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Young House Love » Reader Redesigns » Turning A Medicine Cabinet Into An Open Shelf Niche

| By Sherry Petersik | March 8, 2009 | 17 Comments

Turning A Medicine Cabinet Into An Open Shelf Niche

We seriously swooned when Erica sent us her medicine cabinet makeover. It’s no secret that we’re head-over-heels-crazy for open shelving, and this little niche transformation is crisp, clean and oh so fabulous. Here’s Erica’s letter:

Inspired by the open shelving we’re seeing everywhere, my husband and I decided it was time to give our builder-grade medicine cabinet an open storage makeover. We removed the mirrored cabinet, decided to drywall in the existing space in the wall, and frame it with trim that matched the rest of the trim in our house. We used some materials we already had, including drywall and the glass shelves from the old cabinet. Basically all we had to buy was trim and cove molding to support each shelf.  Now we have an open storage space in our bathroom that makes it easier to grab some of the essentials in the morning like q-tips and cotton balls. This was a relatively quick fix that we think looks 100% better than our original cabinet! –Erica

medicine-cabinet-makeover

open-shelving-bathroom-glass-shelves-molding-brackets

glass-open-shelving-diy-how-to-make

Downright delicious, eh? Thanks so much for the pictures Erica! And if anyone wants more details about her fabulous project, pop in on her (and her sister in law Erin’s) blog and check out their instructions here and here. No rocket science required.

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Comments

  1. kelly says

    March 8, 2009 at 10:42 am

    Pretty color bathroom! Nice work! :0)

    Reply
  2. Missy says

    March 8, 2009 at 2:35 pm

    stunning! love it!

    Reply
  3. Allison says

    March 8, 2009 at 3:59 pm

    Impressive! I never would’ve thought of that…and we have the exact situation in our bath! Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  4. mallory says

    March 8, 2009 at 5:06 pm

    wowza! nice work!!

    Reply
  5. Meredith says

    March 8, 2009 at 6:11 pm

    It looks great! Sadly…I don’t think we could pull off open shelving. We’re both FAR too messy :(

    Reply
  6. Victoria says

    March 8, 2009 at 7:41 pm

    I love this! It looks super neat and tidy! And I must say…I do love those q-tip jars..because I have the same ones :)

    Reply
  7. Julia @ Hooked on Houses says

    March 8, 2009 at 7:54 pm

    What a great little makeover! The trim around it really sets it off. I’ll have to check out Erica’s blog.

    Reply
  8. Michael says

    March 8, 2009 at 8:11 pm

    Looks good, except I’d paint the white metal switchplate, LOL!

    Reply
  9. DesignTies says

    March 9, 2009 at 12:36 am

    I used to have a medicine cabinet like this… and now I’m wishing I still had it so that I could undertake this great project!
    Victoria from EdinDesigns @ DesignTies

    Reply
  10. bungalow_bliss says

    March 9, 2009 at 7:27 am

    What an improvement! Nice job!

    Reply
  11. heather s. says

    March 9, 2009 at 7:58 am

    Looks great! Sadly I have to keep my medicine cabinet since it is the only mirror in the bathroom but I love the open storage.

    Reply
  12. luuvely says

    March 9, 2009 at 8:14 am

    super cute!

    i frequent her site! cool… her new bathroom is sooo cute now! :)

    Reply
  13. Diva Style says

    March 9, 2009 at 12:16 pm

    Ooh fab! Storage and art all in one! Love the styled display!

    Reply
  14. Pamela says

    March 9, 2009 at 2:58 pm

    We’re thinking of just cutting a couple of holes in the walls to do this same thing! I love the trim around it, I hadn’t thought of that before.

    Reply
  15. Terri says

    August 4, 2009 at 6:53 pm

    Thank you for posting this.
    I am right in the middle of a re-model and I’m
    moving the cabinet to the front of the sink.
    Was not to sure how a niche would work out.
    This looks great with the molding. Very finished look.

    Reply
  16. Nikki G says

    January 20, 2011 at 8:32 pm

    Oh my gosh I LOVE this reader redesign!! We have the same set-up in one of our bathrooms and I’ve been stumped on what to do w/the medicine cabinet on the side wall – thanks for the great inspiration – this is definitely the answer!!! Yay!!

    Reply
  17. Mariana says

    March 25, 2014 at 5:17 pm

    Thank god for this! We are redoing our bathroom and I had to get rid of my late 70’s medicine cabinet, I am so excited to try this out! Thanks for featuring it!
    Mariana @ vintagechicandco.com

    Reply

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John and Sherry Sitting On Woven ChairHey, we’re John & Sherry. We’ve fixed up 7 homes, written books, designed products, started a podcast, and then downsized & moved to the beach! Here you’ll find over 3,000 DIY projects & home updates. More about us…
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