One of the main focal points on any bathroom is the sink and vanity combination. Serving both a functional role, offering added storage and plumbing concealment, and a visual role, offering a decorative fixture to set the overall design tone for the room, bathroom vanities are extremely versatile fixtures. Many consumers will actually structure their entire bathroom around shape, style and size of the bathroom vanity itself. Because of this, it is crucial to ensure that, when shopping for a new bath vanity, you are buying the exact style and design to suit your needs.
What Is A Bathroom Vanity?
A bathroom vanity can refer to two basic bathroom fixtures. The term can be used to describe the bathroom sink and corresponding cabinet or structure it is built into, or it can refer to the cabinet or structure alone, with the sink itself considered a separate component. More often than not, the latter description is the case when manufacturers or retailers are categorizing or describing their products.
What Is The Basic Bathroom Vanity Design?
Bath vanities are most often built in a cabinet design. The bathroom sink component is sunk into or mounted on top of the upper portion of the vanity, where the counter top component is fitted. The cabinet itself serves as both a support structure for the sink and counter top, as well as an area that can be used for storage of small bathroom items. Bathroom vanity units are also ideal for concealing the often unsightly plumbing lines that connect the sink to the water source. Regardless of how many advances have been made in plumbing over the years, the visual appeal of PVC and stainless pipes has not improved all that much.
Bathroom vanities are most often equipped with a single or double door design, while some feature sliding doors, an increasingly popular feature on more modern designs. Some may have shelving installed, while others are simply open space.
What Types Of Bathroom Vanities Are There?
For discerning consumers, bathroom vanities can be found in a range of style and size options. After all, manufacturers must be able to offer a range of products suited for anything from a small guest bathroom or powder room, to a grand master bathroom.
Traditional Bathroom Vanities
The most traditional bathroom vanities come in two basic designs, single cabinet and double cabinet. These units are designed to be fairly timeless in design, suited for changing times and able to blend in with nearly any décor theme.
Single Cabinet Vanities
Single cabinet vanities are ideal for small bathrooms and offer storage space for cleaning supplies or other bathroom items best kept out of sight. They can range in size from as small as 18 inches wide, ideal for compact bathrooms or guest bathrooms, up to several feet in width, designed for basic master bathrooms or secondary bathrooms with floor space available. Single cabinet vanities can accommodate one sink, in a variety of designs. They are also ideal for vessel sinks, as the smaller models can appear more as pedestal than actual vanity units.
Double Cabinet Vanities
Unlike single cabinet vanities, double cabinet models are slightly more versatile when it comes to sink pairings. Double cabinet vanities are often found in two scenarios, standard master bathrooms, or secondary bathrooms which may have multiple frequent users.
In the case of a master bathroom installation, the double cabinet designs will sometimes accommodate two sinks. Intended as his and her’s sink, each fixture would have their own accompanying cabinet beneath it. This allows for concealment of plumbing for both of the sinks, as well as separate storage areas for each person.
Larger designs may also have a third storage section built into the area between the two cabinet units. This not only offers additional counter space on the top side of the vanity, it also offers extra storage space underneath. The area is typically fitted with a third cabinet, ideal for storing cleaning supplies and other joint items, or with a set of pull out drawers, able to hold smaller items that need to be better organized than would be in a cabinet set up.
The second area a double cabinet vanity can be found is in secondary bathrooms that still receive frequent use. The double cabinet design, once again, adds available counter space to the bathroom, while also creating extra storage space. These units are also frequently found in apartment dwellings, typically installed in place of a linen closet or bathroom closet.
Antique Bathroom Vanities
For people interested in a more stylized design, reminiscent of days gone by when decorative elements were just as highly regraded as functionality, there is an entire market for consumers seeking antique bathroom vanities. Depending on your intended price range, as well as level of hands on work you may be interested in doing, there are two main types of antique bathroom vanities. These are true antique pieces, often dating back several hundred years, or antique inspired designs, crafte by modern day artisans to resemble the designs of the past.
Refurbished Antique Vanities
If you want a true antique bathroom vanity, there are several ways to go about acquiring one. If you are handy with home improvement projects, you may want to consider buying a fixture from a local estate sale or auction house. These sources typically offer high quality antique pieces, however, they may require a great deal of work. Estate sales especially will tend to sell pieces that show a great deal of wear and tear and will require time to bring back to life. This can often involve stripping off old finishes, repairing damaged wood, re-staining the piece, and then resealing the vanity in order to help protect it from future damage. The upside to this method is the cost you will save by doing the refurbishing work yourself. The downside is that the process can often be very time consuming and will require some basic knowledge of woodworking and furniture repair, particularly centered around handling antique pieces.
If you prefer immediate gratification, and are willing to pay the price for such, there are many people that shop the estate sales and auction houses for antique vanities in need of repair and take the time to refurbish the pieces themselves. This not only saves the time and hassle of doing the repairs, it also allows the immediate installation of your piece as soon as you purchase it. The downside is that the price associated with these refurbished pieces tends to be somewhat steep. You are, however, paying for the quality and skill of the person doing the work as well.
Vintage Inspired Antique Vanities
If you are looking to save time and money, the next option is a vintage inspired antique vanity. These pieces are created using modern construction processes and materials, but designed to mimic the overall appearance f true antique designs. If you are still willing to spend a bit more, you can also commission custom pieces that possess the exact time period and design you are searching for.
Modern Bathroom Vanity Designs
While there are consumers who prefer vintage styles, and other who prefer a more timeless design, many people reside on the other end of the design time line, seeking the hottest trends in modern bathroom design. Two of the most common materials used for ultra modern bathroom vanities are glass and steel.
Glass Bathroom Vanity
Glass has long been an accessory in many modern design decors. While it may seem somewhat neutral in design, its transparent nature always seems to provide a sense of modern style and elegance. Glass bathroom vanities are ideal for people who prefer minimalistic designs. Not only do the glass vanities possess a very sleek and streamlined appearance, their transparent nature also contributes to their sense of illusion.
The majority of glass vanities are created from thick tempered glass, designed to withstand much heavier impact than standard glass, with the added safety features of its smooth pebble shaped fractures if breakage does occur. The glass is typically clear in nature, but can also be found in more opaque colors and frosted designs. The combination of frosted and transparent glass is also very common in modern vanity designs.
Stainless Steel Bathroom Vanity
The second popular choice for modern bathroom design is stainless steel. With its rich silver luster and its high level of durability, stainless steel has long been popular in kitchen design. As more consumers move towards modern designs, stainless has quickly moved into the bathroom as well. Stainless steel offer a metallic finish with a brushed satin appearance. It also work well when paired with glass vanities in order to create a dual material modern vanity.
Whether you are looking for a luxurious sanctuary with a touch of antique style, or an ultra modern haven inspired by visionary design, there is bound to be a bathroom vanity to suit your needs perfectly. They are also available within nearly every range of the price spectrum, as well as created in a variety of sizes to accommodate any size bathroom.
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