Size of medicine cabinet, mirrors over 42" single sink vanity

last year

We purchased a 42"W X 22"L single sink vanity with a center sink. What is the best size medicine cabinet and how many doors are best? Should there be three evenly divided doors (e.g., 12+12+12), or would off-center doors (e.g., 21+15) be most practical? I also want to be able to open the doors so I can see the back of my head when doing my hair.

Also, would I need a light over the cabinet? If the medicine cabinet has intergrated LED lighting, would that be sufficient? Are side sconces preferable to a cabinet with integrated lighting?

Featured Answer

artemis78

last year

last modified: last year

We have a more traditional aesthetic for ours but did a single door (interior width 17") over the sink for our 42" vanity, with sconces on either side. That size feels about right as far as organizing things in the cabinet, so I'd probably lean to three doors if you want to fill the entire space above the counter. If it exists, an ideal layout for me might be 18" in the center with 12-13" side doors. Not sure if either would work for seeing the back of your head, though. (You might consider a cabinet with interior mirrors for that.)

Lighting seems to be a personal thing--I much prefer sconces on the side and it was a much better fit with the style of our home, so we designed for that. But there are lots of lovely examples with lights over the medicine cabinet or with integrated lights and they seem to work for people too. The mirror on my cabinet would likely be too small for some people, but works well for our needs. (We had an existing cabinet the same size so already knew we liked it--on a project with far too many decisions to make, I was happy to just order a matching cabinet for the new bathroom!)

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Comments (9)

PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
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PRO
JAN MOYER
last year
Get your Goggle going, as we've no clue the finish on your vanity, what you want for a frame or finish on the medicine, and we do not know if you plan recessed medicine, or wall mount,
soozinny thanked JAN MOYER
soozinny
Original Author
last year
Thank you, Jan. We are in an 80-year-old building and won't know until our contractor breaks open the wall whether we can recess the cabinet. Our white vanity has a Giotto quartz top. and white porcelain sink On requirement for our vanity is soft-close hinges. We're willing to do with the led lighting built in, but then wonder whether we absolutely need sconces. If so, we'd need a medicine cabinet that is only 30" wide, to allow room for mounting them. Very much appreciate your suggestions on the cabinets
wdccruise
last year
"I also want to be able to open the doors so I can see the back of my head when doing my hair."

How do you do this? Suppose you have a medicine cabinet with mirrors on both sides of the doors. Do you open the doors, lean in, and look at your face in one mirror and the back of your head in the other? Suppose, instead, that you have a medicine cabinet whose back is a mirror. Do you open one door, lean in, turn your head back and forth to see the front and back?
soozinny
Original Author
last year
Thank you, WDC, for pointing that out! We'll definitely order a cabinet that has a mirrored interior.
wdccruise
last year
"We'll definitely order a cabinet that has a mirrored interior."

You could use something like this Fresca Bath FMC8091 which has mirrors on both sides of the doors and a mirrored back. You should use only a vanity light bar over the medicine cabinet. An integrated light would swing away and sconces would be hidden when the doors were opened.
soozinny thanked wdccruise
soozinny
Original Author
last year
Thanks for the additional advice, WDC, We'll investigate cabinets like this one. I like using a vanity light bar rather than one with several shades. ore modern and fewer shadows, I imagine. Many thanks, again!
chispa
last year
Looks like no one here has ever used a 3-way mirror in a store to see their backside!

If you purchase a medicine cabinet with 3 panels and the end panels have hinges on the inside edge, then you can open the end panels and have a 3-way mirror to look at the back of your head. Confirm that the doors are hinged this way before ordering.