Open vs. Closed Storage Cabinets for Bathroom: Which is Best?

Written by: Emma Cyrus, Senior Copy, Content & Editorial Writer
Reviewed by: Monika Popescu, Senior Interior Designer at FCI London
Edited by: Zoona Sikander, Interior Design Writer & Social Media Content Creator

Table of Contents

• The Philosophy of Bathroom Storage
• Pros and Cons of Open Bathroom Storage Cabinets
• Pros & Cons of Closed Bathroom Storage Cabinets
• The Elegant Compromise: Hybrid Storage Solutions
• Material Considerations for Bathroom Storage Cabinets
• Spatial Considerations and Strategic Placement
• Practical Styling for Open Storage
• Organisation Systems for Closed Storage
• Making Your Decision: A Framework
• Key Takeaways

After two decades of designing luxury bathrooms for discerning clients throughout London and beyond, I've witnessed firsthand the profound impact that storage decisions have on both the functionality and aesthetic appeal of these intimate spaces.

From the marble-clad ensuite bathrooms to the character-filled renovations in period properties, the question consistently arises: should one opt for open or closed bathroom storage cabinets?

This seemingly straightforward decision extends well beyond mere practicality, it fundamentally influences how you experience your bathroom daily, how effectively the space functions, and ultimately, how the room presents itself as part of your home's overall design narrative.

The Philosophy of Bathroom Storage

Before delving into specifics, it's worth contemplating what your bathroom actually represents within your home.

For many of my clients, it has evolved beyond a purely functional space into a sanctuary, a private retreat for relaxation and self-care. The right luxury storage furniture doesn't merely accommodate your essentials; it enhances this sanctuary-like quality while reflecting your personal aesthetic.

Storage isn't merely about finding places to put things, it's about curating an experience. The finest bathroom storage cabinets serve as the unsung foundation of a well-functioning bathroom, allowing the more dramatic elements, be it a freestanding copper bathtub or book-matched marble walls, to take visual precedence.

Pros and Cons of Open Bathroom Storage Cabinets

Open storage in bathrooms has gained considerable traction in recent years, particularly among those with a curatorial approach to their personal spaces.

These solutions, ranging from floating shelves to glass-fronted cabinets, offer distinct advantages that resonate with certain lifestyles and design sensibilities.

Accessibility and Convenience

Open bathroom storage cabinets provide immediate visual access to everyday essentials. For one particular client in Hampstead, we designed a system of precisely spaced open shelving adjacent to their walk-in shower, allowing for the grab-and-go convenience of freshly laundered towels without disrupting the bathroom's serene aesthetic.

Spatial Enhancement

In more compact bathrooms, open storage creates a sense of expanded space and airiness that closed cabinetry simply cannot achieve. The visual continuation beyond the shelving into the wall behind prevents the "boxed-in" feeling that sometimes accompanies wall-to-wall cabinetry.

Decorative Opportunity

Perhaps most compellingly for the design-conscious, open storage transforms everyday items into intentional elements of your bathroom's visual composition. Those hand-blown glass bottles of artisanal bath oils or perfectly folded Egyptian cotton towels become part of the design narrative rather than items to be concealed.

The Challenges of Display

The elegance of open bathroom storage cabinets comes with certain responsibilities that shouldn't be overlooked.

Curating and Maintaining Order

The unforgiving exposure of open shelving demands consistent curation. Unlike closed cabinet storage bathroom solutions, there's nowhere to hastily stash the unsightly bottle of drain cleaner when unexpected guests arrive. Open storage requires discipline, and a willingness to edit your possessions and maintain order.

I recall a client who insisted on open shelving throughout her bathroom despite having three teenage daughters. Six months later, she commissioned us to install additional closed cabinetry after growing weary of constantly reorganising the family's expansive collection of products.

Environmental Considerations

Bathrooms present particularly challenging environments. The humidity fluctuations and inevitable water splashes can affect certain items stored openly. Cosmetics, medications, and paper products often fare better behind closed doors, protected from the bathroom's microclimate.

Elevated Maintenance Requirements

Open shelving requires more frequent cleaning than its closed counterpart. Dust and bathroom humidity combine to create a film that necessitates regular attention, a consideration for those with already demanding schedules.

Pros & Cons of Closed Bathroom Storage Cabinets

Closed cabinetry represents the traditional approach to bathroom storage, and for good reason. These storage cabinets for bathrooms have provided elegant solutions for centuries, offering concealment and protection that many homeowners continue to value tremendously.

Masking the Mundane

Not every bathroom necessity merits display.

The diverse array of personal care items, cleaning products, and bathroom essentials that accumulate over time rarely form a coherent visual story. Cabinet storage bathroom solutions allow the less photogenic aspects of daily life to remain discreetly tucked away.

For a recent project, we designed a series of bespoke floor-to-ceiling wall storage cabinet for bathroom with touch-latch mechanisms that seamlessly blended into the wall panelling. The result was a bathroom that appeared remarkably uncluttered despite serving a family of five.

Protection and Preservation

Closed bathroom storage cabinets shield contents from the bathroom's unique environmental challenges. Expensive skincare products vulnerable to light exposure, medications requiring specific storage conditions, and electronics benefit from this protective environment.

Psychological Clarity

There's a certain psychological benefit to visual simplicity. Many clients report feeling more relaxed in spaces where visual stimulation is minimised, where the eye isn't constantly drawn to objects requiring potential action or attention. Closed storage facilitates this sense of calm by reducing visual complexity.

The Limitations of Concealment

Despite their advantages, closed storage solutions aren't without certain drawbacks that merit consideration.

Accessibility Trade-offs

The very act of concealment creates a barrier to access. Items stored behind cabinet doors require additional steps to retrieve, which might prove mildly frustrating when you're reaching for frequently used products.

Spatial Perception

In particularly compact bathrooms, an abundance of closed cabinetry can sometimes create a sense of heaviness or confinement. Large bathroom storage cabinets, while functional, may dominate the space visually unless thoughtfully integrated into the overall design.

The Out-of-Sight Pitfall

As the adage suggests, what remains out of sight often stays out of mind. Closed storage occasionally enables less mindful accumulation of products that might otherwise be regularly evaluated and potentially discarded. I've witnessed the surprise on clients' faces upon discovering expired products lurking in the depths of their bathroom cabinets with storage during renovations.

The Elegant Compromise: Hybrid Storage Solutions

After years of navigating this debate with clients, I've increasingly found myself recommending thoughtfully designed hybrid solutions that incorporate both open and closed storage elements. This balanced approach harnesses the advantages of each while mitigating their respective limitations.

The Display-Conceal Balance

Consider a bathroom storage wall cabinet for items requiring concealment, complemented by select open shelving for frequently used essentials and decorative elements. This creates visual interest while maintaining functionality.

For a recent client in Mayfair, we designed a central vanity with closed cabinets flanked by illuminated open niches displaying their collection of sculptural perfume bottles and antique silver grooming implements.

Compartmentalised Open Storage

For those drawn to the accessibility of open storage but concerned about visual clutter, compartmentalised solutions offer an elegant middle ground. Consider recessed niches with discrete sections or open shelving divided by vertical partitions to create a natural organisation.

Glass-Fronted Cabinets

Glass cabinet doors provide a sophisticated compromise, items remain protected from dust and humidity while remaining visually accessible. For contemporary spaces, consider fluted or reeded glass that obscures contents slightly while still suggesting their presence.

Material Considerations for Bathroom Storage Cabinets

The bathroom's humid environment demands particular attention to material selection. Not all cabinet materials stand the test of time in these conditions.

Marine-Grade Plywood

For the internal structure of bathroom storage cabinets, marine-grade plywood offers exceptional moisture resistance. While more expensive than standard materials, it prevents the warping and deterioration that often plague lesser-quality cabinets in bathroom environments.

Solid Surface Materials

Materials like Corian provide seamless, non-porous surfaces ideal for bathroom applications. Their resistance to water damage and ease of maintenance make them particularly suitable for luxury storage furniture in wet environments.

Natural Stone

For the truly discerning, natural stone shelving or cabinet surfaces offer unmatched durability and timeless appeal. Marble, while requiring proper sealing, brings incomparable sophistication to bathroom storage solutions.

Spatial Considerations and Strategic Placement

Beyond the open-versus-closed debate lies the equally important consideration of where and how storage should be integrated into your bathroom's overall composition.

Tall Cabinets for Bathroom Storage

When floor space is limited, vertical storage becomes invaluable. Tall cabinets for bathroom storage maximise capacity without consuming excessive footprint. Consider units that extend from floor to ceiling to eliminate dust-collecting gaps above cabinetry.

For a compact bathroom, we installed a single floor-to-ceiling cabinet adjacent to the vanity, providing ample storage while occupying minimal floor area. The cabinet's interior featured adjustable shelving and internal drawers for maximised utility.

Wall-Mounted Solutions

A bathroom storage wall cabinet frees valuable floor space while keeping essentials readily accessible. For smaller bathrooms, this approach prevents the crowded feeling that floor-standing units might create.

Recessed Possibilities

For both open and closed storage solutions, recessing units into wall cavities wherever possible creates a sleeker profile. This approach requires forethought and skilled construction but yields a more architecturally integrated result that often appears bespoke rather than additive.

Practical Styling for Open Storage

For those embracing open storage elements, thoughtful styling transforms functional necessity into design opportunity.

Decorative Vessels

Consider transferring everyday products into aesthetically cohesive containers. Amber glass dispensers for hand soap and moisturiser create visual harmony, while woven baskets can corral smaller items into organised collections.

Material Consistency

Maintain a consistent material palette across displayed items. For one bathroom project, we curated a collection of matte black accessories and stone containers that complemented the space's monochromatic scheme, allowing even ordinary items to contribute to the design narrative.

Strategic Grouping

Arrange items in deliberate vignettes rather than scattered placement. Group by function, size or visual weight, leaving negative space between groupings to prevent a cluttered appearance.

Organisation Systems for Closed Storage

The interior organisation of closed cabinets for bathroom storage deserves as much consideration as its exterior appearance.

Customised Internals

Consider how the cabinet's interior architecture serves your specific needs. Adjustable shelving, drawer dividers, and designated compartments prevent the chaotic accumulation that often plagues bathroom cabinets.

For a client with an extensive skincare regimen, we designed a bespoke vanity with temperature-controlled drawers for preserving sensitive products; an example of how storage can be tailored to highly specific requirements.

Drawer-Within-Drawer Systems

For vanity units, drawer-within-drawer systems maximise storage capacity while keeping smaller items organised and accessible. The primary drawer might contain daily essentials, while the secondary compartment houses less frequently used items.

Making Your Decision: A Framework

Having explored the nuances of both approaches, how might one determine the optimal solution for their specific circumstances? Consider this framework:

Daily Routines

Are you someone who values grab-and-go convenience above all, or do you prefer the visual serenity of an uncluttered space? Your natural tendencies toward organisation should influence your storage decisions.

Maintenance Realities

Be honest about your willingness to maintain the level of order that open storage demands. The most exquisite open shelving solution quickly becomes problematic if not regularly tended to.

Proportional Balance

Larger bathrooms can accommodate a more generous mix of open and closed elements, while compact spaces might benefit from the streamlined appearance that predominantly closed storage provides.

Architectural Context

Consider your bathroom's architectural style. Period properties often favour traditional closed cabinetry that aligns with their historical character, while contemporary spaces might more readily embrace open storage's modern aesthetic.

The Bespoke Advantage

While discussing various bathroom storage cabinet options, it's worth noting that truly exceptional bathrooms typically feature storage solutions specifically designed for their particular context. The limitations of mass-produced units often necessitate compromises that custom solutions elegantly avoid.

Bespoke luxury storage furniture allows for precise dimensional fitting, integration with existing architectural elements, and material selections that complement the broader design narrative. While representing a greater initial investment, these tailored solutions often prove more satisfying and enduring.

Key Takeaways

As with all significant design decisions, I encourage my clients to look beyond current trends when selecting bathroom storage solutions. The most successful bathrooms result from honest assessments of personal habits, practical needs, and aesthetic preferences rather than adherence to passing fashion.

Whether you gravitate toward the curated display of open shelving, the elegant concealment of closed cabinetry, or a thoughtful combination of both, the most important consideration remains how effectively the solution serves your daily life.

After all, even the most visually stunning bathroom falls short if it fails to function harmoniously with your routines and requirements.

The luxury bathroom represents one of the few spaces in contemporary homes dedicated entirely to personal well-being and self-care. The storage solutions you select should enhance this purpose, creating an environment that feels both effortlessly functional and deeply personal, regardless of whether your toiletries remain on display or discreetly tucked away.