Storage is the thing people notice missing on day one of using a new bathroom, and by then it is largely too late to build in. Niches, boxing, hidden fixings and unit positions all have to be planned before first fix. Spend twenty minutes on it now and the room works properly for the next fifteen years.
Start by listing what actually lives in the room
Cleaning products, spare toilet rolls, towels, medicines, shampoo bottles in daily use, hair dryers and straighteners, children's bath toys. Each needs a different sort of space. Shampoo wants to be within arm's reach in the shower; spare towels want a dry closed cupboard; medicines want to be high and out of reach of children. Design for the categories, not for a generic idea of storage.
The vanity unit
The workhorse. A 600mm to 800mm wide unit with two drawers holds a remarkable amount and conceals the trap and pipework at the same time. Drawers beat doors in a bathroom because you can see everything at once rather than reaching into a dark cupboard. Specify soft close runners and a moisture resistant carcass, and if the unit is wall hung, make sure timber noggins are installed behind the board before tiling so it fixes into solid material.
Watch the basin projection. A 450mm deep unit with a basin overhanging to 520mm is a common and perfectly good arrangement in a narrow room.
Recessed shower niches
The best value storage in any bathroom. Formed between studs or in a built out wall, tiled internally with the same tile as the surrounding surface, with a slight fall to the front so water drains out. Cost is modest, usually a couple of hours of labour, and it eliminates hanging caddies entirely. Two smaller niches often work better than one large one, one at shampoo height and one lower for razors and children's things. Add an LED strip in the top return for a genuinely high end effect.
Mirrored cabinets
Two functions in one plane, which is exactly what a small room needs. Modern units with integrated lighting, demister pads and internal shaver sockets replace the mirror, the mirror light and a cupboard all at once. Fix into noggins, not into plasterboard, and plan the electrical supply before first fix.
Boxing in, used properly
Every bathroom has pipework to conceal. Instead of the minimum box, build a slightly deeper duct and finish the top as a shelf running the length of the wall. Behind the toilet this creates a full width surface for plants, candles and hand wash, at almost no extra cost since the boxing was needed anyway. Tile the top rather than leaving it painted, since it will get wet.
Vertical space
- A tall 300mm wide unit fills a narrow gap beside the vanity and holds an enormous amount.
- Shelving above the door is unused space in nearly every bathroom and is ideal for spare towels.
- Open shelving in an alcove looks good but only if what sits on it looks good, so pair it with baskets.
- A wall mounted hair dryer holder inside a cupboard door keeps a bulky item off the surface.
- Hooks on the back of the door for dressing gowns free the towel rail for towels.
Awkward rooms
Loft en suites with sloping ceilings, rooms with chimney breasts, and the alcoves either side of them are where bespoke joinery earns its cost. A carpenter built unit that follows a slope or fills an alcove exactly gains far more usable volume than any off the shelf cupboard. We carry joinery in house, so this can be included as a line in the quote rather than arranged separately.
Plan it before first fix
- Mark niche positions and sizes on the wall in pencil during the survey.
- Confirm where wall hung units go so noggins can be fixed.
- Decide on any powered items, such as an illuminated cabinet, so cabling is run.
- Agree the boxing depth and whether the top becomes a shelf.
- Check every cupboard door and drawer can open fully without hitting a fitting.
Have your storage designed in
We plan niches, boxing, fixings and joinery at survey stage and show them on the quote, so nothing is an afterthought. Free survey, fixed written price within 24 hours, all plumbing, tiling, joinery and electrics carried out in house by our own insured Stoke-on-Trent fitters.
Common questions
How deep should a vanity be?
600mm is generous, 450mm suits most rooms and 300mm to 350mm works in a cloakroom. Check the basin projection separately, since it often overhangs the unit.
Can a niche go in any wall?
Only in a stud wall or where the wall can be built out. In solid brick we form a false stud on that wall or set the niche between studs on a partition.
Wall hung or floor standing units?
Wall hung looks lighter, makes cleaning easier and suits smaller rooms. It needs solid fixing, so we install noggins or a batten behind the board.
How much storage does a family bathroom need?
As a rule, a vanity plus one mirrored cabinet, and a tall unit or a niche if towels are stored in the room rather than an airing cupboard.
Is bespoke joinery worth it?
In an awkward room with sloping ceilings or a chimney breast, often yes. In a rectangular room, a well fitted off the shelf unit gives nearly the same result for less.
When do I need to decide?
Before first fix. Niches, boxing and hidden fixings all have to be built in before the walls are boarded and tiled.