There’s a reason it’s called a vanity

When it comes to the bathroom, showers, tubs and toilets may often be disguised or hidden. But the vanity is always front and center, usually the defining architectural design element of any well-appointed lavatory.

In fact, despite the lingering steam shower, the seductive soaking tub or the hidden away water closet stocked with great reading material, the vanity is indeed the prime location where one spends most of one’s time when in the bath. Therefore, it should be given the most attention when designing, renovating or redecorating.

On first opening the bathroom door, one ought to be visually directed toward the vanity. And the vanity should be complete with mirror above, favorable lighting and convenient plumbing fixtures.

While designing this unit, one may be limited spatially by width, but vanity height is definitely the homeowner’s choice. Nothing betrays the age of homes built before the mid-1970s like the low height of the bathroom vanities, sometimes as low as 28 inches—an excruciatingly back-bending exercise.

Bathroom sink cabinets generally top out between 33 and 36 inches, though heights between 37 and 40 inches are not unheard of, yet I find these heights visually looming. Vessel sinks (or finished sink bowls designed to rest on top of the vanity) require a lower cabinet or support as the vessel tip should be no higher than between 36 to 38 inches. Vessel sinks are losing popularity these days as cleanup around them tends to be messy—people drip on themselves, the shallow ones splash all over, and soap, washcloths and toothbrushes feel too far out of reach.

I’m quite greedy about providing an ample surface surrounding the sink (more is

more

!), given that the cabinet fits proportionally in the space. I enjoy having all my cleansing and grooming products totally accessible. But to avoid clutter, I group them in a handsome, washable lacquered tray. On the flip side, the number of these items can get out of hand, so two small banks of drawers flanking the sink can become a terrific hiding place.

Storage can be below the sink where plumbing and accessibility to pipe and valve repair must co-exist. But, in my opinion, this is a lousy place for storage as it can become a dark, dank spot. I have found many science experiments growing beneath clients’ vanities.

The solution here is to shrink the width of the access door, as the plumbing trap and valves require little space. And instead of two wide doors, why not build a unit with only one narrow door, then you can make room for a set of flanking drawers.

To give a bathroom character and take the sterility out of built-ins, a found piece of furniture can be quite effective. But it can also be a chore, as there are many practical requirements to satisfy when it comes to the vanity.

A chest of drawers may be stunning to drop a sink into, but how do you access the plumbing? And then how many drawers actually become usable? Usually only the bottom one, and it is inconvenient to bend down that far.

Also, a found piece requires a good height for standing, depth to accommodate the sink, and proper width to accommodate the space. But I do feel it is well worth the effort because nothing brings more character, warmth and individual panache to a bathroom than an unusual, patina-rich, antique furniture piece.

The piece to find usually has two drawers on top with two doors below. This type of furniture is found frequently as French or English servers or Chinese cabinets. Farm tables, Italian consoles and Japanese altar tables are also good choices if one doesn’t mind viewing the plumbing trap below. Many of these antiques have been cleverly altered by designers who suspend a shelf below to store stacks of towels or attractive storage boxes. Then they place a handsome bar mounted directly to the top drawer-front, allowing a fluffy towel to hang down low, disguising the trap and valves.

Topping these cabinets with suitable material is always an insightful endeavor. I generally prefer natural stone. Honed stone counter tops, though beautiful to behold, absorb stains (although they can be sealed and with some effort the stains can be removed). Polished stone, though glamorous and sometimes glitzy, can be badly etched by nail polish remover, alcohol, soap and other common bathroom astringents. The composite stones, like Silestone, are fairly impenetrable, and some are very attractive.

Glass counters—black, white, clear and colored—are coming into vogue and they have not as yet proven their flaws, other than chipping.

The impenetrable but wildly expensive lava stone has a rich demeanor. And concrete sports a particular leathery quality, especially when waxed. As it stains, it becomes more charming. Some call this “patina.”

The alternative to the furniture-like vanity is the current rage for stone tops supported by long legs of metal or crystal. A throwback to the elegant clubhouses of the early 20th century, these gracious, albeit structural, vanities have been enjoying a revival nationwide due to preservation and recycling efforts and the keen eye of the founders of Urban Archaeology.

Formed on the premise 40 years ago that New York had too rich a treasure trove of interior and exterior items to be catastrophically thrown in the garbage dumps, Urban Archaeology reintroduced us to these jewel-like bathroom vanities mined and reused from destroyed and renovated buildings.

Though once considered spindly and exposing too much ugly plumbing, new sink stands now sit polished and gleaming proudly, displaying their bowels, all plated with brass, nickel or oil-rubbed bronze. Urban’s vanities wear the most original and observed proportions and their carved marble lips always prevent water from spilling down your skirt or slacks.

Waterworks, Kallista and many other high-end brands have copied this trend, introducing glass tops and other refined additions. Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn now have their own versions, which aren’t bad. And for the price, they can’t be beat.

To beef this type of piece up a bit, glass shelves have been added below to allow for storage and a separate parallel bar for hanging towels and washcloths has been included. The advantage to this look is the lightness it provides in a particularly crowded bathroom. However, the opposite can be true in that it might look spindly in a large, open bathroom.

The world of bathroom furnishings has exploded in the last five years and our selection of choices has truly multiplied. Since the vanity is your bathroom’s leading actor, you now have an ever-expanding pool of talent from which to choose.