Vanity Virtues: It’s a Personal Choice

What are you looking for in a bathroom vanity? Is it style or is it storage space? Do you want an elegant sink with a faucet fixture to match or are you looking for practical durability? Since our preferences can vary so greatly on just this one aspect of bathroom design, it’s good to know that all those variables are available to choose from when shopping for the right bathroom vanities for your home.

Let’s look at some of the different items our North Virginia clients consider when selecting their bathroom vanities and the tops, sinks and faucets to go with them.

1. One Bowl or Two? This is actually the first consideration in choosing a vanity. Do you want one sink or two? In some bathrooms, space determines this for you and one is the only choice, but in your master bath and other bathrooms, which might be used by more than one family member at a time, having two sinks can be the preferable choice.
2. Counter Space. This aspect of your vanity includes two considerations. One is how much countertop space you need and the second is how that space will be proportioned across the vanity. For instance, some vanities may have one sink bowl in the center of a vanity top with equal space on either side, but another person may prefer to have the sink bowl on one end of the vanity with a large countertop area making up the rest of the vanity top for use as their makeup and hairstyling area.
3. Vanity Height. For many years, the standard height for bathroom vanities was lower than kitchen countertops, usually around 30 inches. In the days when parents and kids all shared one bathroom, it made sense to have the lower height to accommodate the children, even if parents needed to bend over to get down to the sink level. Today, if there is only one bathroom in a home, the home is generally intended to house one or two adults and not a whole family. Because of this, you’ll now find a much broader range of vanity heights in homes and even mixed heights in the master bath to accommodate the taller and shorter individuals or to provide a sit-down makeup area at one end of the vanity. Whether or not your sink is going to be top-mounted or recessed into the top will also be a consideration in selecting your vanity height.
4. Wall Mount, Floor Mount or Furniture Styling. Gone are days when all vanity bases sat direct on the floor to hide plumbing that exited through the floor. Today, wall mount vanities and vanities which resemble a furniture piece with legs and open floor space are becoming just as common. The floor mount style does have the advantage of providing the most enclosed storage space, but if storage is not a big issue in the bath, the decorative options available through a furniture style or a wall mount can be an exiting change from the old standard, as you will see when you browse through the bathroom portfolio on our website.
5. Vanity Top and Sink. In the end, the functional purpose of the bathroom vanity primarily revolves around the sink bowls. Again, function and beauty are not mutually exclusive, but can certainly be combined into a beautiful fixture that is just as functional as one that may not be as stylistically appealing. As mentioned above, the height you choose for your vanity cabinet will need to take into consideration whether you a choosing a sink bowl which will sit on top of the vanity top or one that is recessed into an opening in the vanity top. Glass, copper and porcelain sinks are all popular choices. When selecting the vanity countertop, you have even more options than you do for your kitchen. Granite, marble, glass and tile are among your choices, as are the solid surface, man-made products.
6. Faucets. Single-handle, two-handle or no-touch faucets are all available in a variety of finishes and styling options. Nickel and copper have come alongside the ever-popular chrome and brass finishes, along with solid white for that ultra clean look. Your faucet may mount in your vanity top, the sink or direct into the wall, and the styling options run the gamut from antique to ultra-modern.

Whatever your personal style, you’ll find that there’s a bathroom vanity that perfectly fits your taste and the décor of your home. Select Kitchen and Bath has enjoyed working with homeowners in Springfield, Virginia and the Washington DC area as they’ve made the selections for their bathroom remodels. If you’d like to see some of the many bathroom vanity products available, we’d be happy to discuss your project with you. Contact us via our website or just give us a call at 703-866-4224 to schedule an appointment.