Do you know that when it comes to organising a small bathroom, there is one absolutely vital rule? Yes, it is to find a rightful place for everything, without which the bathroom looks cluttered and messy. In fact, the bathroom is considered the cleanest and hygienic of all spaces in your house as you pay special attention to it. Less the clutter in your bathroom, less the chaotic feelings. 


Everyone wants to feel relaxed in their bathroom. The best way to achieve this is to declutter the floor and install shelves on the walls. This creates more space for your towels, bath essentials and even extra toilet paper. And what is the main advantage of this arrangement? It will provide you with more floor space to add a small planter or simply leave the space blank!

Bathroom vanity vs. medicine cabinet - What is the difference?

Suppose you are planning to update your bathroom with a cabinet. You have two choices available - either to opt for a vanity cabinet or choose a medicine cabinet.


Most of the people think that bathroom vanity and medicine cabinets are one and the same. However, there are a few differences which you should be aware of. 


Your bathroom will feel cluttered if you keep all your everyday items, such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, daily medications, etc., on your counters. So it is better to keep the items out of sight, but you still have to make them easily accessible. That’s where a medicine cabinet and other storage options come into play.

What are medicine cabinets?

Medicine cabinets are usually located on top of your vanity area and help with organizing all of your small items in one place. This makes your bathroom look neat and pristine. Medicine cabinets can come with or without a mirror, and you can choose from single or double cabinets. Basically, medicine cabinets are designed to store medicines and other small cosmetic items. 


There are different types of medicine cabinets available in the market. 

Recessed cabinet 


This type of medicine cabinet remains flush against the wall. It essentially looks as if there’s nothing behind the mirror, thus providing a stylish look to the bathroom. 

This is a common type of medicine cabinet where you can add more storage to your bathroom without showing the additional units.


Surface mount cabinet

As the name suggests, these are cabinets that are fixed directly onto the wall. You can make out that there is a cabinet. This type of cabinet is best suited for large bathrooms with space. 

Corner mount cabinet. 


This type of medicine cabinet is a great option for smaller bathrooms. This type of cabinet is installed in the corner and provides deeper shelves with more storage space.

What is a bathroom vanity?

A bathroom vanity is a piece of bathroom furniture that most often combines a sink, countertop, and mirror. Vanity cabinets tend to be bigger than medicine cabinets. You can purchase different-sized vanity cabinets depending on your space.


Like medicine cabinets, bathroom vanities are also available in different types. 

Floor mounted vanity


This type of vanity can be installed just above the bathroom floor, thus providing extra space underneath for storage. This space can be used to store towels, cosmetics and toiletries. However, this type of vanity takes up a lot of space and, hence, is best suited for large bathrooms. 

Floating bathroom vanity


These are vanities that are not attached to the floor. Instead, they are attached to the wall and look as if they are floating. There will be a lot of free space underneath this type of vanity, which will provide a spacious look to the bathroom. 


Floating bathroom vanities are best suited for small bathrooms as they free up floor space. 

Pedestal vanity


This is the traditional type of vanity that does not have any storage space at the bottom or top. The vanity will have a sink along with a pedestal that holds the sink to the floor. Pedestal vanity is a simple and sleek design and, hence is best suited for small bathrooms. 


A bathroom vanity can have single or double sinks, depending on its design. 

 

Conclusion

So which one should you go for? Bathroom vanity or Medicine cabinet? If you have enough space available and you can afford them, it would be a good idea to purchase both a vanity and a medicine cabinet. That way, you have plenty of storage space. 


In case you decided to purchase both, you should make sure to choose similar styles. If you don’t, then it will throw the look of the room off-balance. Also while purchasing, you should remember to take your budget as well as the theme and colour of your room into account.