All advice / Design and finishes
Why storage should be planned early
Storage is the feature people miss most when it is left out of a renovation. Toiletries pile up on the vanity, cleaning products sit on the floor, and the room that looked perfect in the design photos feels cluttered within weeks.
The time to plan storage is during the design phase — not after the tiles are on the walls. Built-in storage (niches, recesses, vanity drawers) must be designed before the framing stage. Adding it later means opening finished walls.
Vanity drawers and cupboards
The vanity is the primary storage unit in most bathrooms. Drawers are more useful than cupboard doors because you can see and reach everything without bending down and reaching to the back.
A 900-millimetre single vanity with three drawers holds more accessible storage than a 1,200-millimetre vanity with two cupboard doors. Drawer organisers (dividers, trays) make the most of each drawer. Our vanity guide covers sizing and layout in detail.
Niches and recessed shelves
A wall niche is a recessed shelf built into the wall, tiled to match the surrounding surface. It stores shampoo, soap and other shower items without a shelf or caddy that collects mould.
Standard niche sizes are 300 by 300 millimetres or 300 by 600 millimetres. Two smaller niches (one at standing height, one lower) are more useful than one large niche. Our niche guide covers sizing, placement and sealing.
Medicine cabinets and mirror cabinets
A mirror cabinet combines two functions — a mirror and a cupboard — in a single unit. It stores medicines, grooming items and small bottles behind a mirrored door, keeping the vanity top clear.
Surface-mounted cabinets sit on the wall. Recessed cabinets sit inside the wall and give a cleaner look but need a deeper wall cavity. Our mirror guide covers both types.
Tall boys and open shelving
A tall boy (tall cupboard or linen tower) is a narrow, floor-to-ceiling unit that stores towels, spare toilet rolls and cleaning products. It fits in corners or beside the vanity where there is not enough width for a wider unit.
Open shelving (floating shelves, ladder shelves) works in dry areas of the bathroom — above the toilet, beside the mirror, or on a wall away from the shower splash zone. It is best for display items and folded towels, not for small bottles that clutter easily.
Planning your storage list
Start by listing everything that needs a home in the bathroom: shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrushes, razors, makeup, medicines, cleaning products, spare towels, toilet rolls, hair dryer, straightener. Then assign each item to a storage type — vanity drawer, niche, cabinet, or tall boy.
Guot Lual said: "My bathroom looks fantastic now — modern and functional." The balance of modern and functional starts with getting the storage right. Call 0411 752 334 for a free on-site measure anywhere in Sydney.
Frequently asked questions
How many niches does a shower need?
One or two. A single niche at shoulder height stores daily products. A second niche lower down is useful for children or for leg-shaving items. More than two in a standard shower starts to look busy.
What is the best vanity storage layout?
Drawers beat doors. A vanity with three graduated drawers (shallow on top, deep on the bottom) stores more in an accessible way than a vanity with two cupboard doors.
Can I add storage after the renovation is finished?
Surface-mounted items (mirror cabinets, floating shelves, hooks) can be added at any time. Built-in items (niches, recessed cabinets) need the wall opened, reframed, sealed and retiled — best done during the renovation.
How deep should a bathroom niche be?
About 80 to 100 millimetres — deep enough to hold a standard shampoo bottle without it sticking out past the tile surface. The depth is limited by the wall stud spacing (typically 90 millimetres in a standard timber frame).
Where should I put a tall boy in a bathroom?
In a corner, beside the vanity, or next to the toilet. Keep it away from the shower splash zone so the contents stay dry. A tall boy works best against a dry wall, at least 600 millimetres from the shower screen.