We are at odds with the vanity design for the master bathroom. After we feel like we knew what we wanted (check out this post!), we read all of your comments and went to the actual drawing board to sketch out a few possibilities–6 to be exact.
Before I get into the vanities, let’s talk mirrors! Because choosing our mirror was actually a large part of the design of our vanity. Do we do one large one? Two? Would it fit above the sink without hugging the walls too much? If our vanity is black, what color mirror should we get? All of these questions lead us to number 6 in the round-up below (although we also own 1 and 2 in other parts of our home). It’s a beautiful, wood rounded rectangular mirror.
1. Target 27″ round
2. Urban Outfitters 36″ round | comes in black & pink
3. Crate & Barrel comes in 30″ or 40″ round
4. Wayfair comes in 12″ or 18.5″ round
5. Pottery Barn 19×23 or 30×36 | in chrome, satin nickel, polished nickel & a bronze finish
6. Rejuvenation 24×36 | comes in white oak & walnut
7. Target 20×24
8. Target 20×30
9. West Elm 24×36 | comes in brass, brushed nickel & a rose gold finish
10. Word Market 24×38
11. AllModern 24×40
12. Wayfair 21×32
Now, onto the vanity designs. There are some things that are the same in all of the renderings, these are the things we know for sure:
• The vanity will be black.
• The vanity will have aged brass hardware, hubba hubba.
• The vanity will be 72″ wide total, spanning from wall to wall. The edges of the art board represent the walls here.
• The vanity will be 26″ tall, hung floating 10″ from the ground (at about 36″)–for comfort height.
• The vanity will have two undermount sinks and wall-mounted faucets with two separate mirrors.
• Any drawers you see, will work around the plumbing and will be functional.
Onto the rendering options! Chris designed 2 of them and I designed 4 and I’m not going to tell you who designed which, because we aren’t against each other in this. We just want to come to the right conclusion. In each rendering, you’ll see the a rectangle hovering above the vanity–that is where the 19″ sink will be (except, you know, undermounted). It helped us visualize how things would line up with the storage, wall and mirror (we made these, to scale, in Illustrator.)
1. Three, long drawers for each of us.
This is where we initially ended up at after our last post.
Pros: Long, uninterrupted storage and unfussy design.
Con: Unable to stay close to sink/mirror while simultaneously having drawer open.
2. Four, Squared drawers for each of us
Pro: We’d be able to stand to one side, while opening the other drawer.
Con: Potentially clunky storage. Would need storage organizers for more shallow things.
3. Three Sets of Big and Small Drawers
Pro: Lot’s of functional storage drawers of all different sizes and you can still put easy access things in the center column.
Con: Because the vanity is divided into 3 sections, instead of two, the mirrors hug the wall a little more and we’d probably have to go with just a center sconce.
4. Cabinet Option.
Pro: This looks good. It’s classic. It requires a lot less maneuvering with plumbing.
Con: It would require some additional pull-outs inside the cabinets so they don’t turn into storage black holes.
5. Three Columns of Equal Drawers
Pros: This feels like an organization dream.
Cons: The sinks would be so far off to the side, we’d have to ditch our mirrors for something custom.
6. Five drawers, for each of us.
Pros: Plenty of varying storage sizes for each of us.
Cons: Could be a plumbing nightmare.
This isn’t a vote, per se, but we’d love to hear which one you like best! I think I have a favorite. But we have really loved sharing our whole thought process and planning sessions with you (as this is our first time doing a LOT of this kind of stuff.) Everyone has so many different things that have worked, or not, worked for them and that kind of feedback is priceless. It’s like reading hundreds of reviews for something that isn’t even created yet. THANK you, in advance. Mean it.
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Love this post, love you guys. Quick question: what program did you use to create the mock-ups of the vanities?
Thanks so much for getting back to me! xo
We just used Adobe Illustrator for this.
If you need to work around plumbing, check out April Wilkerson’s Youtube video on how she built a new bathroom cabinet. https://youtu.be/RxQ_ym_NpeA start at 7:35 min to see the drawer solution. Maybe it will help you get the look you want. Thank you for your blog and good luck in your new endeavors!
I like # 5 and have the same thing in my house that we are building. I have a big mirror. I wanted to have the make lights above it. I think there are 5 bulbs. Now I think they will be too much right in one spot, the middle of the mirror and nothing on the sides. Now if I put them on the sides, that is just too much. I am thn\inking i should use a long light, maybe 5 lights, hanging over the edge of the mirror. Maybe the Bell shaped lights. Can you help with this.
I see that #1 is a front-runner, but I have to wonder if those voters have drawers like that. My vanity is all drawers (which I LOVE for storage), and you have to move over to the side or back up to open each one. It’s great as long as there is an option to have a drawer open, still be close to the vanity and have mirror in front of you.
Here’s a consideration: If your make-up is in a drawer, make sure that you have mirror reflection when you stand to the side with the drawer open.
The timing of your post is perfect! I’m currently doing the same thing in our son’s/guest jack and jill bathroom. Since we also have a full linen closet in the space and one vanity would be used only when we have guests, storage is not an utmost priority for me. Having said that, I voted for #6, I love how it looks like a furniture piece but custom in with the layout of drawers. We had a 3 drawer vanity custom made for our powder room and I absolutely love it. Loads of storage, even with the cutout for plumbing. It was a costly element for a powder room so I’m a bit hesitant to use the same design for a vanity that’s double the width so planning to price out more traditional doors and shelves. Wondering if you have priced out the options yet and if so, is there a significant difference between the styles?
I may be early in the design process but I already purchased the black rounded rectangle mirrors from Target (#7)! Thanks for sharing your process. Looking forward to following along! I just subscribed to your podcast and followed on IG! Happy Weekend.
Such a helpful post! I’m in the middle of designing a custom 72″ vanity for the house my husband and I are building and am trying to work through many of the same considerations you mentioned!! It’s a delicate balance between wanting something that looks good in terms of mirrors/sconces/wall space/sinks and practicality in terms of useful storage. Reading your thought process has made me re-think somethings myself! Now to have another planning session with my hubby :)
Anyways, just wanted to share this picture I came across of a way to address having more space between sinks than on either side. I always thought that if you use two mirrors they should be centered above the sink, but Mindy Gayer managed to address the unequal space issue in an unconventional way that I think still works https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/74802043795231309/https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/74802043795231309/.
I love the look of 6 but I can’t figure out how it would actually work. You mentioned “plumbing nightmare” as a con but the issue I’m seeing is a drawer glide nightmare. Center mount drawer glides might work but most custom cabinets have two under mount or side mount soft close glides and I’m not sure how they would avoid the plumbing, especially at the top. My second choice is 3 but I hear what you’re saying about the sconces. Do you have your sconces picked out? They might be kind of tight between the mirror and wall anyway which would make that middle drawer bank argument obsolete. I voted for 1 because it seems most streamlined. I’m really curious to see how you get any space out of that top drawer—it seems challenging!
2 comments: a) you mentioned that the “con” for option 1 was not standing near the sink with the drawers open. I have been living with a very similar set-up for 5 years and have not found this to be an issue at all. Our drawers are soft-close, so a simple bump of my hip and the drawer closes quickly and quietly for tasks when I want be close to the mirror (i.e. mascara and contacts).
b) we have a similar set up to option 3 in our main bathroom, and the visual of the relatively uneven placement of the sinks/mirrors drives me nuts. Be sure you’re ok with that looks before you choose this one.
In the end, go with your gut! you’ve been right this long.
Ease of access for plumbing is going to be very important. That’s why I would go with #4. But instead of 2 separate mirrors, I think one big mirror would be best. Again, it makes cleaning and maintenance a lot easier with one mirror instead of 2. The only reason to have 2 separate mirrors would be to put something in the middle, like soap dispensers or a wall-mounted light.
I voted for #3 because the top sink drawer allows for plumbing from the sink and maximizes the drawer space below it. I know you said that you could have a center console but you could also do 2 lights hanging from the ceiling or above the mirror. We just did a similar thing in our new build and are using narrow oval mirrors (not as current and cool as round and rounded rectangle) so we can each have 2 sconces above each mirror and hang something functional or pretty in between. Your designs always look great and luckily nothing is completely permanent :)
Interesting – # 1 and/or 6; My least favorites were #2 & 4 – seems to be the general consensus. :D
Visually my favorite is 1, but I had to vote for 6 because it looks good and it has better function such as being able to have a drawer open and still standing close to the mirror/sink by standing off to the side like you said. Tough call though they all look great. I can’t wait to see what y’all choose!
Live the mirror options!! Have you come across my similar ones that are also a medicine cabinet? Space and storage issues demand it in my tiny bathroom but I find that any medicine cabinets look not so lovely…..
Pottery Barn has the best ones!
I have two of #5 from Pottery Barn (the 36” size) in my master. Not only is the interior incredibly spacious, it also matches the mirror casing (with glass shelves), so it’s gorgeous inside and out. And the little bevel edge of the mirror is the perfect, classic finishing touch.
I’m a big fan of 1 & 6. Keep in mind that for all options, depending on the depth of your sinks, your top drawer or drawers will be significantly “u” shaped to allow functional drawers that fit around the sink in addition to the lower drawers which will require a less severe “u” shape to allow for the plumbing.
I think looks are important, but more important is function. If you decide what you’ll be storing there, how you like to store and access those things, that alone might dictate which vanity makes the most sense for your bathroom. Good luck!
Great options! Here’s my two cents:
1) Clean & simple, and not that inconvenient if you have a makeup bag or little caddies you pull out rather than having everything sorted into organisers inside.
2) This looks heavy to me.
3) Functional, but I don’t think you’d be happy with only one sconce, or going to two 2-light sconces over the mirrors.
4) You could try this layout, but the doors could each be 2 deep drawers – a hybrid of 1 & 6.
5) Would be beautiful with a long trough sink and the wall mounted faucets centered on the seams rather than the drawers (so at 1 third and 2 thirds). Another plus is that your lighting can be equally spaced and you avoid the issue that the other plans pose of the side sconces being close to the walls and the center sconce having more room. You could mount sconces through the glass or hang 3 pendants.
6) Great, but I would treat drawers of the same depth the same way – either 8 deep drawers (as suggested in 4), or 4 deep drawers, or make the middle drawer shallow as in 1. If that makes sense! It would look more balanced and consistent.
I am loving following along with your process :) Thanks for sharing!
Number 1 is my favourite. In regards to not being able to stand close to this sink/mirror with a drawer pulled out; unless you and Chris are using the vanity at the same time you could just step to the side and use the other mirror while the drawer is pulled out!
I find it interesting that your objective seems to be storage and yet you are willing to forgo the 10 inches from the floor up to a floating vanity. Seems like a yucky spot to have to clean and all the hair that will inevitably end up under there. I’m sure whatever you choose you’ll make the best of.
I think number 3 is the best – you get different size storage and a little extra space between the sinks.
I think your best bet is #6…
1) it’s key to have room on either side of your sink
2) more practical to have a couple small drawers and one deeper one to put large items in. I think doors under vanities look a bit dated and are not very practical
3) to be able to keep a drawer open and stand close to your own mirror while putting on makeup that is in that drawer is possible in this configuration. To me that’s important
It’s unclear to me if you’ll be doing false fronts on the top row or not but I have a similar floating vanity and on my bottom drawer we had to do a cutout in that drawer for plumbing and I’m totally fine with it as I really didn’t loose that much square footage from the drawer. It added slightly more to the cost but worth it for the look I wanted
When we built our house, one of the smartest things we did was to install an electrical outlet behind the bathroom drawer. (We have deep drawers.) This enabled our contractor to install a very cheap solution to the hair dryer/flat iron/curling iron constantly sitting out on the counter! He simply mounted a surge protector power strip inside the drawer, plugging it in to the outlet behind the drawer. Voila! Hair tools stay tucked away in the drawer! Let me know if you’d like to see a picture to make this more clear.
Wow, genius!
#4 provides the most flexibility with custom storage inside the doors. That would be my pick. With pull outs built to my needs.
I liked #1 or #6 but chose #1 bc of the con on 6 for plumbing. I think the con on #1 about not being able to have the drawer out and remain at the sink is kind of cancelled out by the fact that you have a double vanity. You can use the other sink/ mirror? Unless you and Chris spend loads of time together in front of the vanity ;) and you would be pushing into each other?? LOL.
What if you took option 1 and just divided the top drawer into 2 on either side. So it would be 4 small drawers on the top row, 2 big shallow drawers on the 2nd row, and 2 deep drawers on the third row. Kind of a combination of 6 and 1. That way you can leave the mirrors how you want it and still have a couple smaller drawers for more functional storage.
With a floating vanity I suggest that it doesn’t have a gap between it and the wall… ours does and my hair drying and curling iron cord constantly gets caught under the vanity … it’s a big pain and has even lead to an injury… I can’t wait to Build a custom traditional style vanity to replace our floating vanity… I hate it… it’s a waste of our small space…
I like #1 or #6- I think the sinks closer to the wall would drive me mad. We are planning for a major bathroom Reno (combining a master and hall bath into one) and I am dreaming of a drawer to hold my blowdryer / straightening iron/ curling iron in it while I’m styling – similar to the salon. I hate having the hot tools on my sink.
I have the #2 configuration in my bathroom and love it. What about using some sort of “double drawers” inside some of the drawers for more shallow things? –> see this picture for exemple : https://www.qwant.com/?q=ikea%20cuisine%20tiroirs&t=images&o=0:16ab271ce4750451b135f5a3cdacb41a
I voted for #1. My vanity is a single sink, but it’s the same number and style of drawers so I can offer you some firsthand experience beyond the aesthetics (although the aesthetics are ????).
In my case the top drawer is false, the middle drawer tips out and the bottom drawer has a small notch in the middle to allow for the plumbing. I keep the items I need access to while using the sink in the middle drawer and leave the drawer tipped out until I’m finished. I don’t apply my makeup in the bathroom, but the bottom drawer is plenty large enough for skincare or hairstyling items, and I keep a small tray on the counter for serums and oils but that’s just my preference. I have no complaints on the drawer setup or space whatsoever.
All that to say I don’t think you’d regret this choice but I’m certain whichever one you settle on will work wonderfully for you!
I didn’t read all the comments, so I may repeat something somebody already said. I’m speaking from experience, because I designed 3 vanities for my house, and made some mistakes along the way.
I love the option 6 and would go for it. Why – because of the biggest variety of drawers, and what I have stored in them in my vanity. So in your case I’d go from the things that I needed to store and see what kind of drawers, cabinets I need. Yes, the plumbing might be an issue, but since a contractor will build the cabinets for you, he can customize the drawers to fit around plumbing, or just leave shallower drawers – make sure you talk to your contractor about this to be sure this is possible. But basically you have plumbing issues with all drawings instead of 4, where you have to ask yourself if in this case the cabinets are really functional. For me they are not. For number 2. you have to see if high drawers are really that functional – maybe not for makeup, but for storing shampoo bottles upwards or towels I’d definitely go for higher drawers.
And, I’,m sorry, but the number 3 annoys me to no end with the mirrors so tight to the walls. :)
I LOVE number 5. It’s pleasing to the eye. Open, clean, modern. Plus, I love that it has a large mirror: I love the look of two mirrors but I feel like it’s not fictional in the master bathroom. Plus I think you could do an awesome custom mirror and do the same look with the rounded edges but just have more useable space ;)
I have the ultimate design idea for you, that goes nicely with your need to be closer to the mirror. Create a new, modern built in medicine cabinet with rectangular mirror outer. I have a huge 1/3 – 2/3 split mirror cabinet and I LOVE it. I wish there was a newer version available so I could upgrade. The best part?! The inside of the doors are also mirrored!!! I swing the big 2/3 guy open and can do my make up inches from a mirror. It opens to beyond the edge of the vanity. Heaven. Pure heaven.
And i needed the built in medicine b/c of space issues. It now holds my entire make up life.
Good luck!
PS– prefer the long handles versus knobs. :)
I love how clean and symmetrical #5 looks but agree I’m not thrilled with the sink placement. What if you make the center drawer wider than the two side colums. Center the sinks over the space between the drawers. They can make the inner part of the top row of drawers thinner to make space for the sinks. Or you do the same size drawers and still center them on the space between the drawers but I wasn’t sure if that would give the two of you enough room.
I really like the design of #3, its similar to my own vanity. My husband & I are able to stay on our own sides of the vanity at all times. My only issue is the center sconce. I think one large custom mirror with #3 cabinetry would be the most functiinal solution. Plus from a womens stand point, overhead mirror lighting is way better when applying makeup then a lower off to the side sconce that would create shadowing on your face.
I’m just curious about what you are planning to store in these bathroom drawers? I think the smaller drawers in designs 3 and 6 are nice for small objects (hair clips, small lotions, makeup) but if you’re planning to have the bathroom drawers serve as an “extra linen cabinet” for more towels etc then I can see the longer drawers beings nice.
We will have a separate linen closet and a cabinet in the toilet closet, too
Not sure if you thought about this, but you wouldn’t necessarily have to center the sinks and mirrors over the outside sections with those three column versions. The sinks and mirrors could still be in the same location as with the two column versions as long as they are symmetrical overall.
I would vote #5 with the sinks and mirrors spaced as if it was two sections of drawers.
I was torn between 1 and 6. 1 for looks, 6 for practicality. 6 has smaller drawers to separate make-up from dental supplies from hair supplies. BUT, if you use dividers inside the drawers, maybe you can combine some of those things…
Can you try a 7th version? A cross between 3 & 5 (which I voted for). I LOVE the look of the even drawers across but if you slim down the center drawers a bit you can better place the sinks and keep the double mirrors. The center drawers for often used toiletries (toothpaste/toothbrushes etc) also mean you can step close to the sink while the drawer is open.
My .02
So…my two cent, but I think you will regret any design option that has your sinks too close to the wall vs. a more centered option. Our sinks are “close to the edge” with most of our vanity counter space in the middle- but it’s a face-washing nightmare. No room to lean over/get close while washing face, etc because elbows hit wall- so you have to stand too far inward and it makes a huge watery mess every.single.time.
We are in the process of finishing our master bath, we are stuck in the forever tiling stage, but my comment is about sconces and mirrors. We bought mirror #8, but that lip around is too deep, and shades the light from the sconces. We now have to buy a shallower mirror :(. Other option would be sconces that have an arm or stick out further. Its too bad, I really like it.
Speaking as one tall person to another: both of our bathrooms are teeny tiny, with not much space between the sink/mirror and the wall. I go crazy blowdrying/ styling my hair because the wall always feels too close, but if I step too far away from the wall I can’t see into the mirror. Anyway. I love the look of the double mirrors over the double sinks, but as far as functionality goes, I’d opt for one big mirror.
All of these options are aesthetically pleasing for sure, but it changes things when looking at some some of these from an organizational view point! Some of the drawers seem extra long or even really deep that it seems like it would be hard to organize effectively. But definitely you have 6 very pretty options!
Number 1 is simple, uncluttered and modern looking. Maybe a solution to not being able to stand in front of an open drawer would be to put what you might need (makeup, etc) on a tray inside the drawer. Just pull out the tray and put it on the counter to use the items. Or stand in front of the other mirror?
Love that idea, Amy!
What if with option 5, you make the top drawers faux like some in front of kitchen sinks are so that you can have the sinks closer together with two separate mirrors? Then there would still be 6 storage drawers, but you’d get the look of the three sets of drawers, in a custom style, especially if you center the sinks on the seam between the middle drawer and the side drawers.
I’m in the minority and love 2 & 5! Awesome storage, but what’s your plan for your trashcan?
I voted #3 but I would totally want one large mirror instead of two with so much space between. Or it might be a great space for a piece of art? With a very long sconce/two sconces without space between?
Combination of #1 and #6: 2 small drawers on top row on each side, then 2 wide drawers below. (So just like an IKEA Hemnes 8 drawer dresser!)
I would prefer 4-5 drawers down the center with doors on either sides. I would like space to store my cleaning supplies. I love the stone ramp sinks. Very modern. Also, counter space on the top. So many vanities and non do no meet my criteria. I would love a light walnut colour. 36 inch vanity.
I’m curious (and maybe you already answered this), but do you think it matters – the placement of sinks with the drawers? Speaking as a fellow remodeler (we’re on our fifth one), I do think mirror and sink placement is incredibly important, but with drawers? Bathrooms are small, and if you took design 5 and centered the sinks, would it really feel unbalanced? It looks “right” in the drawing but would it be off in real life? And would you (as being tall people) have less room if the sinks weren’t centered and you were both at the sink?
That’s something we’ve gone back and forth on. I feel like generally sinks have to be centered OVER something for plumbing purposes.
I love No. 1 from a form perspective – it definitely is the cleanest visually. However, with bathrooms, function is so important and No. 3 has elements of No. 1, but I think would be more functional in the long run. We have a version of No. 3 in our master bath – and I can’t imagine asking my husband to move every time while he was shaving and I needed to get the toothpaste or something out of the top drawer. I hate stuff on the countertops so like to middle drawers for ease of access – contact solution, toothpaste, floss, etc.
I’d prefer a combo of 3 & 5! Three rows and three columns like number 5, but make the center column skinnier like number 3. Might make storage, mirror placement, and plumbing easier.
Genius!
I have had vanities with the drawer configurations of #1, 3, 4 & 5. Overwhelmingly, we prefer #1. #3 comes in a distant second. #5 was a bust for us. Im not exactly sure why (uneven distribution of storage space per person?) but it never worked for us.
I haven’t read through all of the comments, but, I will to see if anyone had the same idea as me.
I like #3 since there are yours, mine and ours sets of drawers. And, I like the idea of more space between the mirrors and sinks for lights, art, flowers, whatever. I don’t remember reading what you would put in each set of drawers since that would impact the size. The other question is where are the electrical outlets – a set on each side as well as a drawer with electric outlets to recharge things?
One modification to # 3 would be to have the top row of shelves be the same depth, designed to accommodate the plumbing. Then, like #1, you could have a second shallow and one deep. Or, like #6, a shallow, medium and deep set of drawers. It depends on what goes in each drawer. I would be inclined to store face clothes and hand towels in the bottom drawer and the bath towels closer to the shower area.
One addition after reading the comments – since people mentioned the need for side lights as well as elbow space, the center set of drawers can be narrower to hold the essential common items and the other drawers be wider with the sinks closer to the center.
#2 reminds me of an Ikea dresser, I LOVE #5 – could you just make the top row of drawers faux so you don’t have to push the sinks/mirrors so far off to the edges? Maybe weird visually to not have the sinks & mirrors over the drawers?
Hybrid between 1 and 6. Do two small drawers on the top for each side (option 6) and two larger drawers below (like option 1).
Have you thought about using medicine cabinets? We remodeled our master bath and put 3 cabinets above the double vanity, ganged together and surface-mounted b/c it was an exterior wall….and it made an enormous difference in our use of the master vanity. Having eye level storage for the myriad of bottles, jars, medications, brushes, etc. is fabulous. We would up with a his, ours, hers arrangement and 5 years later, it works divinely. I wouldn’t give it up for anything. One of the things that makes it work so well is that we used a kitchen base cabinet for the vanity, and it’s deeper than a traditional vanity. Having the surface-mount medicine cabinets stick out 4 inches or so was no problem b/c of extra vanity depth. And note: the older you get, the more medication you’re likely to take, so the more space you need to store it. Up, out of the way of little hands, is a good thing.
From a purely practical point, I’d like to urge you to consider a kick plate under the vanity so there isn’t a deep space below the storage where dust bunnies will congregate. As you age, you won’t want to practically lie on your belly to clean under there.
Yes! Medicine cabinets would solve a lot of problems and there are definitely super high end ones out there with integrated outlets and lights etc. Since you’ve locked down a carpenter for the cabinet I’m pretty sure you can have the mirrored door to the cabinet be more custom with the wood frame you’re envisioning.
There’s a youtube channel by Paula McDonald and she does small space NYC apartments and she mentions the name brand of the high end medicine cabinets she uses if you’re interested.
I looked up the company and its called Robern. It’s a Koehler company and it’s definitely $$$ but if you or anyone else wondered what a nice medicine cabinet looks like it’s worth looking into.
I noticed a lot about the functionality of opening your storage while also being able to stand close to your mirror so I just wanted to point out that you could always assign one person the sink to the left but the storage to the right. That way you can access everything from your sink/mirror spot without having to step out of the way.
I thought that too! But it obviously wouldn’t work if both people were trying to get ready at the same time.
Just a thought…if you went with #4, you could install slide-out drawers inside so that you still have drawers if needed. I love the look of #6 best, though I can see what you mean with the tricky plumbing workaround. Regardless of what you do, it will look beautiful and I look forward to seeing it!
1, 4, and 6 feel a very traditional, 2 and 5 look more modern, and 3 kind of splits the difference and has the functionality. (I voted for 3). Center sconce could be beautiful or piece of personal art could be a really nice feature.
1 and 6 looked most visually balanced, but if i could i would change my vote to 3. Your plumbing will take up all of your upper drawer space in 1 and 6. You will have to be bending over to get into all of your storage. The storage in 3 would be so much more convenient. And i think if you added a vase of flowers or something between the mirrors, 3 would still look beautifully balanced.
Honestly every single one of the designs except the one with the door looks so nice, one thing I know, we have drawers that are the width of the vanity, (we have two single ones next to each other) and it is super annoying to have to step back in order to open the drawer, especially when my toddler just climbed onto his stool for brushing his teeth and then I realize I forgot to pull out the toothpaste for him before he got on the stool, so now he has to step back down so I can open the drawer. So for Polly, that would be something to consider for you guys. The suggestion to store each others stuff on the opposite side from your own sink is definitely an idea, but in the long run I think it would just feel counter intuitive for the flow of a busy everyday life.
Another thing, I know you decided on a floating vanity, we have that too, and while it looks super nice, it is a pain to clean under it. You never really know if you got all the dust and hair off the floor there, and have to get on your knees when something falls and rolls under the vanity. I think this look is nice to look at on Studio McGees pictures online, but to live with it every day is a whole other story.
Super happy for you guys and your bathroom reno, I am excited to see your progress and design decisions, I am sure it will be just as amazing as everything else you’ve done so far!
For me, it isn’t purely aesthetics. We have a floating Ikea vanity in our powder bathroom, too. I love the ease of cleaning under it, but I also love the lightness it adds to the room. Since we’re going with such a heavy color–black!–the floating will counteract that.
Hadn’t considered the color, you’re right it will definitely look a lot less heavy with it floating. I’m sure you will find the storage solution that works best for you! :)
We have a 72 in vanity with a short cabinet directly under each sink with a drawer underneath each cabinet. Then 3 drawers vertically in the center. We love it! Nothing we store in the vanity requires significant height, so the shorter cabinet doesn’t feel like a loss and we don’t feel like we are wasting vertical space as with the taller cabinets. This still leaves room for the plumbing in the cabinet section, so we are able to maximize drawer space without complicating the plumbing too much. It may not work for you all since yours will be floating, but just a thought!
It was between 1 and 6 for me, but I ultimately thought 1 looked cleaner.
We custom designed a vanity a little less wide (about 64 “), but only put in one sink because we have a window on one side (where your right side mirror is) and also decided storage was more important to us because of no other storage in the bathroom. The plumbing takes up SO MUCH ROOM! We have a cabinet under the sink and outlets where our cleaning supplies, my plugged in hairdryer and plugged in toothbrush stay, but two sets of drawers next to that that we each use. My top drawer is makeup and I do stand in front of the sink with the drawer open next to me everyday!
Someone has probably already suggested this but I feel like you need to know what you’re storing and that should drive to what you need.
Hi guys !
so I kind of have number 3 with cabinets like number 4… I LOVE the drawers in the middle…. So useful. But I hate… and I choose this word exactly, I hate the cabinets… not useful at all, even if it’s convenient to store big bottles of cleaning supplies… I love the look of #2 but won’t you loose everything in such deep drawers ? HA I want to change my vote now to have the #1…. good luck !! Will you do something about how the manufacturer will do your vanity ?
Can you still to 5 and center the sinks? Maybe the top middle drawer will be a dummy front? Not sure how it would all work with under mout sinks – but I am sure your cabinet guy would have some suggestions?
I like #1 or 6!! We just did our master and it looks very similar to #1. My advice, stay away from doors and do all drawers. We did that and there is so much more usable storage… I have used every last square inch. I also like these options with one large mirror over both sinks instead of two small ones. That way you could have the drawer open and still get up close to the mirror in the middle.
Also, I know you already decided on floating but I’m not sure the loss of storage is a good trade off for the visual aesthetic you get from the floating look. We thought about that in our remodel and I’m so glad we decided against it. The entire top drawer will be almost entirely lost to the sink.
My master vanity is similar to #3. And while I love the storage, I realized too late that the sink and mirror placement prevented me from having sconces on the outsides of the mirrors. Which I miss! Wish I’d seen this post before choosing that vanity! With all of the pros and cons you mentioned, I bet you’ll be happiest with #6 — if your plumber can handle it!
I like 2 the best because I love that apothecary cabinet look. I would even be tempted to divide the drawers up in smaller sections. Or maybe just the top four? And then The bottom four could either stay as is or just appear to be smaller drawers with a faux drawer front. Really all the options are great though.
What about a combination of #5 and #3? Meaning, three vertical sets of 3 equal height drawers, but the set in the middle could be narrower, allowing your sinks and mirrors to move away from the walls
These are all beautiful! I voted for 3 but also love 5. I love that you mentioned storage black hole with the cabinets! That’s what ours are. It’s just too big and deep and definitely needs some sort of system to keep things organized. Anyway good luck! Cant wait to see!
#1 – #5 – #6
Tough call!
I love option 3 with all those small drawers. If you are worried about the lighting, why not add lighting above each mirror and then add some small floating shelves between the mirrors. Then you could get those everyday things like cotton balls and qtips off of the counter. Not to mention an extra place to put pretty things like candles.
soooo….. I changed my mind…. #3 haha!!!
I wouldn’t factor in – Unable to stay close to sink/mirror while simultaneously having drawer open. I can’t think of an occasion I would want to keep a drawer open. And if I forgot something it really only takes a moment to open it back up. Maybe take note the next few days of getting ready…..did you actually need/have a drawer open. If so….then I guess it does need to be considered :)
This is actually something that i added to my bathroom lately. Since I don’t want a lot of stuff on the counter, i moved my make up and hair stuff into the vanity cabinet on a pull out drawer. This way I can have that one side open and the drawe our while I reach for one make up item at a time and put it away again right away.
#2 that way you can move to either side to get your own stuff out of each drawer! CANNOT wait to see this!!
#1 but with the top drawer split into two drawers like #6!
I love this suggestion!!
Yes! I voted for 6, but I think this would be better.
My current set up is #4, and the cabinets are basically just a black hole of stuff. There is a long shelf along the back that helps a little, but basically everything is just a jumbled mess. I’m team drawers all the way.
I vote for what Monique said!
I love number 6. Your drawers could be notched around the plumbing in back and still provide plenty of great storage!
Will you need to store anything like spray bottles for cleaners that are too tall to fit in the drawers, or will you have another place for those?
I hate to be the one to say, “well, have you considered?” because you’ve already considered a LOT of options. But, my husband and I designed a vanity that was basically #4, but with the long drawer on the bottom. It makes plumbing way easier, and you can put things like hair dryers, curling irons, shavers, etc in the bottom drawer if you are careful to make it deep enough. This has the added benefit of making the cabinets a bit smaller so they are less like a black hole and easier to add organizers to. This lets you keep the mirrors where you want them, and makes the drawer a lot more function (i.e., it’s 100% usable space instead of 50% because of the plumbing cut out.) Hope that helps. Good luck!
Number 1 looks very high end to me. It would be mildly inconvenient, but I say worth it. We have a set up like Number 3 in our house (that we just sold!) but it originally had a single, builder-grade mirror. We switched the mirror out for two separate mirrors with a sconce in between, and HATE it! That space in the middle is so weird and empty (granted our vanity was really wide at 78″, but still). Definitely glad to know that because we won’t make that choice again with so much space in between. No matter what you do I’m confident you’ll make it beautiful, so make sure the function works for you.
2 thoughts:
1. I wouldn’t want the sink too close to the wall because of the elbow room and having a place to set things like hair straighteners next to the sink.
2. You could always store your things in the opposite person’s drawers so you could get ready standing close to your sink and reach over to get your things out of the other drawers, assuming they aren’t getting ready at the same time.
I’m really excited to see how this design plays out. Our bathroom renovation is in my short list and I’m drawing lots of ideas and inspiration from your process!
I voted but worry on 6 that a substantial amount of the drawers will be taken up by plumbing and the undercount sinks. With 1, the plumbing can split the middle of the drawer (like ikea and a bunch of other people do) but on 6, the center of the sink / plumbing would be hitting between the two drawers and I’m curious how that would shake out.
Just put in drawers and not being able to stand belly up to the vanity while digging in the drawer is not an issue I’ve encountered. I think it’s just something you would adjust to – like getting all the hair product out BEFORE starting or storing your toothbrush / toothpaste at the front of the drawer so it’s super easy to scoot it out an inch or two and grab and go about your business.
I had to go look at our master vanity to figure this out. We have a design similar to #3, but there’s a dummy panel in the top drawer position under each sink & then below the sink is a cabinet. I think this is a super standard design because the panel (instead of an actual drawer) solves a bunch of the plumbing problems. I’m interested to hear what your contractor & plumber say!
I loved #1 until you mentioned having a drawer open while you get ready… and I remembered that every single morning I have my makeup drawer open so I don’t have to fuss with pulling it up on the counter and really, isn’t it the little 10 min routine every day that makes or breaks how you feel about something like this? They will all be gorgeous so go for function!!
My bathroom is a combo of 3 and 4 (pretty standard – drawers in the center, cabinets on either side) and clearly it’s easiest for plumbing but I also love those center drawers! Small enough that nothing gets lost but so functional. However, I did have to do one light fixture and mirror because my sinks are set further apart. However, the unexpected benefit of this is a large, lovely section of uninterrupted counter in the center!
This is ours too, except we have 2 sets of center drawers. I get most of them. My husband gets one. (To be fair, we keep a lot of stuff in our bathroom that might be kept in a closet like towels, some medications, extra toiletries, cleaning products, etc.)
I understand the concern on #1, but I think in reality it would be fine since you EACH have your OWN drawers – that is the most important part! Right now my husband and I have a vanity with one sink and large, horizontal drawers underneath. I don’t mind at all when I take a step back to grab my things from the drawer and set them on the counter while I use them, but it really bothers me when I am in the middle of putting on makeup and my husband needs me to step back so he can open them! #1 looks the best to me and I really don’t think it would be an issue since your drawers are separate!
Can I vote for a combination of 3 and 4?! I feel like the balance of looks and function has to skew more toward function for a vanity and you’ll need a combination of small drawers cabinets. Smaller drawers allow you to keep your make up and small toiletries organized without them it spilling around all over the place, and you don’t want to waste a super deep drawer on that kind of stuff. Cabinets also allow you to store stuff without having to move the contents the way a drawer does when it slides open. These all look great!!! I’m just speaking as someone who moved into a house with a “super un-functional” bathroom :)
Careful with 3 there. You need some elbow room while you’re at the sink, washing your face or putting on makeup etc. I feel like my sink is too close to the wall so I always end up using my husbands (whose sink has a few extra inches of breathing room because the glass shower is next to his).
So I voted, but I also want to mention: We have something similar to your option 2, except it’s 2 big square drawers and one door each, and I HATE it. The space behind the drawer is too small to store all my taller items, and the big square drawers aren’t tall enough to hold all my taller products and it’s way too tall for all my shorter items. It’s the worst. We added some acrylic organizers, but it’s such an awkward size because things like nail clippers, nail files, etc are all really small but take up a whole vertical column in the drawer.
It’s going to look so good! Of the choices you gave I like #6 best. But to complicate the matter what do you think of something like #6 but instead of the top four drawers it would only be two side by side. With #6 there are just a lot of pulls.
Could you do a combination of 1 & 2– to help solve the issue of being farther from sink when the drawers are open? I.e. have the top drawers be two smaller, shallower drawers and the bottom drawer deeper/full width?
Hi!
Just weighing in with a suggestion for the #4 option. You could install one of those pull-out systems that are often used in kitchen cupboards/pantries…. would keep your stuff organized and the look of the vanity less busy.
Can’t wait to see how it all turns out!
#1 is my favorite look, then #2, then #3, but I think #3 is the most functional in terms of storage with a space for small things and a space for larger things, and being able to stand in the middle to open the larger side drawers. I feel your pain trying to decide! I just did a bathroom reno and the vanity was the hardest part, and I only had a 24″ vanity to work with.
I think you should include the sconces in your drawing. Ideally they should illuminate both sides of your face. Will affect mirror choice.
That’s a really good call!
I like 1 or 6. I have no advice per se as our vanity situation is like 4 and I hate bending down to see whats in it. pullouts would make it better, but I still prefer a drawer. So exciting!
We have a vanity like #4, but with the cabinet on top and the drawer on the bottom, and narrow drawers down the middle. It’s perfection. I can keep one or both cabinet doors open when I’m getting ready, to grab things like brushes, mouthwash and toothbrush (we had the electrician drop outlets into each cabinet). It’s also easier to maximize the space around the plumbing in a cabinet. Center drawers hold small things like q-tips, contact lenses, toothpaste, and holds my makeup, because we can leave it open while standing there. The big bottom drawer is a really efficient way to store the hair dryer and hot tools.
Hi there!
I admit to not reading the comments on the last post, but We have a similar design to number 1 and not being able to stand right in front of the sink while opening a drawer is no problem whatsoever for us!
Best
Jenn(ifer)
Additional FYI: ikea sells vanities like that and has special extra slim / low profile plumbing pieces. Maybe you can get them seperately.
I’ve had them for 6,5 years and they still work great!
http://www.ikea.com/ms/de_DE/img/seorange/bathroom_connecting_PE266358_520x300.jpg
We also have a floating vanity similar to ikea with two drawers and there really isnt much space wasted with plumbing. I’ve never had a problem with the large drawers and i think it looks really good!. I have some organisers in the drawer that keeps small things corralled. But it is also because we have a large But very shallow medicine cabinet with mirrors so a lot of the small things are much more easily stored there anyways.
Also, outlet in a drawer/medicine cabinet for toothbrush/shaver charging out of sight!
Hi guys,
I actually like number 2 and number 5 the most for their simple and clean design.
I would suggest thinking what you will store in each of the drawers, it might help you to decide whether you need deeper or more shallow drawers or a combination. We used this approach when designing our custom wardrobe, so even before we talked to the company we hired to build it, we knew what we wanted to store where and it guided us in deciding how wide/deep/high each drawer and shelf needs to be.
Good luck, I’m sure you’ll choose well!