A mirror cabinet does two jobs at once: it is the mirror you use every morning and the place the toothpaste, skincare and razor live. Because it sits right where those things are used, it is the most valuable storage in most bathrooms. Getting it right comes down to how it is mounted, its size, its inside layout and — if it has any — its lighting and power.
Surface-mounted, semi-recessed or fully recessed
Surface-mounted cabinets screw straight onto the wall. They are the simplest to fit and to replace, and the only option on many solid walls. The trade-off is depth: a cabinet around 120 to 150 mm deep sits in front of your face as you lean over the basin, and the sides are visible from across the room.
Semi-recessed cabinets sit part-way into the wall, so only some of the body projects. This suits walls with a shallow cavity, and it cuts down the bulk without needing a full-depth recess.
Fully recessed cabinets sit flush or nearly flush with the finished wall. The mirror reads as a panel in the wall rather than a box on it, and nothing projects over the basin. This is the neatest result, but it depends on having a suitable cavity — or building one during a renovation.
Can your wall take a recess?
A timber stud wall is hollow between the studs, but the usable depth is limited by the size of the framing and the thickness of the linings, and the space may already hold pipes, cables or bracing. A builder should confirm what is in the wall before anything is cut, and should not cut or notch framing without checking it is safe to do so.
On solid brick or block walls, cutting a large recess is rarely sensible. The usual answer is a framed lining built out in front of the masonry to create a cavity. That lining can also house an in-wall cistern, concealed tapware or a shower niche, so the lost width does more than one job.
In apartments, walls shared with a neighbour or a corridor may have fire or acoustic requirements, and recessing into them is generally off the table. Check with your strata manager and builder first.
Sizing it to the vanity
Width is the first decision. A cabinet the same width as the vanity, or a little narrower, usually looks balanced. Much wider looks top-heavy; much narrower looks like an afterthought. Over a double basin, either one wide cabinet or two matching cabinets centred on each basin works — two separate cabinets give each person their own side.
Height depends on the room. The bottom edge needs to clear the tapware and any splashback, including a tall mixer or a wall spout. The mirror itself should be comfortable for the tallest and shortest regular users; a taller cabinet covers both. In a room with a low or raking ceiling, check that doors can open fully without hitting a light fitting or exhaust grille.
Before buying, mark the outline on the wall with painter's tape and live with it for a day.
Doors and hinges
- One door suits narrow cabinets up to roughly 600 mm wide.
- Two or three doors suit wider units and let you open only the section you need. Check which way each door swings so it does not hit a wall, window or shower screen.
- Soft-close hinges stop doors slamming and are worth having.
- Mirrors on the inside of the doors let you see the back of your head when two doors are angled, which is handy for hair and shaving.
- Sliding doors avoid swing problems but mean only part of the cabinet is open at a time.
Inside the cabinet
Most things stored in a mirror cabinet are short and small, so inside depth of around 100 to 150 mm is plenty. Look for:
- Adjustable shelves, so tall bottles and short jars can share the space
- Glass or easy-wipe shelves, since toiletries leak
- A mirrored back, which makes the inside look brighter and makes items easy to find
- A small outlet inside the cabinet for an electric toothbrush or shaver, so chargers are not left on the vanity top — this must be installed by a licensed electrician
Keep medicines on the highest shelf or elsewhere entirely if young children are in the house, and consider a cabinet with a lockable section.
Lighting and demisters
Many mirror cabinets now include lighting. A strip along the underside washes light down onto the basin and makes a good night light. Lighting on the face or edges of the mirror lights your face evenly, reducing the shadows cast by a single ceiling light.
A demister is a heating pad behind the mirror glass that keeps part of it clear after a shower. It is often wired to switch on with the light or the exhaust fan.
Any hard-wired lighting, demister or outlet must be installed by a licensed electrician, and bathrooms have rules about where electrical equipment can go relative to baths and showers. Discuss the position with your electrician before the cabinet is chosen, and have the wiring run before the wall is lined. Plug-in cabinets still need an outlet somewhere suitable, which is also work for an electrician.
Materials that survive a bathroom
Bathrooms are humid, and a cabinet sits right in the path of steam from the basin and shower. Bodies made from aluminium, moisture-resistant board with sealed edges, or other materials designed for wet rooms hold up best. Check that hinges and fixings resist corrosion, and that mirror edges are sealed so moisture does not creep behind the silvering. A well-sized exhaust fan, run during and after every shower, does more for a cabinet's life than anything else.
Installation tips
- Fix to something solid. A loaded cabinet is heavy. Screw into studs or noggins, or use fixings rated for the wall type — never just plasterboard plugs for a large unit.
- Plan noggins early. In a renovation, ask for timber blocking in the wall where the cabinet will go before the linings go up.
- Level it carefully. Doors on a cabinet that is slightly out of level will not line up.
- Leave access. Do not bury a cistern access panel, stop valve or junction box behind a fixed cabinet.
- Seal around recessed units where the finished wall meets the cabinet, to keep moisture out of the cavity.
Getting it right in a renovation
The best time to decide on a mirror cabinet is while the room is still being drawn, because recessing, blocking and wiring all happen before the walls are closed. Our vanities and joinery service designs recessed shaving cabinets alongside the vanity below them, and our bathroom renovations page covers the full rebuild. For broad budget bands, see our cost guide. If you are in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, we can measure the wall and quote it.