Bathroom Storage: Vanities, Niches, Linen Towers and Medicine Cabinets

Most bathrooms do not lack storage space so much as storage in the right places. Towels end up on the floor because the linen closet is down the hall, the counter fills with bottles because the vanity is all doors, and the shower ledge collects everything because there is no niche. A remodel is the chance to put each thing where it is used.

Start with what you keep, not with cabinets

Before you look at vanities, list what lives in the bathroom and who uses it. Group items by how often they are used and where:

A shared hall bathroom used by several people needs a different plan from a primary bath used by two. In a family bathroom, give each person a drawer or a bin rather than one big cabinet everyone digs through.

Vanity storage: drawers, doors and the sink in the middle

The vanity is the main storage piece in most bathrooms, and its layout matters more than its width.

• Drawers store more usable things. You see everything from above instead of reaching into the back of a dark box. Shallow top drawers with dividers handle small daily items; deep lower drawers take hair tools and bottles standing upright.
• The sink takes the middle. The bowl, drain and supply lines occupy the space under the sink. A drawer there must be shaped around the trap, often as a U-shaped drawer, or the space is left as a door cabinet.
• Doors still have a job. Tall cleaning bottles, a wastebasket and bulk supplies fit better behind doors.
• Floating vanities give up some depth of storage in exchange for open floor and an easier-to-clean look. They need the plumbing and wall framing planned for them. See bathroom vanities.

Moisture matters for any bathroom cabinet. Pay attention to the box material, the finish on the inside of the doors and drawers, and how the cabinet is protected around the sink, where splashes and small leaks happen first.

Recessed medicine cabinets, and the walls that cannot take one

A medicine cabinet recessed into the wall gives you storage at eye level without stealing space from the room. It sits between studs, so it needs an empty stud bay at the right spot. Many walls are not empty.

If the wall behind the sink is full, you have options: a surface-mounted cabinet, a recessed cabinet on a side wall, or a shallower cabinet that fits the bay. During a full remodel, when the walls are open, framing a new bay is straightforward. Our page on mirrors and medicine cabinets covers sizing to the vanity and lighting.

Shower niches

A recessed niche keeps bottles off the floor and the tub edge. Plan it with three things in mind:

• Which wall. Avoid exterior walls where you can, for the same insulation reason as a cabinet, and avoid the plumbing wall where the valve and supply run.
• Tile layout. Size and place the niche so the tile lines run cleanly through and around it, which means deciding the tile before framing.
• Water. Every inside corner of a niche is a seam in the waterproofing, and the sill should slope slightly toward the shower so water does not sit on it. See shower waterproofing explained.

For ideas and sizing, see our shower niche guide and the page on shower niches and benches.

Linen towers, closets and open shelves

Towels are bulky and need a home close to the shower or tub. A tall linen cabinet beside the vanity, a recessed shelf unit between studs, or a small closet carved from an adjoining space all work. Open shelves look good with rolled towels but collect dust and show clutter; a mix of open and closed storage is easier to live with.

In a damp bathroom, ventilation affects storage too. Towels and paper goods stored close to the shower stay damp longer if the room is not well ventilated. See bathroom exhaust fans and moisture control.

Storage around the toilet

The wall above and beside the toilet is often the only free wall in a small bathroom. Open shelves or a shallow cabinet above the tank are common. Two cautions:

• Keep the code clearance. Washington's plumbing code requires at least 15 inches from the center of the toilet to any side wall or obstruction, and in a house at least 21 inches of clear space in front of the toilet (WA UPC 402.5). A tall cabinet beside the toilet is an obstruction. Paper dispensers and grab bars are not.
• Leave room to work. Shelves set too low above the tank make it hard to lift the lid and repair the flush parts.

The full set of fixture clearances is on our bathroom plumbing code page.

Outlets inside cabinets and drawers

Keeping a hair dryer plugged in inside a drawer, or charging an electric toothbrush inside the medicine cabinet, gets cords off the counter. The electrical code allows the receptacle required near the sink to be on a wall beside the sink or on the side or face of the sink cabinet, and every receptacle in a bathroom must be GFCI protected. Whether a particular in-drawer or in-cabinet outlet fits your plan is a question for your electrician, and it is new wiring that needs a permit; in Washington, electrical alterations must meet current code (WAC 296-46B-010). Decide during design so the box is placed before the cabinet arrives. The circuit rules are on the bathroom electrical code page.

Planning storage with JDI

JDI's bathroom designer, Denise Lacquement, plans storage as part of the layout: drawer arrangements, cabinet and niche positions checked against the plumbing and framing, and outlets inside cabinets where you want them. The 3D design layout shows it before anything is ordered. See our bathroom remodeling service in Vancouver to get started.