Ask any interior designer what their white whales are when renovating a home, and you will likely hear them grumble about the lack of design-friendly cabinetry options in the bathroom—though things are changing. The humble medicine cabinet is experiencing a bit of a glow-up these days, according to experts, and is serving as the centerpiece for contemporary bathrooms.
DuVäl Reynolds, founder of DuVäl Design in Fairfax, Virginia, says the problem with traditional medicine cabinets is that the “builder-basic” models, which are commonplace among landlord renovations and new builds, haven’t progressed style-wise at the same pace as their surroundings. “Once bathrooms started to shift toward cleaner lines, floating vanities, and oversized modern mirrors, those old-school cabinets just didn’t fit the look,” he says. “Some started gravitating toward minimal spa-like spaces, and anything that felt clunky—or reminded us of a ’90s rental—got phased out.”
The experts I spoke with mention that the transition to more aesthetic ready-to-order options started happening within the last five years, ushering in more ’70s-influenced silhouettes, colorful trims, and streamlined designs. Jill Siegel, chief inspiration officer at Lavish Kitchen + Bath in Austin, says this “new generation of medicine cabinets—particularly recessed versions—brings order to all the small essentials without disrupting the design.”
New York City–based designer Josh Greene knows the struggle of finding a beautiful medicine cabinet all too well, which is why he decided to create a line of his own in 2021. He noticed that his best options in this genre were either really high-end pieces with uninspiring finishes, like polished nickel, or custom-making his own cabinets for clients that felt better suited to the spaces he was designing. Even when retailers started offering more ready-made alternatives, he felt that many of the more affordable metal builds fell flat.
After finding a pipe in the wall above the sink in his old bathroom and a lack of handsome wood finishes on the market, he decided to design his own geometric iterations with different mount options, all in a host of solid wood materials. “When I launched, I came out with 12 different frame profiles because I wanted to give the design trade ultimate flexibility [and] I didn’t want them to look the same in each bathroom,” he says. His timber-and-oak Sento medicine cabinet, which mirrors the look of an antique picture frame, is one of his most popular, though the full line includes intricately carved designs like the Sutro and Redondo, which Greene describes as having “presence without being too loud” against soft goods or tile.
And though custom options used to be the most efficient way to order something modern and tasteful—from the octagonal design Greene created for this classic Upper East Side estate to this maximalist Manhattan apartment’s pale blue mirror that lifts up like a garage door to unveil storage—more and more ready-to-order alternatives are entering the fray with abstract shapes and youthful designs that feel special and personalized. Some of our favorites include this Ettore Sottsass–esque cabinet and Ferm Living’s jagged-edged version inspired by a shard of glass, though Memphis-y and Space Age–inspired options exist too.
To counter the clunkiness of traditional styles, which designer Silvana Vergara of Brooklyn-based Studio Tove says often protrude from the wall and disrupt the flow and visual softness in a bathroom, she prioritizes the simple elegance she sees in newer options with thin frames, concealed hinges, soft finishes to harmonize with the bathroom’s color palette, and/or recessed design—such as this Cade Inset design by Rejuvenation. She says this intentionality allows for the cabinet to feel “warm, modern, and beautifully integrated into the space.”
As home dwellers dream out loud about their bathroom’s potential, the design shift to more playful cabinetry is a welcome deviation from the landlord special, allowing home owners (and even intrepid renters) to reflect their own personality along the way.
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