Bathroom Pantries

Posted on: October 21st, 2011 | 14 Comments



One of the biggest complaints about the typical “builder” bathroom is a lack of functional storage space. One effective design idea is to include a “bathroom pantry”, which is simply a tall millwork unit that is larger than a medicine cabinet but smaller that a linen closet.


A bathroom pantry can sit above the counter to the left or right side of the sink – or on both sides as our example shows. This still allows for some counter space in front of the pantry, but will provide deeper and more functional storage than a typical medicine cabinet. Ideally, this type of above counter bathroom pantry should be at least twelve inches deep.


Another option is to make the pantry deeper by bringing it out the full width of the bathroom counter, which would be about 22 or 24 inches deep. If the toilet is next to the bathroom counter, this millwork volume will also provide some physical separation between the sink and the toilet. This deeper type of unit also allows for linen or towel storage as well as the possibility of a “tooth brush” storage garage at the counter level.


Today’s Slides:

  • Konkinsa

    Hi John and Matthew:
    On your last bathroom example what is above the flipper door?  Is that a light fixture?  At first I thought it was a paper towel holder.

  • Li-Na

    John and Matthew, how is the interior of that last cabinet laid out? Is the flipper door compartment completely separate from the rest of the cabinet? I.e., if I were to open the main front door, would I see my electric toothbrush that I shoved in through the flipper door?

    Also, is there a wall outlet inside the flipper door compartment so you could charge the electric toothbrush? Do you by any chance also have a super-smart idea on how to store/hide a hairdryer? :-)

    Plus, thrown in for good measure, a bit of an off-topic question… ;-) Have you ever designed some sort of storage to be placed in the extra space sometimes found at the end of the bathtub (seen for example, in the first floorplan posted here). I only ask because if I renovated my bathroom, I could end up with a space like that and I’m always on the lookout for ideas on what I could put there! 

  • Li-Na

    John and Matthew, how is the interior of that last cabinet laid out? Is the flipper door compartment completely separate from the rest of the cabinet? I.e., if I were to open the main front door, would I see my electric toothbrush that I shoved in through the flipper door?

    Also, is there a wall outlet inside the flipper door compartment so you could charge the electric toothbrush? Do you by any chance also have a super-smart idea on how to store/hide a hairdryer? :-)

    Plus, thrown in for good measure, a bit of an off-topic question… ;-) Have you ever designed some sort of storage to be placed in the extra space sometimes found at the end of the bathtub (seen for example, in the first floorplan posted here). I only ask because if I renovated my bathroom, I could end up with a space like that and I’m always on the lookout for ideas on what I could put there! 

  • Li-Na

    John and Matthew, how is the interior of that last cabinet laid out? Is the flipper door compartment completely separate from the rest of the cabinet? I.e., if I were to open the main front door, would I see my electric toothbrush that I shoved in through the flipper door?

    Also, is there a wall outlet inside the flipper door compartment so you could charge the electric toothbrush? Do you by any chance also have a super-smart idea on how to store/hide a hairdryer? :-)

    Plus, thrown in for good measure, a bit of an off-topic question… ;-) Have you ever designed some sort of storage to be placed in the extra space sometimes found at the end of the bathtub (seen for example, in the first floorplan posted here). I only ask because if I renovated my bathroom, I could end up with a space like that and I’m always on the lookout for ideas on what I could put there! 

  • Li-Na

    John and Matthew, how is the interior of that last cabinet laid out? Is the flipper door compartment completely separate from the rest of the cabinet? I.e., if I were to open the main front door, would I see my electric toothbrush that I shoved in through the flipper door?

    Also, is there a wall outlet inside the flipper door compartment so you could charge the electric toothbrush? Do you by any chance also have a super-smart idea on how to store/hide a hairdryer? :-)

    Plus, thrown in for good measure, a bit of an off-topic question… ;-) Have you ever designed some sort of storage to be placed in the extra space sometimes found at the end of the bathtub (seen for example, in the first floorplan posted here). I only ask because if I renovated my bathroom, I could end up with a space like that and I’m always on the lookout for ideas on what I could put there! 

  • Li-Na

    John and Matthew, how is the interior of that last cabinet laid out? Is the flipper door compartment completely separate from the rest of the cabinet? I.e., if I were to open the main front door, would I see my electric toothbrush that I shoved in through the flipper door?

    Also, is there a wall outlet inside the flipper door compartment so you could charge the electric toothbrush? Do you by any chance also have a super-smart idea on how to store/hide a hairdryer? :-)

    Plus, thrown in for good measure, a bit of an off-topic question… ;-) Have you ever designed some sort of storage to be placed in the extra space sometimes found at the end of the bathtub (seen for example, in the first floorplan posted here). I only ask because if I renovated my bathroom, I could end up with a space like that and I’m always on the lookout for ideas on what I could put there! 

  • Li-Na

    John and Matthew, how is the interior of that last cabinet laid out? Is the flipper door compartment completely separate from the rest of the cabinet? I.e., if I were to open the main front door, would I see my electric toothbrush that I shoved in through the flipper door?

    Also, is there a wall outlet inside the flipper door compartment so you could charge the electric toothbrush? Do you by any chance also have a super-smart idea on how to store/hide a hairdryer? :-)

    Plus, thrown in for good measure, a bit of an off-topic question… ;-) Have you ever designed some sort of storage to be placed in the extra space sometimes found at the end of the bathtub (seen for example, in the first floorplan posted here). I only ask because if I renovated my bathroom, I could end up with a space like that and I’m always on the lookout for ideas on what I could put there! 

  • Li-Na

    John and Matthew, how is the interior of that last cabinet laid out? Is the flipper door compartment completely separate from the rest of the cabinet? I.e., if I were to open the main front door, would I see my electric toothbrush that I shoved in through the flipper door?

    Also, is there a wall outlet inside the flipper door compartment so you could charge the electric toothbrush? Do you by any chance also have a super-smart idea on how to store/hide a hairdryer? :-)

    Plus, thrown in for good measure, a bit of an off-topic question… ;-) Have you ever designed some sort of storage to be placed in the extra space sometimes found at the end of the bathtub (seen for example, in the first floorplan posted here). I only ask because if I renovated my bathroom, I could end up with a space like that and I’m always on the lookout for ideas on what I could put there! 

  • Matthew North

    Hi Konkinsa – your first impression was correct – it is a towel bar. It does kind of look like a light fixture……never thought of that possibility!

  • Matthew North

    Hi Li-Na – the flipper door compartment is separate. When the front door is opened, there is a panel concealing the “tooth brush garage” so you cannot see them from the front. And yes, there is a GFI plug inside the “garage”. We are designing a new bathroom for a client and we have placed the hair dryer in a “spice rack” type of pull out cabinet with a GFI plug inside. The cabinets slides out and the hairdryer and flat irons come with it. This cabinet has a micro switch so when the door is closed the power disconnects to the hair dryer and flat iron. 

    The end of the tub is a very valuable bit of space as well – sometimes hard to get to. We have placed cabinets as well as “hotel” style towel racks – you know the ones that allow you to stack folded towels one top of the hanging racks? They work really well at the end of the tub.

  • Li-Na

     Thanks for your answers, Matthew. Perhaps you will consider doing a segment on that hair dryer pullout once it is finished? I have seen pictures of similar ideas but the issue of power supply and rigging it all up safely always had me wary. What’s a micro switch? I googled but I’m not sure I found what you’re referring to!

  • Matthew North

    A micro switch is a sensor on the millwork door that shuts the power off to the electrical outlet when the cabinet door is closed. In Alberta this a Code requirement for any outlet that is concealed within cabinetry.

  • Steve in Van

    I understand the intention behind the code, but given the proliferation of appliances that need time to recharge — e.g. shaver, toothbrush, phone, laptop, vacuum, kitchen gadgets — we need a solution that allows you to put these things out-of-sight while charging.  Ideas?

  • purnawan widodo

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