DIY bath remodel = DIY medicine cabinet.
“I am not a cabinet maker.” Is what Paul said to me months ago, when I showed him my ideas for a giant, recessed, extra-tall, medicine cabinet.
He explained that he is not a woodworker, or a finish carpenter, or an elderly Amish man.
I will let you decide for yourself the degree to which that is true.
This is what he built:
Paul didn’t just not want to build it… He said he couldn’t. And he suggested I get estimates for custom cabinetry… then he acted horrified at the prices.
Then I spent days trying to figure out how I could do my own IKEA hack with their Godmorgan bath cabinet. Even though I wanted something wider and deeper:
- It’s unusually tall for a medicine cabinet.
- It’s inexpensive.
- And has a mirrored door and interior.
However? The Godmorgan’s inside seems to be lined with tinfoil. Which is not the luxury look I had in mind.
I wanted something oversized that would complement the large mirror over the sink. And look fancy. The fancy part was actually the most important part—influenced by Houzz and my Pinterest bath board and other sites that people refer to as “inspiration” but actually leave you exhausted and cranky.
Paul was no help at all. He said crazy things like—why don’t we order one from Home Depot. And I looked at him like, perhaps you do not understand what I am creating here?
A bath zeitgeist, if you will.
We designated the bottom shelf for extra tall items. Then we spaced the other shelves evenly, but a little closer together. (We had the glass shelves cut custom at at local glass place.)
We put a marble base in the bottom of the cabinet. Paul did all the measurements, cut it absolutely perfectly, and installed it—while I congratulated myself on being a genius for thinking of it. Once it was in, he said—well, I can see we won’t be allowed to store anything there now.
Because when I love something? And it’s new and perfect? No one is allowed to touch it.
index of all bathroom remodel posts
I will love you EVEN MORE… if you share me with your friends!
June 18, 2012 @ 11:04 am
Not only do you reveal the most beautiful projects on your blog you always make me laugh in the process. First of all I hate to tell him, for fear that it will cause more work in the future, but Paul is definitely a woodworker, cabinet maker and finish carpenter. An elderly Amish man… eeeh, NO… Amish man skills…. “RAISE THE BARN”, he’s go ’em!
Seriously this turned out incredible. You guys should be so proud. It boggles the mind! And I totally relate to the “don’t touch it”, “don’t set anything on it”, “it’s too pretty to use” mentality. My poor husband couldn’t breathe near the new kitchen counters for at least 2 weeks. So funny!
Next you need to stock it and let us see everything inside your medicine cabinet. HA HA HA! Nice touch with the thick glass shelves and the marble. Just perfect!
June 19, 2012 @ 8:45 am
Thanks Stacey! I told Paul he might as well start growing a beard and trade the car for a horse and buggy…
It’s a serious issue to like your new house items so much that you don’t want to use them! You have white kitchen counters, right? Have you been happy with the quartz? I am drawn to marble, but know my personality should just pass that right by… I would need to be medicated to handle the stress.
June 19, 2012 @ 10:32 am
Hey with gas prices these days… we all might need a horse and buggy! HA!
We do have white counters which I have total LOVE for! No regrets on the quartz. I will never have anything else, I don’t care how much it costs. When we get to our master bath I’ll have it in there too. I’m with you, Victoria… I love the look of marble, but I’m scared of it. There’s two things we ALWAYS have around… if it’s not coffee, then it’s red wine and both of those things get spilled several times a day on my counter. With the quartz I never worry about it. It just wipes right up… almost like it’s glass. I’m afraid marble would require me to sneak into your new medicine cabinet and find something to keep me calm. (lol)
June 20, 2012 @ 8:20 am
That’s good to hear, we’re definitely going to look at quartz when we finally get around to the kitchen.
June 18, 2012 @ 12:55 pm
That is beyond beautiful! Great use of space, but more importantly – so pretty! I loved your quote at the beginning, because it was as if I were hearing my own husband.
June 19, 2012 @ 8:53 am
Why do they tell us what cannot be done? I’ve already told Paul he has now lost all credibility and will be forced to build whatever whim I can come up with… I am thinking possibly a turret? A moat?
June 19, 2012 @ 10:47 am
Go big or go home, I say – he must build you a castle out or toothpicks next! 😉
June 20, 2012 @ 8:21 am
Without using glue.
June 18, 2012 @ 8:24 pm
Victoria,
Wow, between the two of you you could be custom home builders…then you could make the big bucks with your great ideas and Paul’s attention to detail and carpentry skills. That might ruin it for both of you, never mind. It really is spectacular, great job.
Karen
June 19, 2012 @ 9:43 am
Thanks Karen! I think it would be easier to build someone else’s house, rather than my own!! There is something about my own house that drives my attention to detail into a frenzy… (and drives my husband crazy!)
June 19, 2012 @ 1:57 pm
Wow, I tip my hat to Paul, nicely done and to you Victoria for the vision. Nice use of space and I love the use of glass and marble! Sorry to say Paul, “…if you build it they will come…(lol, had to get that in there)” I’m sure your list just got a whole lot longer!
June 20, 2012 @ 8:24 am
WAY longer. He’s on vacation this week (which means lots of stuff getting done!) and he was making his list of things he wanted to accomplish. And I was starting to pipe up… and he said, let’s start over… #1 on the list—TAKE NO REQUESTS. I laughed so hard… I always want him to work on the pretty things and ignore the practical stuff.
July 1, 2012 @ 9:39 pm
Love it. Tell Paul stop being so modest. Hey maybe he can start a blog and be a guest poster on yours makeing comments. I bet that would really be funny!
July 2, 2012 @ 7:31 am
Seriously, right? But he says the reality of building and doing the project is enough for him. He is not an “internet person,” which I do NOT understand… he says I love the internet enough for both of us. (which is true.)
July 20, 2013 @ 3:39 am
“he says I love the internet enough for both of us. (which is true.)”
Don’t get him started… unfortunately mine has just got into social media and it’s all bad. This morning he took a picture of an egg (one of our own) wrote my name on it, uploaded it and tagged me.
Having said that, I may ave asked for it as I uploaded a picture of a sperm and tagged him in it stating it was him in a baby pic.
July 19, 2013 @ 1:51 pm
The medicine cabinet is gorgeous. I’ve already shown my husband–who incidentally also says he’s not an old Amish man–the picture so he can replicate it. I am glad Paul had no idea what he was doing–now Gary can’t use it as an excuse, because, look neither did Paul and he did it just fine. I also just bought a disco ball for my living room. Gary thinks I’m crazy, but I showed him how lovely yours looks on the table. He doesn’t get it. But honestly, I have no idea why I never thought of it before now!
July 20, 2013 @ 3:33 am
It looks like a bought one! Gorgeous! Go Paul!
August 5, 2013 @ 10:57 am
Hi I really lOVE your mirrored cabinet, Paul did an amazing job…. is there any way to find out what type of wood the back and sides are that Paul used? I want to do something similar, however I want to make sure I use the correct or best type of wood since it is in the bathroom. Thinking about installing an electrical outlet in mine when I build it. Thank you so much!
August 7, 2013 @ 2:03 pm
I want to say maple… for the face and trim? Since we were painting, I wasn’t concerned about how it would stain, and might have chosen something else if that was a factor. The back of the box is plywood…
I think any wood will be fine for a bath, probably your bigger concern is how you’re finishing it, what kind of grain you like, etc.
Good luck!! Send me a photo when you’re done!!
September 10, 2013 @ 7:01 pm
Love cabinet. Qs. So you used the Godmorgon cabinet and framed it with wood on top of mirror by glueing?, then another frame outside the cabinet securing on the wall, and hinged the two together? The Godmorgan cabinet is 5 1/2″ deep which is much better than the 3 1/2 that most are. So the back of the Godmorgan is plywood? I’m sorry I have so many questions but this cabinet is incredible! I may place one on top of the other for a 72″ height. Really lacking storage.
June 28, 2014 @ 9:04 pm
Does your cabinet door have a stop on it so it doesn’t hit the light fixture? I want my husband to build something similar for our bathroom. I found the same inspiration picture you used and then I remembered your DIY cabinet and came back to look at yours again.
June 29, 2014 @ 8:48 am
No stopper. Our light fixtures are extremely shallow and the door never gets opened nearly that far.
I guess if we had kids we might want to consider it… But the two of us are the only ones using it. Plus, once the door is open even a quarter of the way, you have access to the whole cabinet… It was a concern I had before it was built, but once I started using it it became a non-issue.
Good luck!
December 12, 2014 @ 4:53 pm
It’s official. My husband is NOT a fan of yours.
He’s a carpenter by trade so, naturally, when I made it to this post (I’m “reading from the beginning”), I had to show him this and ask, “Hey, you could make a medicine cabinet, couldn’t you?” (Step 1 in drawing him into this dangerous web of Victoria-inspired home projects.) His reply: “I don’t know, I guess. It depends.”
What I heard: Of course I can, I’m a carpenter.
I will have this cabinet. It might not be precisely four feet high. It might not have marble. But I WILL have this cabinet.
December 12, 2014 @ 4:56 pm
Now that I’ve gone back over the post and looked at the first picture again, I *think* I want the mirror with the sconces, too. If he can make the cabinet (I’ve decided he can) he can surely do that, too. Yay for me! 🙂
February 5, 2017 @ 8:11 pm
I am 70 and your writing is just so funny. You two r doing a great Reno but the rhetoric is just a really good read. Maybe when u r all done u could write a book about it and launch a whole new career!!!
March 4, 2017 @ 9:55 am
Did you have to cut some studs to make this recessed?
March 4, 2017 @ 10:26 am
nope! just in between!
November 15, 2017 @ 11:35 am
Just ran across this and all I can say is WOW! You had the same idea as me and I can’t believe there are not more out there doing it?? Paul did a spectacular job and I commend you on your tenacity! Can I borrow Paul for a day . 😉
March 16, 2018 @ 4:46 pm
I really like what you have done here and want to shamelessly copy it 😉
Would you mind sharing some details on the construction and dimensions of the door, especially the rails and stiles and what material plywood you used for backing it? This would be helpful since I want to avoid having a door that feels solid and doesn’t flex too much when opened.
January 9, 2019 @ 5:09 pm
Gorgeous. I’m in the process of buying a tiny condo in Boston on Beacon Street (with Charles River view — swoon), and the bathroom is ridiculously small (as is the entire condo — 678 square feet to be exact). I love this medicine cabinet AND the floor tile. Can you tell me where you got the floor tile. I assume in reading this that it is not marble, but only (ha) looks like it is. Thanks so much.