The Bathroom Vanity
Although the bathroom vanity is essentially a joinery unit we will cover it here briefly as it is often a proprietary fitting that can be purchased off the shelf and installed. Some bathroom vanity have a separate ceramic basin installed in the top and others have an integral top with the basin. It is a personal preference, however as with other ceramic, glass and plastic fittings check the hardness and brittleness i.e. can it be scratched and can it be chipped?
Then make your judgment as to the bathroom vanity durability. Ensure that the vanity units’ top drains back to the basin. So should the soap dishes. The vanity top should have a raised up stand at the back to catch splashes.This is instead of being directly on the wall. If not tiles, mirror or some other innovative and attractive finish should be used. This is because paint will eventually peel or blister.
It is often a good idea to have raised edges around the top of vanities bench to stop water dripping off the edge especially if it is for a family with young children. Many dont. Check this or at least ensure that there is a fall to the top of the vanity that keeps water draining back to the bowl.
The storage within each bathroom vanity should be able to hold large items such as cans of hair spray. It should also be able to be locked or have safety locks on them for the sake of young children. Hair sprays, nail polishes and soaps are all poisons. Check with the sizes of the products that you use. They are not all standard sizes and you often find the manufacturer of these products use novelty sizes and shapes. They do this to help sell the item. That makes them difficult to store.
Ceramic vessel basin set in a rimu timber vanity top.
A ceramic basin set into a laminate top.
As part of your design evaluation of the bathroom vanity, confirm what is going to be stored and what the unit is made of.
We use lots of different compounds and chemicals in our cleaning and polishing of our bodies. These can be caustic or abrasive to some finishes.
This bathroom vanity has great storage capacity.
This bathroom vanity has a slim top and semi recessed basin allowing for more room in the bathroom.
Hair products in particular often come in varying sized shaped bottles and containers.
A unit with an abundance of different sized drawers can be the most practical, so that medicines, hair products, skin products etc. can all be stored and locked off separately if necessary.
This vanity has a marble top with a bottom fixed basin, lots of good storage and brilliant use of mirrors to make the space look larger.
Double basins can be very useful in large families. One end can be lowered with separate taps and basin for younger children. Ensure that an overflow is in the vanity. This is especially necessary if the bathroom doesn’t have a floor drain.
Alternately a separate cabinet higher up or elsewhere in the bathroom may be used to for the storage of the items and the underside of the cabinet left open or used for towel storage.
Double basins – shown here semi recessed, are a luxury item for couples or busy families sharing the same bathroom space, allowing quicker turn around of ablutions.
Bathroom vanity definition
