Thanks for the suggestion! I need something that's not *terribly* much wider in the mirror--it's pretty tight. I did find this one, eventually: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UESRIS?&tag=shopwiki-us-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325 It's rough opening is supposedly 13.5" I think there's enough wood in the frame that we can scrape 1/4 inch away on each side, and at the bottom & top. It's a shame--the old cabinet is of course very sturdy, in the cabinet and in the mirror & frame, and hinge. But it's hard to find one of comparable quality. And if I did, it would probably be about 3/4 of an inch too wide. That wouldn't be a problem if I were starting from scratch, but I need to keep it simple. Thanks for the suggestion!

Honestly, I don't think you, us, or anyone can make that call without putting the actual materials together and looking at them. In general, I certainly don't think that classy white tile will look "cheap" with a taupe-y room. If it's nice tile. But believe me, EVERY white tile, subway, square, whichever, looks different in real life. I've now had to choose subways for two kitchens and white field tile for two bathrooms, and the difference in appearance between them is amazing. In the last bathroom, I was on a super tight budget and tiling all the walls, so I had to choose a cheap tile. The two cheapest (Lowes and HD's subways and 4x4s, by American Olean and, I think, Daltile, but their low-end, big-box-only lines) are very uniform and have glazes that lack any sort of depth or lustre. I just couldn't do it. Interestingly, just a few cents more per tile buys the American Olean field tile with a different surface texture (ever so slightly wavy, which creates a bit of sparkle in the room) and slightly different colored glaze. The "richness" in the look between these 3 tiles, all of which were the same size, shape, and bright white... was incredible. All that is just to illustrate the point that you really gotta see it in person :) That particular bathroom, by the way, has grey-beige walls and a beige, limestone-look tile on the floor. White fixtures, and white tile. I think it looks quite elegant ;) If you want to add a masculine touch, and you want to use the dark medicine cabinet, would you consider doing white tile with a black (or dark brown- whatever matches the cab) accent? You could even run the tile around the walls of the room as wainscotting. Like this, sort of? Or some other way to bring that dark accent in... otherwise I think I would go with the white medicine cabinet... I also agree with you on preferring recessed medicine cabinets!

If you are thinking about changing cabinets down the road I would not do the backsplash now. My understanding is if you are redoing cabinets the tile backsplash would have to go. Personally i think your cabinets are classic and timeless. There is enough space above them that you could add another row of cabinets, maybe with glass doors and back lit. I think new hardware would be really great. I love nantucket as well. We used to go there when I was a child. DH and I often try to incorporate a beach feel in areas of the house because of that love. -Robin Here is a link that might be useful: Ocean Hardware

Remove toekick. Cut tile along the cabinet perimeter (sounds easier than it is). Leave tile under the cabinets that can't be seen. Put in new flooring. Put in new toekick to account for any height difference. No one will know, except any future owners who will swear at you when they do their own improvements.