ideas Archives - Stunninteriors

Bathroom cabinet ideas and their advantages

Everyone in this world always wants to increase their home value and improve their living space. You can learn a lot of ways to do it, but you can think simply that the value of your house will generally increase if interior spaces are upgraded for each room including the bathroom. In this article, we will only focus on bathroom cabinet ideas for enhancing the value of your bathroom. It not only provides more storage space but also creates a modern bathroom.

What is a bathroom cabinet?

Definition of bathroom cabinet

It is not hard to understand what a bathroom cabinet is. It is simply a cabinet which is placed in the bathroom for the main purpose of storing things. It contains shelves or drawers of towels, shampoo, hairbrushes, razors, hair dryers, and so on. To sum up, bathroom cabinets store things or tools that are usually used in the bathroom. However, they sometimes have special designs compared with normal cabinets aiming to cover the weaknesses or water pipes of the bathroom.

Recognize the difference between bathroom cabinets and vanities

Vanity is a type of cabinet that we usually see in the bathroom. They have some minor differences to help us recognize them. Vanity is usually under a sink for the main purpose of covering the water pipe and making the sink look more beautiful and eye-catching. While the bathroom cabinets are inclined to store things and organize space. Simply, we can say that all vanities are cabinets, but not all cabinets are vanities.

Why do you need a bathroom cabinet

Building a cabinet in your bathroom is not a must, but let’s consider some benefits of it before you make the decision.

Provide more storage space

The essential advantage of a cabinet bringing to your bathroom is that provides more storage space. There will be a lot of things that need storage space such as shampoo, towels, body wash, hair dryer… In case you have a lot of that stuff, you will feel so lucky if you have a cabinet in your bathroom to store those things. Moreover, It also helps you easily find out the things that you are in need of, especially small things such as hair clips, razors, dental floss, perfume…

Help your bathroom to be clean and neat

There is no doubt that a bathroom cabinet will provide more storage space and reorganize stuff in your bathroom. The better they are reorganized, the neater and cleaner your bathroom will be. It also covers small things and removes the clutter, so you will feel more comfortable when looking at the bathroom.

Improve the space of the bathroom

If you want to upgrade your bathroom and are ready to spend money on it, what about an outstanding cabinet? With a beautiful, stunning, and modern one, your bathroom will be more attractive, which helps to improve your feeling when you take a shower or rewind. Some people have a hobby that is to relax in their bathroom, so the space of the bathroom is really important for these people.

Easy to customize

Another benefit is customizable features. A cabinet can help you lightly adjust the bathroom space whenever you want. You can repaint it with your favorite color or customize the shape to suit your bathroom.

Increase the value of the house

The value of the bathroom will rise to another level if it has a cabinet. If you have a modern and attractive bathroom, it absolutely affects the price when you sell or rent out your house. In some cases, you have to move to another area for some reason. That will be a smart idea when you hang a board “for sale” or “for rent” in front of your house.

Things to keep in mind when building a bathroom cabinet

Anti-water materials

Because of the domination of the water and humidity in the bathroom, you have to make sure that your cabinet has to be made or covered by anti-water materials. Without an anti-water feature, water and humidity can damage it so badly. Furthermore, it can be a good place for mold growth, which can lead to some respiratory diseases.

Wall-mounted or elevated bathroom cabinet

In the bathroom, water usually pours out onto the floor and it sometimes spreads to the area under the cabinet. Thus, you have to make sure that you can always clean and wipe that area. There are 2 types of cabinets that can solve this problem: wall-mounted and elevated type. I prefer an elevated cabinet to a wall-mounted one because the wall-mounted is harder to install.

Design and space optimization

You have to highly consider the design of the bathroom cabinet because it sometimes has a special design to cover the water pipes. In this case, you have to measure the water pipes carefully and create the right cabinet design that suits them. Besides, you should measure the space where the cabinet will be placed to pick the suitable size of it. It will help you optimize the storage space as much as possible and balance the positive and negative space in your bathroom.

Accessibility

Every furniture has its functions and it will be silly when you can not or hardly access them. The cabinet is not an exception, you should place it in a place that is easy to approach. Especially with wall-mounted types, it is not smart when mount them too high. Standing on tiptoes to take something from the cabinet in the bathroom where the floor is usually covered by water is very dangerous.

Some stunning cabinet ideas for your bathroom

Floating Vanity

If your bathroom follows the modern style, you should consider a floating vanity. It not only provides a modern look but also helps you cover the water pipes under the sinks and create more floor space illusion.

Open Shelving Bathroom Cabinet

An open shelving idea is a good choice for you if you are a person who loves neatness. It is different from the traditional closed cabinet, the open shelving type will show everything stored inside. Therefore, you have to arrange everything inside logically to avoid the messy and cluttered feeling when looking at the cabinet. However, it sometimes helps you rewind and release stress, for instance, some people feel satisfied when seeing neatly folded towels.

Mirrored Cabinet

Cabinets with mirrored fronts will provide multiple functionalities. Besides the storing function, sometimes you can use it as a mirror. It also reflects the light and duplicates the space, which makes the bathroom feel larger. This idea is very suitable for the small bathrooms.

Built-In Bathroom Cabinet

A small built-in cabinet will blow a new wind to your bathroom design, it also utilizes every wall niches or alcoves for storage. You can put in some decorative elements or neatly folded towels to make your bathroom more attractive. However, you have to spend more time and effort to build a built-in cabinet compared with a normal one.

Hidden Storage

If you want to keep the storing function but do not want the presence of a cabinet in your bathroom, the hidden storage type will be the right choice for you. It will be hidden by another object such as a mirror, wall, or picture, so the design of the room will not change too much in general view.

Customized Drawers

You can customize the drawers of the cabinet to utilize the storing function and make it more personal. For example, a drawer can be divided into many cells for organizing toiletries, makeup, watches, ties, jewelry…

Vertical storage tower or Corner Bathroom Cabinet

If your bathroom has limited space, why don’t you try a vertical storage tower or corner cabinet? They only occupy a little space, especially the corner cabinet which can utilize the corner space which people rarely use.

Marble Countertop Vanity

Marble is very common in the kitchen and bathroom because it is very easy to clean and has a long lifespan. If you want your bathroom to look more elegant, you can try a luxurious marble countertop for the vanity. For me, I prefer the light-colored marble over the dark one, because It makes your bathroom wider and brighter.

Pull-Out Hampers

Integrating pull-out hampers into the cabinet will help you save space and cover the dirty clothes. People will not fold their dirty clothes, they usually leave them as a mess until they do the laundry. Leaving them inside a cabinet will make the bathroom neater.

Modern Geometric Designs

If the cabinet is the focal point of the bathroom, it should have extraordinary designs and the modern geometric pattern is one of them. This modern geometric design is not common, but if you can do it well, you will get a stunning bathroom and differ from the rest of the world.

Under-Cabinet Lighting

With under-cabinet lighting, the atmosphere will become cozier and more inviting. It is very easy to install this type of lighting, you only need to buy the LED light tape and stick it under the bathroom cabinet. However, you have to ensure that electric connectors are sealed carefully because there is a lot of water and humidity in the bathroom.

Conclusion

We can not deny the benefits that a cabinet brings to you. It provides extra storage, and neater space, and enhances the value of the bathroom. However, there are some things you have to notice such as the material, design, accessibility, and the location space of the cabinet. You also have to choose the right ideas for the cabinet to suit your bathroom space and the design of your design.

Open kitchen ideas help your house more beautiful

What is an open kitchen?

As its name implies, an open kitchen refers to a cooking place where walls and obstacles are limited, aiming to create a widened space. Obviously, it is the result of the integration of the kitchen and other surrounding areas such as the living room, dining room, backyard, or garden into a large room/space.

The open-concept kitchen appeared in the late 19th century and became more popular in the mid-20th century, especially in the United States. Along with the bloom of minimalism, the open kitchen concept still be a good choice for modern life

Read more: Grey And White Kitchen Ideas

The benefits and drawbacks of an open kitchen

The benefits of exposed kitchen

Convenience for movement

There is no doubt that accessibility and movement will be easier with a kitchen following the open space concept. The fewer barriers and walls, the more convenience in cooking, preparing, and serving food. Therefore, the combination of the dining room and kitchen is very popular because of their function. Sometimes, the dining area can temporarily become a place to prepare food for parties. On the other hand, there are some designs that connect the kitchen to the garden where is full of fruits, vegetables, or spices. It will be very convenient because they can be harvested and moved directly to the kitchen for cooking or processing. The integration of the kitchen and backyard will benefit BBQ parties, the time for BBQ party preparation or cleaning will be shortened and people will have more time for digging and chatting.

For me, an idea that can create an open space among the dining room, backyard, and garden is the best idea ever. The kitchen will be the center area surrounded by these areas.

The feeling of expansive space.

The elimination of the walls and barriers will absolutely create a large space for your house. It is very suitable for a small house or apartment. The open space created by the kitchen, living room, and dining room is very popular in medium-sized apartments. By eliminating walls, there is an uninterrupted line of sight throughout the living areas. It creates a sense of continuity and makes the apartment feel more expansive while the area of that apartment is not changed.

Natural light for the health

Open kitchens often allow more natural light to flow into the space. If there are windows in the nearby areas, the light can easily penetrate the kitchen without any obstruction from walls or barriers. Increased natural light has a significant impact on people’s health such as boosting vitamin D, reducing stress or depression, and killing disease-causing bacteria,…

Increase in face-to-face interaction.

The open concept also brings people or family members closer due to no more separation of obstacles. There will be more talks and social interaction during cooking and preparing food. It will be easier to commute to each other from the kitchen to another room where the wall was eliminated. Sometimes, when the homeowner opens a party, the stage of preparing and cooking food will be more interesting because people can talk, chat, and interact with others while they are working. Finally, it makes the house more lively, bustling, and cozier than a house which has a closed floor plan

The drawbacks of an unenclosed kitchen

Offensive smell

It’s not hard to recognize the smell as a disadvantage of the open kitchen. The house can be totally full of food smells when someone is cooking in the kitchen, especially for heavy-smelling dishes. Furthermore, furniture made of fabric or cotton can easily absorb the smell of food and the situation will become worse if there is some foods are burned in the kitchen.

Unpleasant noise

Noise is another drawback the homeowner has to consider before designing an open kitchen. It is easy to understand that as the space becomes larger, the sound will be louder. Only a small sound in the kitchen can become a loud sound when heard from the living or dining room. Let’s imagine that there are some people watching television or sleeping on the sofa, but the sound from pots, bowls, dishes… hitting together and making them feel bothered while enjoying the TV shows or having a sweet sleep.

Regular cleaning

The open-concept kitchen, especially between the kitchen and living room, also forces the homeowner to always notice whether the kitchen is messy. Because of no walls and barriers, visitors can draw their eyes directly to the kitchen instantly when they have the first step into the living room. Therefore, if the homeowner wants his guests to be stunned by the open concept of the house, he has to ensure that everything is clean and neat. However, in an open kitchen, cabinets or drawers may be eliminated to create more space, which leads to a lack of storage space for cooking tools, pots, and dinnerware. Consequently, the kitchen will easily get messy and cluttered.

The principles for building a kitchen with open-concept

Open layout

Open layout plays a crucial role in building an open kitchen. It will be meaningless if there is an open kitchen which evokes a feeling of narrow or limited space. Therefore, the walls or barriers have to be eliminated enough to create a widened space between the kitchen and surrounding spaces. Along with spaciousness, convenient movement has to be ensured between rooms or function areas.

Natural light

Natural light is one of the essential elements in designing an open-concept kitchen. With the natural light, the sense of spaciousness will be enhanced significantly and the brightness of the kitchen will be optimized, which helps the monthly electric bill decrease.

Functional zones

Because there are no walls to separate the space into function rooms. Thus, the homeowner has to draw down the functional zone logically before building the kitchen to ensure a convenient working flow as well as a beautiful open concept. The logical functional-zone separation will help improve the speed of food preparation, cooking, or cleaning and neatness of the kitchen.

Storage solutions

Storage will be a big problem for a cooking lover or a big family due to a large amount of dinnerware and cooking tools. Therefore, storage optimization is very necessary for an open kitchen where some storage places can be removed to create an open concept. Some storage solutions can be considered to help the kitchen neater such as multi-drawer cabinets, vertical storage, or pantry area…

Seamless transitions

The sense of spaciousness also comes from the consistency among the kitchen and adjoining areas in paint color, design element, and floor patent. For colors, bright colors are highly recommended because they evoke the feeling of a large space. However, if there is an overwhelm of bright colors, it will make the kitchen dazzle. Minimal design elements and no-texture or simple texture patents should be considered for the open kitchen too.

Proper ventilation

As discussed above, the smell is a disadvantage of the open-concept kitchen. Thus building a high-quality ventilation system is a smart choice to limit the smell, smoke, odors, or heat generated during cooking. Proper ventilation promotes a comfortable and healthy environment within the open kitchen space.

Flexible seating

Flexible seating options will help the kitchen have a balance of space creation and functionality. The homeowner can set up bar stools on the kitchen island or lightweight chairs for the dining table. These stools or chairs can be removed to create a wider space if it is necessary, or changed for functional area creation.

Consider acoustics

To eliminate the annoying sounds from the kitchen, the homeowner can apply acoustic treatments such as sound-absorbing materials, rugs, or curtains. However, he should not abuse them to much, because they will help to minimize the noise but their material is an ideal place for mold or unpleasant smell to linger.

Some open kitchen concept ideas for your reference

Open Kitchen With Island And Bar Seating

The kitchen island not only helps the kitchen have a widened look but also is a functional area. A kitchen island with some bar seating around will be a good place for eating, drinking, and preparing food. Sometimes, it will be a place for working, studying, and entertaining.

Large Windows or Glass Walls For Exposed Kitchen

There is no doubt that natural light will make a place look larger and brighter. Therefore, let the kitchen dive into the natural light from windows or glass walls.

Double-Sided Fireplace For A Cozy Open Kitchen

There is an idea to suit nations having freezing winters, which is a double-sided fireplace. The kitchen and another room such as the living room or dining room will share the fireplace together. Besides, the fireplace will ensure that the sight from the kitchen can easily go through it to the shared fireplace room.

Unclosed Kitchen And Open Shelving Dividers

Image credit: Architecturaldigest/FRENCH+TYE

There is a similar idea with the double-sided fireplace above but everyone can apply it without the weather consideration. It has the same formula as the double-sided fireplace but now is the double-sided shelf.

Hidden Appliances For A Seamless Open Kitchen

White paint color, natural light, and hidden appliances are a perfect combo for the spacious sense. Thus, hidden appliances will create a seamless sight for the kitchen. The appliances will be out of sight because they are hidden in the cabinet or covered by the same surrounding pattern. Finally, there will be nothing to distract the eyes from the overall view of the kitchen, which invokes the larger kitchen feeling.

Modern Open Kitchen With Peninsula

If the kitchen lacks space for the kitchen island idea, let’s consider the kitchen peninsula. The peninsula has similar functions as the island and it is usually near the entrance to the kitchen. So that, it can help widen the sight into the kitchen and make the space opener.

Mirrors For Kitchen Space Duplication

We can not deny the fact that the mirrors will reflect the light which makes the kitchen brighter and wider. Moreover, it also evokes a spacious feeling because of its image reflection feature. There are some ideas that can help the kitchen look larger such as mirror/glass-door cabinets or mirror backsplash as in the picture above.