Choosing the right bathroom cabinet can transform your space. Let's find your perfect fit.
Is your bathroom a sea of clutter? Is it drowning in bottles of shampoo, conditioner, soap, shower gel, bubble bath and more? If you’ve said yes to both questions, perhaps it's time to throw your bathroom a life preserver by investing in some additional storage space. But which cabinet is best for your bathroom? In this handy article, we’ll talk through your options and find the perfect solution for you.
Bathroom cabinets come in a range of shapes, sizes and styles—not to mention colours, finishes and designs. You can choose from simple, wall mounted mirror cabinets to all-singing, all-dancing combination units, which contain your toilet, sink and storage. Let’s take a closer look at all these different types of bathroom cabinet and help you answer the question “which cabinet is best for my bathroom?”.
Bathroom cabinets, like these from the Dulwich stone grey furniture range from Orchard Bathrooms, can form an integral part of your storage
Vanity units
Combining your basin and storage, vanity units are an increasingly popular choice for UK homeowners, and with good reason. This type of bathroom cabinet provides you with a great way to turn dead space beneath your sink to your advantage.
Vanity units come in floor mounted or wall hung designs, depending on your needs and can range in size from a slimline 400mm wide (ideal for cloakrooms, ensuites and small bathrooms) to a spacious 1400mm, giving you and your partner your own separate basins and storage space.
The Bath Co. Camberley satin grey floorstanding vanity unit and ceramic basin is a particular favourite with our customers
If you're simply looking to add to your existing bathroom space, you'll find plenty of different colours and shades, from popular white to on-trend grey, plus contemporary or traditional styles.
They can come with cupboard space, drawers or even a combination of the two, which means different-sized items can be stored in separate compartments, making them easy to sort and find.
The basin can be fully integrated (i.e. either an inset or undercounter basin) or can be placed on top, as a countertop basin—producing a genuine home spa look.
If you already have a vanity unit but still feel the need for further storage space, there are other options you could explore.
Pros:
- Make great use of potentially dead space beneath your sink or basin
- Come in a wide variety of sizes, styles, colours and designs
- Can be used to store larger, bulkier items (if size allows)
- Clever 2-in-1 design: Wash basin and storage in a single unit
Cons:
- You will need to hire a plumber to install
Bathroom mirror cabinet
These quick and easy bathroom cabinets have remained popular throughout the years. They perform a couple of vital functions, providing a mirror and some extra storage.
It’s easy to fit a bathroom mirror cabinet, as they require no plumbing and, depending on the design you go for, need no electrical installation. When positioned high up on the wall, they can be used to store medication or other, potentially hazardous, items that need to be placed up and away, out of the reach of small hands.
Giving you the best of both worlds—a mirror and somewhere to store smaller items—the Mode grey curved mirror cabinet is a great choice
When positioned above your sink, they form the perfect partnership, allowing you to apply makeup, put contact lenses in and check your appearance. Modern bathroom mirror cabinets have been designed with busy, everyday life in mind, and now come with a range of optional extras:
- LED illumination—providing task lighting, when doing close-up work, or mood lighting, for those occasions when the main bathroom lighting may be too harsh.
- Demister—an anti-fog mirror device means you can use it straight after stepping out of a hot shower and bath—no waiting around, no smears.
- Hands-free infrared on/off button—use the above features without having to touch anything. Ideal for those times when you have soapy or wet hands.
- Charging socket—keep shavers or electric toothbrushes charged easily, without having to move them into another room.
- Bluetooth connectivity—play your favourite music through an integrated Bluetooth speaker and make your morning routine or evening bath a more harmonious experience.
On the downside, bathroom mirror cabinets are only designed to store smaller items. So, they aren't great if you wish to tidy away larger items, like towels, bottles of household cleaners or toilet rolls. Plus, if you want one of these bathroom cabinets with optional extras like LEDs and/or a demister, you will need to hire an electrician to wire it in.
They are, perhaps, better used as additional storage, alongside a larger bathroom cabinet or vanity unit.
If you’re still making your mind up, read our 8 reasons to buy a bathroom cabinet with mirror
Pros:
- Multi-functional item that provides both a mirrored surface and storage space
- Come in a wide variety of sizes, styles, colours and designs
- Easy to fit, even for those with basic DIY experience
- A range of optional extras are available if you have additional budget to spend
Cons:
- Can only be used to store smaller, lighter items
Tall wall cabinet
Sometimes it pays to think a little creatively about your bathroom storage. As the 1980s hit song (by Otis Clay or Yazz and The Plastic Population, depending on which version you prefer) goes: “The only way is up”! And with a tall bathroom cabinet, this is exactly where you’ll be going!
Tall bathroom cabinets make great use of space and provide plenty of space for taller, bulkier items which may not necessarily fit in either a vanity unit or a mirror cabinet. Think towels, household cleaners, bleach and toilet rolls.
For those larger items, the Elsdon stone grey tall storage unit from Orchard Bathrooms, is spot on
Tall cabinets can be wall hung or floor mounted, although, for safety reasons, you will need to ensure any floor mounted bathroom cabinet is anchored to the wall, to prevent it from ever being pulled over.
If they come as part of a coordinated bathroom furniture range, they can be combined with other units to create a seamless, semi-fitted design.
Pros:
- Great for storing larger, bulkier items like towels and cleaning products
- Come in a wide variety of sizes, styles, colours and designs
- Easy to fit, even for those with basic DIY experience
Cons:
- You will need spare wall and floor space to fit this item in
Small bathroom cabinet
If you’re in need of further storage, in addition to, say, a vanity unit and mirror cabinet, or if you have an awkward layout, a small bathroom cabinet could be just the job. In contrast to their taller counterparts, small bathroom cabinets don’t take up much wall space and can be either floor mounted or wall hung, depending on your needs.
A floor mounted bathroom cabinet will usually give you an extra bit of countertop space, for things to be placed on. They can also form part of a semi-fitted bathroom solution if you combine with other units from the same bathroom furniture range.
A slimline storage unit, like this one from our Eden white furniture range, takes up little space but provides plenty of room for towels, toilet rolls and more
Providing both cupboard space and drawers, this type of bathroom cabinet is ideal if you have a mix of both large and small items that require storage space.
Where floor space is at a premium, it’s worth considering a small wall hung bathroom cabinet. These can be used in addition to mirror cabinets to hold items like towels, bath toys and toiletries. Slimline designs, like the one pictured below, will ensure you don’t accidentally bump into them when moving around your bathroom.
These wall hung open bathroom cabinets from Accents offer a subtle, inexpensive storage solution
Pros:
- Provide a mix of storage space, for both smaller and larger items
- Come in a wide variety of sizes, styles, colours and designs—including both floor mounted and wall hung
- Easy to fit, even for those with basic DIY experience
- Can provide additional countertop space
- Can be used with other, matching units for a semi-fitted appearance
- Open cabinets allow you to keep items on display or close to hand
Cons:
- You will need spare wall and floor space to fit this item in
- Doesn’t make optimum use of available wall space
- Open cabinets will need to be cleaned and dusted regularly
Combination units
Containing your toilet, basin and bathroom cabinet, a combination unit is a great way to make the best use of space, and could save you a few pennies too. For a neat, coordinated appearance, toilet and basin units offer an easy-to-clean solution, with all plumbing concealed behind the unit itself. Some are designed especially with small bathrooms in mind, with a depth, from back to front, of just 250mm.
Keep things neat and tidy, even in a small bathroom, with the MySpace Slim combination unit from Orchard Bathrooms
Pros:
- Contain all your bathroom essentials (toilet, basin and storage) in a single combined unit
- Come in a wide variety of sizes, styles, colours and designs
- Provide additional countertop space
- Can be used with other, matching units for a semi-fitted appearance
Cons:
- You will need to hire a plumber to install
Fitted bathroom cabinets
While you may be used to seeing fitted furniture in your kitchen, it is now proving more and more popular in bathrooms. Fitted bathroom cabinets come in a range of sizes and designs to fit your exact bathroom layout. Just like kitchen units, they are supplied as carcasses, with doors, drawers, adjustable feet, a worktop and plinth added, for a sleek, sophisticated and seamless design that helps eliminate clutter.
The continuous run of furniture makes cleaning easy, whilst the worktop provides you with additional space for those things you need to keep close at hand.
Make the most of your space with Wharfe slate matt grey fitted bathroom furniture from Reeves
Fitted bathroom cabinets can work in bathrooms big and small, for a flowing, coordinated look. They may, however, require a bit more effort to install. And, if you also fit a toilet and basin, you will need to employ the services of an experienced Tradesperson.
Pros:
- Creates a seamless, coordinated appearance
- Come in a wide variety of sizes, styles, colours and designs
- Combine with worktop for additional countertop space
- Can be combined with other elements, like your toilet and basin
- Easier to clean than separate cabinets
Cons:
- Can be a little more expensive than other options
- You will need to hire a plumber to install
Shop bathroom cabinets and other storage solutions
We hope you now have a good idea which cabinet is best for your bathroom. So, why not browse our full range of bathroom cabinets, vanity units, storage units and more? Simply click below to begin.
Bathroom cabinets: expert advice and fresh inspiration
For more information and advice and choosing your bathroom cabinets, at Victoria Plum you'll find everything you need. Check out our bathroom buying guides, where you'll find our mirror and cabinet buying guide. It's full of easy-to-understand terminology and will help you make an informed decision.
If it's inspiration you're seeking, check out our articles on the best bathroom sink cabinets and our favourite floorstanding vanity units. And finally, if you simply need to bring order to your existing storage, check out our article on how to organise your bathroom cabinets in 5 simple steps.
