I don't know about the quality but you can't beat the price ($350):

Here is a link that might be useful: jc penney vanity

We bought our 36" vanities from All Wood Cabinetry (http://www.awcabinetry.com/) for around $500 each for maple, solid wood construction cabinets. Our builder recommended against particleboard for bathroom cabinets, just in case of a leak. We'd looked all over the big box stores at in-stock cabinets, and weren't pleased with the details on these. Sometimes the doors didn't quite line up, and some of them just seemed outright flimsy.

For our countertops, we bought in-stock crystal green granite countertops from Lowes. We had requested in advance a 10% off coupon, which we used to make our vanity top total $228, for a grand total of $728 for a 36" vanity and granite top.

I'll attach a link to a photo of our vanities, in case you're interested.

Cheers!
Heather W

Here is a link that might be useful: Vanity - Scroll Down

I almost ordered a bath vanity at the same time I ordered my kitchen cabinets and I may go back and do that after all, since I'm having such a hard time finding anything I like. Thomasville, Kraftmaid, etc - they all offer bath vanities in all the same door styles and finishes as their kitchen cabs. Obviously you'd have to buy the top/sink separately, but the price they quoted me for a 24" vanity with a couple of drawers was around $300, I think - not bad.

Thanks for the help!

Kgwlisa--I LOVE the one from Penny's...and I LOVE the price...I just wonder how the construction is and if it will hold up to a busy household. It is so similar to the one I LOVE in Restoration Hardware, but can't afford! Plus, I'm leaning towards black over my initial thought of dark walnut/espresso color.

After shopping locally for 3-4 hours today for vanities, I'm 90% I'm just going to get the Penny's one and try it. I measured what the loss of 4" would be (it's only 32") and it's no big deal. It's a relatively small bathroom, so more elbow room on the toilet would be fine.

Why is it so hard to find an affordable vanity that looks like simple furniture? The ones at Home Depot are either just "traditional" bathroom vanities w/ or w/out toekicks (but still not really "furniture" looking) or they are extremely fancy, ornate, Victorian-looking things.

The one brand I really liked was Fairmont--understated, simple, and elegant...but the prices were way over our budget!!! And most of them were over $1000 without a top!! Yikes!

And it was weird--every store I went to kept trying to sell me this stuff called Tere-Stone for a countertop...anyone ever heard of it? Three different local stores were pushing this stuff as an alternate to granite/marble.

Anyway, I'll keep looking, but my hope is dwindling unless Restoration Hardware wants to make their sale a 75% off sale!!

:)
Sarah

Make sure you ask at HD for what they have available for vanities. I went and looked at their displays and hated what I saw. My friend went in and talked to them and they had a beautiful one that wasn't on display that is a PB look a like.

Also think about retrofitting an antique or having one custom made. With top and sink our custom made was about $800.

After looking around a lot I finally bit the bullet and got the Cartwright from RH. I just couldn't find a look that I liked more. My second choice though is the Biltmore by Empire. It comes in a full 36" width (RH is 32") and looks identical to RH's vanity except that it has concealed euro-style hinges rather than the exposed ones. I actually needed the 32" size and I really loved the RH medicine cabinet so I went with that one instead but the lowest price I found on the Biltmore is at Home and Stone, I'm linking below. If you are not in NY there is no sales tax (I am and they STILL had the best price for my rohl faucets there even with tax) and they had free shipping. They also often have 10% off $399 coupons on their site, which would bring the delivered price of this vanity down to $600. I think with another $200 (or so) you could get an off the shelf granite or marble vanity top in your choice and you'd come close to your top budget. I saw empire brand vanities at Expo (fancy home depot) and the quality on them was nice.

BTW I only bought the RH vanity BASE, not the top. The top is WAY overpriced. The base DOES come with a sink even if you don't get the top and you could also go to a stone yard and find a remnant (especially for a vanity that small). It would be more than $800 total but not as much as buying the whole thing from RH and a bit more personalized.

Here is a link that might be useful: biltmore RH lookalike vanity

I want the Cartwright so badly--can you see my jealousy seeping out of every pore? I just put that in the "shopping cart" a while ago along with the medicine cabinet and tall linen cabinet and it was $3000 w/shipping included! Aggghh!! Forget a toilet, tub, flooring, and lighting! Who really needs a potty in the bathroom anyway?

I just can't justify it, although I would love to! Two teachers plus two kids and one due in January...can't do it! But do post pictures and let us know how you like it...I'll live vicariously! I really spared no expense on our kitchen remodel...down to my Shaw's farmhouse sink, so I really should be OK with cutting a few corners in my bathroom.

I tried to look on the Home and Stone website, but it was "closed." I am in NY, so that's kind of a bummer with tax. I have found some other ones that I like, but not that I love. I am going to keep looking, though!

I really wish the one from RH was actually Pottery Barn. My best friend's husband works for Williams-Sonoma and gets 40% off of PB--almost makes their prices bearable to me and we've gotten a few things on his discount in the past.

I did look through the catalogs at HD and the guy gave me some websites to look at, so I'll do some more snooping around. One I really liked through Fairmont Designs looked similar to the Cartwright, but had two functioning drawers on the bottom. Very nice for a curling iron/hair dryer/etc.

I also looked into getting a top made for any vanity that I might find or an antique that might be retrofitted and three different granite/marble yards basically came up with the same price--with an undermount sink, a 37" carrara marble top (or something similar), templating and labor, it would be between $800-1000. Even if I find some gorgeous antique sideboard sitting on the side of the road, I can't really justify that price!! And these are considered "remnants." They said remnant or not, it doesn't really matter--it's all in the labor, not the material. Makes me want to become a stone mason of some type!

Sarah

The owners of home and stone are observant jews and close their online store for the sabbath, but it will be open after sundown tonight and tomorrow, generally with a 10% off coupon posted too (check the banner across the top). It's in white though, not dark as far as I know (the vanity).

I think you can do better than that on stone too! I'm in lower dutchess county and my local granite yard had a TON of carrera in their remnant section for far less. I am paying under $500 for templating, install, undermount sink cutout etc of honed jet mist granite for my vanity top and the carrera was far less expensive because it was only 3/4". Also I don't know this for sure but it would SEEM that it's so popular nowadays that you could get it off the shelf for a standard size at the home improvement stores.

I know what you mean about how hard it is to find just a simple furniture style vanity. I don't care at all for the super ornate ones that you see everywhere, and I also don't care for the look of 3/4" tops so that really limits me. I decided to just bite the bullet and get the restoration hardware one and spent about $1400 for the vanity base, large surface mount medicine cabinet and small mirror for over my console sink. It was a splurge for sure!

Check both Home Depot and Lowe's for vanities in their special order departments. They have options that are not on the floor and not in stock, but usually come in about two weeks or so, and the prices are excellent. Also, both places sell granite vanity tops in a pretty good array of standard colors in several common sizes -- way, way WAY cheaper than going to a stone yard, because they buy in such bulk. I am pretty sure 36" is one of their standard sizes -- I was looking at 30" so I'm not positive, but I think it is. Definitely check out these options before buying elsewhere. If you have your heart set on some special granite color, it might not work, but as I recall they offered about 6-10 basic colors, like absolute black, blue pearl, some kind of gold, etc. Nice basic colors, and you absolutely cannot beat the price. For me, the price would definitely be worth choosing one of their color options -- and the options are actually pretty good, so it's not as if it's a big sacrifice or anything. Good luck!

I second what nolagirl says. HD and other places have stone tops that are waaaayyyy cheaper. We had a weird sized vanity so had to go custom but otherwise would have saved a heap going to a lumberyard. You could find an antique and get a HD top and your set.

Not sure where you are, but around here if you're not too fussy, you can find a decent old piece for under $500. Just stay away from "antique" stores and look at flea markets, etc.

Good luck!

I concur to check Lowe's and HD special order. I think you will be surprised at what they have to offer. A lot of the stuff that's in-stock is pretty boring.

We needed a 24" vanity, but we finally got one off the shelf that we liked (Estate white with beadboard doors). We ordered a nicer top to go with it vs. the budget top that came with it. But we have a beautiful vanity for $300. Pics will be coming soon!

Try Costco: this one has a porcelain top, costs $500

Brown granite for $700:

This one has AB granite:

You have to do some leg work but if you want to save try this...

Visit stores that carry vanities....there is a maker called Stein World that has several varieties (google for styles) they all run between $600-$1000....inevitably whoever carries these will have a few that came with broken granite tops....the furniture stores don't have time to go get custom tops....they'll sell you the base and you go get a top...

I just did this yesterday...paid $100 for the base...went to my granite supplier and kept asking for lowest price (puhlease, don't you have something pre-cut we could just cut to match my edging?) They came off $100 and I got it for a little over $100...I then was off to find a sink...found an undermount at Lowe's for $40...got a Price Pfister 8 inch spread faucet at half price to match my lighting (brushed nickel)...I came out with a higher quality plumbing fixture, nicer bowl sink and paid under $300....sure, I had to run around a day and a half but it was worth it.

Tara

Hi,
We put together a white vanity bottom from Lowes (approx $125 after discount coupon, remnant granite top, side & backsplash with a special arched/curvy top edge that mimics our medicine cab top's shape ($400, Blue Knight granite), IKEA vessel sink & faucet (less than $175 combined). Our finished look will be very custom without breaking the bank. It did take more running around to assemble to components, but like Tara, I think it is worth it.
Radiobern - our sink is similar to the Sorrento shown at superior bath for &749 on sale. At IKEA, it is $90. Sometimes a knock off is pretty darn close to the original. I trust IKEAs quality on kitchen and bath items and if there were a problem, can easily return there.

You can also try Homedecorators.com and Homedecoratorsoutlet.com. Both are affiliated with HD and often have more stylish options at good prices.
HTH

Thanks for all of the suggestions! Still haven't made up my mind yet...I keep going back to Restoration Hardware thinking they'll take pity on me and do a 50% off sale...the 20% (or less!) off sale right now isn't quite cutting it for me...

:)
Sarah

I'll second COSTCO!!! We are just now installing a vanity we got in-store at Costco. Granite countertop, sink included, very nice. It was $375, and a couple of months back they had a $75 off coupon, so we bought it and stuck it in the garage until today. I have noticed that the Costco.com items are more expensive, and you save money if you can find it in-store. I'll come back in a few days to post pictures of our budget bathroom remodel!

Mary

We purchased a 36" vanity at Sam's Club. THey don't have it online (just a pic says avail. in store) but it was $475 and came with a travertine top and a white sink. It's gorgeous and a great deal! GOod luck :)