When you’re giving your bathroom an uplift, the vanity plays a huge part in the final look of the room. Sometimes just replacing the vanity is enough to give a bathroom showing signs of fatigue a whole new energy.
Because of this importance, it’s worth taking time choosing the right one for your bathroom. Vanities come in lots of shapes and sizes, and there are a number of things you think about before making your final choice. Free-standing or floating? Traditional or modern? One basin or two?
It can all get a bit overwhelming. So to make it easier for you, here’s our list of 10 tips for choosing the right vanity for your bathroom.
1. What’s Your Style?
First on the list, because it’s one of the most important things to consider. What type of bathroom do you want to create? Will it be a hard-working family hub? A modern minimalist design? A traditional space in a heritage home?
Your vanity can be a lot more than a practical piece of furniture in your bathroom – it can be a statement piece to tie the bathroom design together. So be clear about the look you want to achieve. This may even tie into the overall look of your home.
If you’re not sure what style of bathroom you’re after, starting scouring the web for inspiration. Check out local bathroom showrooms. Think about bathrooms you’ve seen, maybe in a magazine, a friend’s house or a display home.
Your vanity will also need to tie in with the rest of your bathroom, by complementing tiles, shower and any other fixtures, particularly if you’re only changing the vanity unit.
2. What’s the floor plan?
This is surprisingly important. There’s no point falling in love with an amazing vanity, if it doesn’t fit the layout and space available in your bathroom. Allow space to walk around the vanity, because nobody wants to be rammed in next to the toilet while they’re brushing their teeth!
And always, always measure spaces – make sure you’ll be able to open cupboard doors, and slide out drawers, when the vanity is in place. Most importantly, take into account the swing of bathroom and shower doors.
3. Talk to your plumber
Let’s get real here – if your new bathroom can use existing pipes, you’ll save yourself a lot of money. Take that into account when planning your new bathroom. Talk to your plumber, find out what any changes are likely to cost, and if they’re even possible. Can pipes be hidden? If they can’t, then a vanity that hides them may be a better choice than a floating vanity.
4. The vanity needs to do the job
There are some stunningly gorgeous vanities available nowadays, but before you put in the latest sleek minimalist design, or a cute old-fashioned basin on a pedestal, think about what your requirements are in terms of storage space and usage.
Is it likely that you and your spouse will need to be getting ready for work at the same time? Double basins might be the answer. If you don’t have an adequate linen closet in the house, you may need storage space for towels and more, along with the usual bathroom bits and pieces. And for a family bathroom, height of the vanity may be an issue for little ones, and a hard-wearing surface is almost mandatory.
5. Storage
There’s stuff that can sit in the cupboard neatly for months without being used, other stuff that lives there temporarily, and items that may need to be taken out and used every single day. They all need a home in the bathroom, so make sure they have one. Nothing is going to ruin the look of your new bathroom faster than mess piled on the vanity because there’s nowhere else to put it.
Remember, you can always get creative, so that the vanity isn’t the only storage space in the bathroom. A cabinet hidden behind the mirror, wall shelves, or a stylish corner unit with baskets on a couple of shelves, can provide valuable extra storage.
And always allow sufficient height for those pesky shampoo and other bottles!
6. Freestanding or wall-mounted?
If the bathroom is small, you should choose a vanity that helps to make the space seem larger. This can be achieved by having a vanity that floats above the floor, giving the illusion of more floor space. Pedestal style vanities create a similar effect.
In a large space, a very small vanity might look inadequate. In that situation you might prefer a freestanding double basin vanity, or a longer vanity to provide more storage space, with items either hidden or on display. A freestanding vanity is also useful for hiding plumbing.
7. Material
Bathrooms can sometimes tiptoe over the line into feeling a bit mausoleum-like, with all those hard surfaces and sharp lines. The vanity is one of the few opportunities to add a softening material into the room, or inject a little colour.
There’s a lot of different materials to choose from, ranging from stone to laminate. Using a timber vanity is an easy way to soften a hard space, although it’s important to make sure it’s properly waterproofed, especially if it’s used as the vanity top.
Colour is another easy way to break up the bathroom with a more inviting focus. You can either blend and coordinate with existing elements, or inject a note of contrast to draw the eye away from less interesting elements of the room.
Mixing up your elements is very on-trend. For example, timber tops with white cabinetry is popular if you’re after a natural look.
8. Fixtures and Fittings
By now you’ve probably already decided is you want one basin or two, but there’s still more to think about – tapware! To a great extent your choice of tapware is dictated by where the basin is located. Is it wall-mounted, semi-recessed, inset into the counter, or sitting on top. This effects whether the tapware needs to be mounted onto the vanity or the wall.
There’s also the overall look to be considered. Rectangular shapes work well with sleek lines and a minimal look, but something rounder or more traditional will suit bathrooms with a traditional or eclectic style.
Most importantly – the tapware needs to be functional without being intrusive!
9. Budget
It’s very easy to spend a lot of money on your vanity, so be clear about your budget from the start. It’s better to go shopping for a vanity within your price range, so you don’t find yourself short of cash for other parts of the renovation. If you have a particular look in mind, shop around and see if you can find something similar from a cheaper retailer. There are lots of on-trend bathroom specialists who sell stylish vanities at non-designer prices.
10. Give your current vanity a makeover
Sometimes the simplest solution is the best. If your bathroom layout already works well and you just want to give it a makeover without breaking the bank, giving your existing vanity a coat of paint, new doors and handles or a new top may be the easiest and cheapest option of all.