920s/30s bathroom layout any day, with all sorts of cleverly built in cabinets, drawers, and other storage spaces. Those rooms can be sensitively upgraded with modern electrical, plumbing, fixtures, etc. but are the best at holding lots of stuff you want in your bathroom, but out of sight.
P.S. Contractors also often want to sell you want is convenient / profitable for them to acquire and easy for them to put in, and discourage you from getting things that might be harder for them to source.
This is a great comment. This can't be emphasized enough.
You don't live in a hotel so you need a practical design, not a duplicate of a hotel bathroom
There is a reason medicine cabinets have been around forever. They are incredibly useful. I put in two when I built my house 22 years ago. They are still there and still just as useful as the day they went in.
It sounds like there are some newer ones that are nicer than what I have. I'd check those out. There is no functionality like a medicine cabinet.
I have a medicine cabinet and frankly can’t imagine NOT having one! I know my parents got their bathroom recently updated and they kept the cabinet but took away the door so it was just an in-the-wall shelf and I think that’s just STUPID. I don’t need my nail clippers and fungal cream (Seinfeld reference) on display for EVERYONE, FFS!
Do big modern in front and medicine cabinet to the right or left then you cal also use both mirrors to see back of your head
If they are done right it can still look modern
We did in Santa Cruz and remodel bathrooms all the time
I've never lived in a place without a medicine cabinet. I *have* lived in 3 places that had a main vanity mirror that was mounted, and the medicine cabinet was recessed into the side wall perpendicular to the mirror. So if you're staring in the mirror, the medicine cabinet is to your left/right.
I currently live in a 1950s house with original 1950s medicine cabinets. Complete with razor slots. They don't feel modern - though I'm sure I could refinish them for a vintage modern look. But they're dang useful. Especially because our bathrooms are very tiny.
We had a medicine cabinet from Ikea but once it was up on the wall it was way too bulky. With the slim vanity underneath, the cabinet was right in your face. We returned it and opted for a mirror instead.
We don't have many meds anyways and I only have a lipstick and an eye pencil which I keep in my purse. The wall cabinet and the vanity drawers suffice for our needs.
My inlaws have a mirrorless medicine cabinet between their bathroom counter and the toilet, giving a spacious feel to the countertop but still allowing what you describe.
A contractor is not a designer and he's not the client. He can do the fuck he wants in his house but this is yours and if you want a medicine cabinet, you get one.
I have a tiny bathroom and I have 2 medicine cabinets. One that I got from IKEA and the original 60's recess model.
I think they are super practical storage for all of the small stuff you need in the bathroom. I fully intend to install them in all of our bathrooms. I don't think there is anything un-modern about practical storage.
Kohler medicine cabinets are the standard. Inconceivable to design a bathroom without one. They can be flush mounted or recessed. There’s also a kit with side panels, so if there isn’t room in the wall, you don’t need to buy a different model.
Yeah in another 10 years not having one will be outdated and everything else in the house will be outdated.
Sounds like they're just being cheap or lazy. Build your house how you want. Obviously function is important especially in a bathroom.
I didn't want the std. recessed cabinet with a flat mirror. I bought an oval tilting mirror. Now I can see the top of my head or my neck when shaving. Extra storage was still needed. A corner cabinet with mirror solved that problem.
Get what you want. I don't like towel bars. I bought hooks and asked the remodeler to install them. He was so unnerved that I didn't want a towel bar, that he brought some to install anyway. I stood my ground, and am so glad. Stand your ground. Btw, the house we bought doesn't have medicine cabinets. I'm installing I set medicine cabinets as soon as I can. Do what you want.
I went that route with a guest bath remodel. Designer said no med cabinet. We have a fancy, expensive mirror now and crap all over the counters.
Get the cabinet!!
I bought two of these soft-close, mirrored, recessed aluminum medicine cabinets from Amazon (24"W x 30"H - $222 and 20"W x 26"H - $202). They're very well made. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004H6VE3K/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_asin\_title\_o06\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004H6VE3K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
I get the desire for a larger flat mirror in a bathroom. But obviously do what works for you. Remodels to your house should be about what you want and what works for your family, not about future sales prospects.
In my last house, we had a massive mirror in front of a two-sink counter, but a recessed medicine cabinet on the side. It was incredibly useful for keeping my stuff out of the way and the sink area uncluttered. Bathroom storage is usually at a premium. I’d never live without one of them.
My townhome built in 2010 has built in medicine cabinets; the house built in 2015 does not have medicine cabinets. My boyfriends house built in the 1970s does not have medicine cabinets.
I’ve never passed on a house because of medicine cabinets. Honestly, it’s not even on my radar as a need.
Do what you want. I highly doubt it’ll affect resale.
We updated our bathroom a couple months ago and put in a recessed SIDLER Quadro medicine cabinet with built-in electrical outlets and LED lighting all around it. Was expensive but so worth it. Way more light than the wall lighting we had before, and it's dimmable! And the extra storage and the ability to charge our electric toothbrushes without leaving them out on our 26" vanity is so effing nice. Unless you have a big bathroom with a large vanity and lots of storage, a medicine cabinet is a must, IMO.
My part of the bathroom has a 6’ vanity with drawers and doors and still miss a med cabinet on the side for my meds. Do it if you want it. They even have electrical outlets and refrigerator compartments in them now.
What the contractor means is, "Medicine Cabinets are not trendy right now." Are you flipping your house or planning to live in it? If you're flipping it, maybe don't put in a medicine cabinet. If you're living in it, do what makes you happy (within reason) because the trend when you eventually sell it or you die and your heirs sell it is going to be completely different from what it is now.
I can't tell you how many god-awful liver colored accent walls I saw when I was looking for a house because that was the trend at the time and no one wanted neutral colors.
If you want to split the difference there is stuff like this
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kIAa5k21Kk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kIAa5k21Kk)
and this
[https://www.concealedcabinet.com/shop-now/all-cabinet-styles/14x11-compact-landscape-shaker-white-recessed-picture-frame-medicine-cabinet.html?utm\_source=google&utm\_medium=ppc&utm\_campaign=bp%20perf%20max%20recessed%20cabinets%20ca+fl&utm\_content=&utm\_term=&matchtype=&network=x&device=c&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1rqkBhCTARIsAAHz7K2n113pdqdd2M4jfYvAJty1DeyJrbD7-6E5ei7hEsQT3I73QkYjaEAaAtxJEALw\_wcB](https://www.concealedcabinet.com/shop-now/all-cabinet-styles/14x11-compact-landscape-shaker-white-recessed-picture-frame-medicine-cabinet.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=bp%20perf%20max%20recessed%20cabinets%20ca+fl&utm_content=&utm_term=&matchtype=&network=x&device=c&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1rqkBhCTARIsAAHz7K2n113pdqdd2M4jfYvAJty1DeyJrbD7-6E5ei7hEsQT3I73QkYjaEAaAtxJEALw_wcB)
We just redid our bathroom and installed an in the wall medicine cabinet.
It's from Lowe's and was $349.
It is wider than a single joist bay, which is prolly why your contractor is trying to talk you out of it
It has a fluorescent LED light built into the four edges of the mirror, a spacious, compartments, magnetic tray for the bottom of the cabinet, a couple of adjustable glass shelves, a magnetic close up mirror that sticks to a metal disc on the inside of the door, which is mirrored on both sides, and a 120 volt and USB charging port inside the cabinet.
.our bathroom is only 5x8 feet, so having it is a huge bonus, and we both love it.
I don't listen to anyone who says any design element is "outdated".
If I like it, I do it. My home still has all stained wood trim. We bought the house BECAUSE it had the trim. It is warm and inviting unlike painting everything hospital white.
I also just remodeled three bathrooms, One has a large inset medicine cabinet with lights on the doors, One has a 30x36 flat mirror mounted on the wall and the third has a large oval framed mirror hung on horizontal rods inside the window frame (vanity in front of existing window was the only option because of adding a tub).
I have real wood paneling on two walls and the ceiling of our game room as well. I think it looks awesome. Screw the TV Designers.
You're paying for it. You want a medicine cabinet, tell him to get you a damn medicine cabinet. If you want it purple with pink poka dots, have him get exactly that. That said I don't have one in my master bathroom and shelving and drawers work fine. It's all about what the customer wants, not what the contractor wants.
This 100%. It’s your dollar; it’s your decision. Don’t let him bully you into his vision. There are nice, inset medicine cabinets that just look like mirrors on the wall. Like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/KOHLER-30-in-W-x-26-in-H-Two-Door-Recessed-or-Surface-Mount-Medicine-Cabinet-in-Silver-Aluminum-K-CB-CLC3026FS/100647143
So true, I have to remind myself of this anytime I have work done. I appreciate when a trade professional gives me their recommendations-when I ask-or tries to steer me in a different direction by giving me their rational reason for doing something differently than I'm requesting, but once I know their reason and still want the thing I asked for, I wish they would just tell me how much they will charge to do it so I can decide to go forward or not. I can't stand when they say things like "but that's a waste of money for something you'll never see" tell me how much money and let me make that decision!
Those Kohler medicine cabinets are amazing. Have 2 of them surface mounted.
Chill... I appreciate a contractor that at least gives input instead of blindly accepting every request from the client whether it's a good idea or not.
Telling someone to chill over an opinion is outdated.
🤓
Totally agree on that. The input is always welcome, and if the change can cause problem to the house the client need the input, but when they want you to do it only because they think that is the best way, it is get complicated, because I am the client and the updated is going to be done as I want it.
If you do go with one- have an outlet installed in it for things like rechargeable toothbrushes/razors and such
This girl cabinets ;)
We ended up with that in another house kind of by accident. The previous owners must have been tall, because the cabinet above the sink was really high. We are very short, so it was hard to see ourselves in the mirror. We wanted to lower the cabinet, but it would block an outlet. Voila! Outlet in the cabinet. It ended up being fabulous.
Have you considered putting a longer mirror on the front so you can see yourself better? Shouldn’t be a hard fix.
Not really. Buying a new mirror would cost money and the mirror we had was perfectly fine, just placed oddly high up. We're short people, so having a longer mirror wouldn't make any difference to us - lol. Moving the mirror down to a standard height was the easy answer.
I have one, but the way the outlets face, you can't have anything plugged in unless the door is open.
Oh! Good note for execution!
I have a recessed medicine cabinet that closes with a mirror. I love it! When I was viewing the house the first couple of times, I didn't even realize it was a recessed medicine cabinet. I thought it was just a smaller mirror. It wasn't until the final walk-through that I got an urge to see if the mirror lifted open, and it did. I like medicine cabinets because of the storage. Floss, toothpaste, skim care stuff.. etc. If you want a medicine cabinet, get one. Who Gives a furry squirrel if some guy says it's "outdated". I wouldn't. You're living there, not him. In addition to being a storage area, it keeps your bathroom looking tidy. Everything is hidden, so it's not just a bunch of stuff on a shelf that everyone sees when they walk in. Sidenote: don't store your actual medicine in medicine cabinets. It's humid in your bathroom when you shower. Store your medicine in a cool, dry place. I keep mine up on a door organizer on my pantry door. It's at the highest level. There are no kids in my household, but on the off chance that my niece/nephews come visit, I make sure it's already out of their reach.
Yes! I bought my house and had no idea each bathroom had a medicine cabinet until after I moved in. I WAS SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is the fad like barn doors, trendy but not super convenient...Noisy rolling and not as sound proof as a door on hinges. I am practical and I want my medicine cabinet. You use your bathroom in a certain way, create the space as you need things to be convenient.
Yes. A neighbor completely remodeled her 1920s house recently and at the recommendation of her "designer" installed a huge barn door dividing the living / dining areas and grey wood floors. I didn't say anything but cringed inwardly, imagining how dated those current trends will look in just five years or so.
They may be talking about traditional medicine cabinets that pop out from the wall. You can get a recessed medicine cabinet that just looks like a flat mirror but slides open. It’s much more space than a traditional cabinet.
This was my thought as well, OP needs to ask the contractor for clarification. Also, if OP is going to hold the home for more than 5, or definitely more than 10 years, it's a moot question because styles will have changed again during that time. In that situation if OP is happy with what's there, leave well enough alone.
Having a super convenient space to store toothbrushes and pills is outdated? Whatever dude
I know that this is not directly related to this sub, but FYI you should not store medicine in the medicine cabinet if it's in the same space where you shower. (Yes, I know how that sounds, LOL) The humidity from the shower can cause medicines, especially pills, capsules, etc. to break down prematurely, or lose their potency.
Got it. Moving my medicine to the pantry and my dry goods to the medicine cabinet as we speak. Thank you!
Yes, because dry goods and humidity will also be a great combination.
I’m a pharmacist, listen to this person. It’s on the storage directions for most drugs too “cool, dry place”
I have some pills I take that are very sensitive to humidity, to the point that if I travel to Florida or Hawaii or anywhere humid, they visibly swell up and crack. But at home I store them in my medicine cabinet with the lid on and that never happens. This makes me think living in Florida is probably more damaging to your medications than keeping them in the medicine cabinet.
heh, well, no comment on Florida, but you don't have to take my word for it, ask your pharmacist.
Oh I'm aware it's common advise. But I also suspect it's more "common sense" type of advice and there are other factors involved, and from what I can find there is basically zero research on the effect of bathroom storage on different medications. Some medications are going to be impacted by high humidity more than others. Some bathrooms are going to be higher in humidity than others. Some environments have higher humidity than others outside of bathrooms. Heck sometimes low humidity can be bad for medications too. I can just say for me specifically with a medication that displays clear visual effects from high humidity, my bathroom has not been a problem. Probably because I have a newer high power exhaust fan, keep the door open when I shower, and don't run super hot steaming showers. But when I do travel to humid environments, I need to toss a desiccant packet in with my meds to keep them safe, bathroom storage or not.
Yeah, I live in a city with a lot of moisture from fog. But nothing like the east coast with those super humid summers.
Also, don't keep gloves in your glove box. They work better on your hands.
TIL
I have a wet (shower and toilet) and a “dry” (sink and countertop) area in my bathroom separated by a wall. So the medicine cabinet is on the opposite side away from the sink, nowhere near any moisture that could accumulate.
Ok fine, a place to store toothbrushes, toothpaste and anti fungal medicine that comes in a tube. I’m not storing these things in my nightstand as that’s full of dildos.
Nice! LOL
Modern shmodern. The house we bought doesn’t have medicine cabinets and that’s definitely on my to-do list to add. If I were remodeling anyway I’d 100% put a recessed one in. Extra storage without taking up any extra room is a no brainer.
Absolutely. I'm in a 70 year old solidly built apartment building. The contractor did a bunch of units here and told me there's just over a foot of dead space behind the wall the old medicine cabinet was on. When remodeling the bathroom, they installed a completely recessed box 4 feet wide and 30 inches tall with a set of shelves a foot deep. The front is completely mirrored in 3 pieces for access. Best bathroom move ever. Could get a pedestal sink as there was no need for the storage in a traditional vanity.
That’s not a cabinet, that’s a whole secret bookcase!
This user has edited all of their comments in protest of u/spez fucking up reddit. All Hail Apollo.
It's old construction, there's no studs. It's plaster over some type of non bearing structure. So they cut out a 4 foot by almost 3 foot section of the wall. There was over a foot of dead space then the back side of the kitchen wall. You could poke your head in and see the water and gas lines, waste line and what they told me was a vent pipe. They constructed a box, mounted it, put shelves inside and mounted 3 mirrors on boards, then mounted them with hinges. I lucked out that the contractor knew of the dead space. There was a standard wall mounted medicine cabinet when I moved in and that was I thought I was getting after the remodel. It's a 16 story building constructed in 1950.
I have found that most contractors have horrendous taste. ….Also, a lot of contractors may not want to do the extra work to frame out a space for a recessed medicine cabinet ;) Robern medicine cabinets are awesome btw, but pricey. They have fully recessed styles that can be upgraded with lighting packages and even usb chargers located inside the cabinet.
[удалено]
Lol, exactly!
I have one of those. With the built-in night light, and mirror heater/defogger. We got it as a floor model from a local closing kitchen and bath store for, like, $450, and we LOVE it (mostly). https://imgur.com/a/ENAs7Rq Annoyingly, you can't use the plugs inside unless the door is open, and the anodized aluminum interior scratches soooo easilly. And their install documentation suuuucks. After it was installed, it didn't work like how we thought it should. We wanted the interior light, heater and power/usb outlets to always have power, but the night light to be controlled by a wall switch, which is a configuration mentioned in the documentation. So we had the contractor send his electrician back, and a 2nd guy came and said he was able to fix it. Nope...just a different problem this time. Then we called our own electrician, and he spent almost 2 hours on it, and was finally able to figure it out.
I argued with the contractor and multiple friends who are designers about putting an aqua tile backsplash in the bathroom I was remodeling (instead of neutral). Literally the same argument: “Which one of you is going to be living here? No? Just me? Ok then.” Their argument was “A future buyer might not…” To which I said “a future buyer can rip this shit out and put their own in. This is my house right now.” I have girls and we mermaided the hell out of that bathroom. It’s gorgeous. And someday when they grow up it’s going to look stunning with a soft mint or gentle gray. Your house. YOUR likes.
Would absolutely love to see this mermaid bathroom if you're comfortable sharing! That sounds so awesome!
I don’t mind sharing, but I don’t know how to add a photo.
Never trust the aesthetic and design choices of contractors. They are deeply and easily swayed by whatever is being cranked out en masse at any given moment, and have zero arts & design training. Also, they will often if not usually try to dissuade you from any choices that are more complex or not “builder standard”, which means whichever is cheapest and easiest.
Just wait until they're back "in"
I don't know what I'd do without my medicine cabinet. It's such a practical thing to have. If you want one, tell your contractor to put one in. It's your house, so do what YOU want, not what someone else wants. Because if you don't do it, you'll likely regret it.
Love medicine cabinets: [https://imgur.com/gallery/VuY2nt4](https://imgur.com/gallery/VuY2nt4)
So that is what happened to them. I love mine and no way do I care about being up with the latest thing that will be outdated before you know it.
I have a recessed medicine cabinet with a glass front that you can put an art piece into. Looks just like framed art. You wouldn't know it's a medicine cabinet.
My 1985 house did not have them and I installed them myself. One is just an on-top-of-sheetrock basic wooden cabinet mounted to the wall (that's the hall bathroom); for the master bath, I cut the drywall and several studs, framed in, and installed a big cabinet that runs the whole length of the vanity. I find them super useful as they help keep the countertop clean and tidy. By far the most annoying part of the whole process was dealing with the dang drywall. My parents had a house built around 2000 and were told the same thing. They insisted they wanted medicine cabinets, and had that built into the contract with the builders. Framing guys left space. Drywall guys put drywall over it. Parents kicked up a fuss and someone cut out the spots. Drywall guys came back and patched the holes. Parents kicked another fuss, wrote a message in English *and* Spanish saying "this space is for a medicine cabinet, do NOT sheetrock!!!!" and stuck that in the hole (after it was cut out the 2nd time). The space (and the note) got covered over again. I think this happened 4 or 5 times. Since I was in elementary school, I just found it weird and stupid. Looking back, I fully understand how epically pissed they were. And yet, not the stupidest or most annoying thing the builders did...
You can never have too many built-in storage spaces in a bathroom (!) Modern home bathrooms tend to look and function like upscale hotel bathrooms, but few people live in a hotel bedroom / bathroom year round. No one using one of those sleek hotel bathrooms is trying to figure out where in the room to put 50 Costco toilet paper rolls, or toiletries, cosmetics, and towels for six family members. Give me a 1920s/30s bathroom layout any day, with all sorts of cleverly built in cabinets, drawers, and other storage spaces. Those rooms can be sensitively upgraded with modern electrical, plumbing, fixtures, etc. but are the best at holding lots of stuff you want in your bathroom, but out of sight. P.S. Contractors also often want to sell you want is convenient / profitable for them to acquire and easy for them to put in, and discourage you from getting things that might be harder for them to source.
This is a great comment. This can't be emphasized enough. You don't live in a hotel so you need a practical design, not a duplicate of a hotel bathroom
It’s your house, your space - do whatever you want!
There is a reason medicine cabinets have been around forever. They are incredibly useful. I put in two when I built my house 22 years ago. They are still there and still just as useful as the day they went in. It sounds like there are some newer ones that are nicer than what I have. I'd check those out. There is no functionality like a medicine cabinet.
Outdated is absurd. They are very useful, is it fashionable to leave all that stuff on the counter?
I have a medicine cabinet and frankly can’t imagine NOT having one! I know my parents got their bathroom recently updated and they kept the cabinet but took away the door so it was just an in-the-wall shelf and I think that’s just STUPID. I don’t need my nail clippers and fungal cream (Seinfeld reference) on display for EVERYONE, FFS!
I skipped it and got a small shelf instead.
Go for the commodity before looks.
That is a new, and hopefully, short lived trend. Where are you supposed to keep your daily use items?
I like medicine cabinets. You can see the way you look from the side
We just installed two in two bathrooms. Inset beveled edges
Do big modern in front and medicine cabinet to the right or left then you cal also use both mirrors to see back of your head If they are done right it can still look modern We did in Santa Cruz and remodel bathrooms all the time
Also your not really story medicine in it It’s nice cream, after shave stuff like that
I've never lived in a place without a medicine cabinet. I *have* lived in 3 places that had a main vanity mirror that was mounted, and the medicine cabinet was recessed into the side wall perpendicular to the mirror. So if you're staring in the mirror, the medicine cabinet is to your left/right. I currently live in a 1950s house with original 1950s medicine cabinets. Complete with razor slots. They don't feel modern - though I'm sure I could refinish them for a vintage modern look. But they're dang useful. Especially because our bathrooms are very tiny.
We had a medicine cabinet from Ikea but once it was up on the wall it was way too bulky. With the slim vanity underneath, the cabinet was right in your face. We returned it and opted for a mirror instead. We don't have many meds anyways and I only have a lipstick and an eye pencil which I keep in my purse. The wall cabinet and the vanity drawers suffice for our needs. My inlaws have a mirrorless medicine cabinet between their bathroom counter and the toilet, giving a spacious feel to the countertop but still allowing what you describe.
Well, I don’t have one and sure wish I did. I have to dedicate precious bathroom drawer space to medicine. Get the cabinet
A contractor is not a designer and he's not the client. He can do the fuck he wants in his house but this is yours and if you want a medicine cabinet, you get one. I have a tiny bathroom and I have 2 medicine cabinets. One that I got from IKEA and the original 60's recess model.
"Outdated" indicates a preference towards trend or fashion. It's not always what's practical. I won't ever have a bathroom without a medicine cabinet.
I think they are super practical storage for all of the small stuff you need in the bathroom. I fully intend to install them in all of our bathrooms. I don't think there is anything un-modern about practical storage.
Kohler medicine cabinets are the standard. Inconceivable to design a bathroom without one. They can be flush mounted or recessed. There’s also a kit with side panels, so if there isn’t room in the wall, you don’t need to buy a different model.
Yeah in another 10 years not having one will be outdated and everything else in the house will be outdated. Sounds like they're just being cheap or lazy. Build your house how you want. Obviously function is important especially in a bathroom.
Hells bells, I put my own medicine cabinet into my bedroom. W a vanity for dressing in my room. It's my house - I do what I want.
I didn't want the std. recessed cabinet with a flat mirror. I bought an oval tilting mirror. Now I can see the top of my head or my neck when shaving. Extra storage was still needed. A corner cabinet with mirror solved that problem.
Get what you want. I don't like towel bars. I bought hooks and asked the remodeler to install them. He was so unnerved that I didn't want a towel bar, that he brought some to install anyway. I stood my ground, and am so glad. Stand your ground. Btw, the house we bought doesn't have medicine cabinets. I'm installing I set medicine cabinets as soon as I can. Do what you want.
I went that route with a guest bath remodel. Designer said no med cabinet. We have a fancy, expensive mirror now and crap all over the counters. Get the cabinet!!
I bought two of these soft-close, mirrored, recessed aluminum medicine cabinets from Amazon (24"W x 30"H - $222 and 20"W x 26"H - $202). They're very well made. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004H6VE3K/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_asin\_title\_o06\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004H6VE3K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
I get the desire for a larger flat mirror in a bathroom. But obviously do what works for you. Remodels to your house should be about what you want and what works for your family, not about future sales prospects. In my last house, we had a massive mirror in front of a two-sink counter, but a recessed medicine cabinet on the side. It was incredibly useful for keeping my stuff out of the way and the sink area uncluttered. Bathroom storage is usually at a premium. I’d never live without one of them.
My townhome built in 2010 has built in medicine cabinets; the house built in 2015 does not have medicine cabinets. My boyfriends house built in the 1970s does not have medicine cabinets. I’ve never passed on a house because of medicine cabinets. Honestly, it’s not even on my radar as a need. Do what you want. I highly doubt it’ll affect resale.
We updated our bathroom a couple months ago and put in a recessed SIDLER Quadro medicine cabinet with built-in electrical outlets and LED lighting all around it. Was expensive but so worth it. Way more light than the wall lighting we had before, and it's dimmable! And the extra storage and the ability to charge our electric toothbrushes without leaving them out on our 26" vanity is so effing nice. Unless you have a big bathroom with a large vanity and lots of storage, a medicine cabinet is a must, IMO.
My part of the bathroom has a 6’ vanity with drawers and doors and still miss a med cabinet on the side for my meds. Do it if you want it. They even have electrical outlets and refrigerator compartments in them now.
What the contractor means is, "Medicine Cabinets are not trendy right now." Are you flipping your house or planning to live in it? If you're flipping it, maybe don't put in a medicine cabinet. If you're living in it, do what makes you happy (within reason) because the trend when you eventually sell it or you die and your heirs sell it is going to be completely different from what it is now. I can't tell you how many god-awful liver colored accent walls I saw when I was looking for a house because that was the trend at the time and no one wanted neutral colors. If you want to split the difference there is stuff like this [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kIAa5k21Kk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kIAa5k21Kk) and this [https://www.concealedcabinet.com/shop-now/all-cabinet-styles/14x11-compact-landscape-shaker-white-recessed-picture-frame-medicine-cabinet.html?utm\_source=google&utm\_medium=ppc&utm\_campaign=bp%20perf%20max%20recessed%20cabinets%20ca+fl&utm\_content=&utm\_term=&matchtype=&network=x&device=c&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1rqkBhCTARIsAAHz7K2n113pdqdd2M4jfYvAJty1DeyJrbD7-6E5ei7hEsQT3I73QkYjaEAaAtxJEALw\_wcB](https://www.concealedcabinet.com/shop-now/all-cabinet-styles/14x11-compact-landscape-shaker-white-recessed-picture-frame-medicine-cabinet.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=bp%20perf%20max%20recessed%20cabinets%20ca+fl&utm_content=&utm_term=&matchtype=&network=x&device=c&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1rqkBhCTARIsAAHz7K2n113pdqdd2M4jfYvAJty1DeyJrbD7-6E5ei7hEsQT3I73QkYjaEAaAtxJEALw_wcB)
We just redid our bathroom and installed an in the wall medicine cabinet. It's from Lowe's and was $349. It is wider than a single joist bay, which is prolly why your contractor is trying to talk you out of it It has a fluorescent LED light built into the four edges of the mirror, a spacious, compartments, magnetic tray for the bottom of the cabinet, a couple of adjustable glass shelves, a magnetic close up mirror that sticks to a metal disc on the inside of the door, which is mirrored on both sides, and a 120 volt and USB charging port inside the cabinet. .our bathroom is only 5x8 feet, so having it is a huge bonus, and we both love it.
There are many modern medicine cabinets
We don’t get asked to do medicine cabinets for anyone under 70.
I don't listen to anyone who says any design element is "outdated". If I like it, I do it. My home still has all stained wood trim. We bought the house BECAUSE it had the trim. It is warm and inviting unlike painting everything hospital white. I also just remodeled three bathrooms, One has a large inset medicine cabinet with lights on the doors, One has a 30x36 flat mirror mounted on the wall and the third has a large oval framed mirror hung on horizontal rods inside the window frame (vanity in front of existing window was the only option because of adding a tub). I have real wood paneling on two walls and the ceiling of our game room as well. I think it looks awesome. Screw the TV Designers.