2 Creative Ways to Improve the Look of Your Bathroom Vanity Toe Kick

Did you have to settle on a cheaper vanity cabinet during your bathroom remodel? It's likely that the lower vanity cabinets have a piece extending from the bottom of the cabinets, a few inches from the front, down to the floor. This is called the toe kick because your toes can kick it when you stand in front of the counter. If that recessed area wasn't there and you instead had cabinets that went straight to the floor, you couldn't really stand flush with your counter unless you stood sideways because your toes would get in the way.

While a toe kick provides a useful service, toe kicks aren't always the most attractively designed element of a bathroom. But there are a few creative ways you can improve your toe kick and the overall look of your vanity and cabinets.

Add Furniture Legs

Create the look of high-end, furniture-style cabinets by painting the kick a dark color then installing furniture legs in front. The dark background will make it look like there's nothing behind the legs and give your cabinets an entirely new look.

You want to measure the distance between the lower cabinet edge and the floor on the cabinet corners across your entire vanity. Uneven floors and cabinet variation can make these measurements different.  Next, measure the depth from the lower edge of the cabinet to the front of the kick.

These measurements will help you find the right size of furniture legs at your local hardware store. Purchase legs that are at least as high as your highest measurement between the floor and cabinet edge. And the legs can't be wider than the cabinet-to-kick measurement or you'll constantly stub your toes.

Look for decorative furniture legs that have curves for more visual appeal. You can also install crown moulding blocks between the legs to further enhance the look of furniture-style cabinets. Buy blocks that will still leave a gap between the blocks and the floor and have a decorative front design like ivy or flowers.

Add in Hidden Drawers

Do you need some extra storage space in your bathroom? You can use the toe kick area to install some hidden drawers.  

Measure the height and width of each toe kick section. Look online or in hardware stores for a drawer that's slightly smaller than both of those measurements. These are surprisingly easy to find because people use the drawers under beds and other space-restricted areas. Try to find a drawer that already includes the mountable rails that it can slid onto.

Install the rails according to package directions. Test out your drawer. If it's a perfect fit straight out of the box, you're good to go. Otherwise, you can screw thin pieces of wood or plywood to the sides of the drawer until it is wide enough to easily slide in and out of the toe kick area.

What can you store in a drawer this short? Toe kick drawers are the perfect place for extra towels, packages of cotton swabs or the storage of short, bulk items such as bars of soap or toothpaste boxes.

For more information, contact Holtzman Home Improvement.