After completing a string of mirror projects, our supply of mirror-related jokes was running low, so we turned our attention to the guest bathroom. Since we recently replaced the medicine cabinet in the master bath (we swapped it out here), doing something similar in the guest bath made sense — especially because a guest bathroom doesn’t necessarily need a built-in medicine cabinet.
The existing mirror-cabinet still worked, but it had definitely seen better days. The interior metal had started to rust, and since it looked original to the house, it was likely several decades old. The plain silver frame felt dated, so we swapped it out. Two screws later it came off the wall, and after a few minutes of effort we had a simple replacement in place:
There’s nothing elaborate about the new mirror — it’s an old Target mirror we’ve had for a while — but it was free and it refreshed the space immediately. Once we paint the walls (we’re leaning toward a warm, muddy gray to balance the yellow tile), the white frame should contrast nicely, tying together other white elements like the trim, sink, and toilet for a cleaner, more cohesive look.
We also removed the large metal shelf and towel bar that dominated the room. You can see it removed in the photos below; earlier shots show it installed above the toilet. Instead of that bulky fixture, we plan to add two simple hooks to the inside of the bathroom door for guests to hang towels. A few pieces of crisp artwork on the wall will help the room feel intentional rather than purely utilitarian.
We also decided to remove the full-length mirror mounted on the inside of the bathroom door. Partly this was to free up space for towel hooks, but mostly it was because of the awkward placement. When someone sits on the toilet, the mirror gave an unnecessarily intimate view. That felt uncomfortable for a guest bathroom, so out it came.
Removing the mirror was straightforward. It wasn’t glued to the door — it was held in place with clips. I removed the single clip on one side, carefully slid the mirror out of its top and bottom clips, then removed the remaining fasteners. The whole process was quick and tidy. Here’s one of the “in progress” shots taken while the mirror was still in my hands.
With the mirror off, the door looks cleaner and less cramped. Our next steps are to fill the small screw holes left by the mirror clips, sand and touch up the paint, and install the towel hooks. These minor updates should make the room more comfortable and functional for visitors while preserving a neat, uncluttered appearance. We feel good about avoiding what we jokingly called a “John on John” moment for guests.
There’s another similar full-length mirror on the outside of the master bathroom door that we briefly considered removing as well. After some thought we decided to keep it for now; instead of taking it down, we might eventually frame it with molding so it appears built-in. For the guest bath, though, removing the door mirror and replacing the medicine cabinet mirror were simple changes that already make the space feel fresher and more welcoming.