Context is key. Style and type of medicvine cabinets work in conjunction with the balance of the bathroom finishes. Which also work together with the overall stye and finishes on the entire home.

Thanks for your response. I am upgrading the bathroom finishes-
new quartz counter & wonder if backsplashes around the counter in the same quartz are considered "old school"

Hijacking the thread to ask @chispa a few questions if I may - how do you like your Carew sconces? At night when they are the only ones on do you think the light is enough for grooming? Looks nice! I am specifying these on a job and debating if a recessed light above the sink is a good idea. Thanks!

Very, very smart looking. A winner!

We have recessed cabinets, quartz counter with a backsplash but no end splashes.

This looks really nice, Pat. I am leaning towards a less cluttered look too by eliminating the two end pieces of backsplash.
Did you encounter much difficulty recessing your mirrors? I would love to have recessed mirrors, but worry about the distance between the studs and added expense.
Thanks for responding.

It was easy for us as our reno was the full bath and we were down to the studs. So it was factored into the contract cost so I can't tell what the additional cost was. I have attached a picture that partially shows what they had to do. The builder's original concern was that this is an outside wall. But since we had 2x6 studs there was still enough room for insulation behind the cabinets.

Hi Pat
Thank you. This has really helped me decide that I will need to go to surface mounted cabinets or keep my large plate glass mirror because this is also an outside wall for me and I see all the work on the studs that your carpenter did to create boxes for the mirrors. Thanks again and your bathroom looks amazing!
Barb

I'm so glad this helped you - there are so many decisions to make. We are really pleased with how the bath turned out!

If your sinks are installed close to the side walls of the alcove, you may want to include side splashes. Pat's sinks are moved in a bit - so long as you don't have crazy kids using the sinks, I would pass on the side splashes.

You might want to play with the height of the back (and side, if needed) splashes. When they are taller than 4" or shorter (I've seen 2" ones), they look more updated. Chispa used a 3" matching piece of white quartz along the back wall behind her vanity.

Carla Aston is a designer who has a blog that is pretty popular. She installed 2" back/side splashes in order to provide water protection while updating the look of a 4" back/side splash:

In the next photo, a taller back splash piece was installed + wall mount faucets were installed instead of mounting them on the countertop:

this bathroom isn't finished yet - but they are using a taller back splash piece in a custom shape. I've seen a similar back splash piece with shorter side splashes used in an alcove:

The back splash piece used below appears to be the typical 4" height - however, it looks updated since the faucets were mounted on the back splash. It looks like bead board has been added above the piece of marble + on the side walls of the alcove.

The next one has a taller back splash piece of marble that was added with a large mirror (same width as vanity above the marble. I have seen quite a few bathrooms where the homeowner added a shelf between the back splash piece and the mirror. It looks like they just used a trim piece here instead of a shelf - but it provides you with an idea of how a shelf would look. The marble has been extended along the side walls of the alcove. The way that they had the fabricator shape the ends of the side wall pieces provides a more "antique" look/feel - it would look more updated if they had kept the edges simple.

You could keep your current full sized mirror and simply add a thin metal frame on top of it (I've seen strips available on Amazon that can be used to imitate a thin metal frame = very inexpensive).

You could also install sconces directly through your mirror vs. placing them on the side walls as shown in above photo. Here is an example:

You could just tile the wall behind your vanity instead of installing a 4" backsplash + you could extend the tile to cover the side walls if your vanity is inside an alcove. In the below photo, brick was used instead of tile - it kind of looks like faux brick.

You could also leave your current mirror and add some framing around it + a center tower for storage (if you aren't able to install the medicine cabinet mirrors). It would add storage + save you money. I know people who have made their builder's grade mirror look like two separate mirrors by adding painted wood moulding/trim/panels.

There are many options - it really depends on what your style is - traditional? contemporary? modern? transitional? etc.

@thinkdesignlive, I'm happy with the Carew sconces. They are plenty bright ... I did play around and try different bulbs. Warning: it is a pain to attach the housing back after changing bulbs! Find an LED bulb you like so you don't have to change too often.

I also have four 4" recessed light in the bathroom (not over the sinks) and two in the shower area. I mostly use the sconces for lighting. My DH hates the lights at eye level and he always uses the recessed lights!

Thank you, Dani, for taking the time to provide all this invaluable input.
I will be sure to post a before & after once completed.
Barb

Please do post before and after photos once you've finished the project! I wish more people would!