DH does not like vessel sinks as some don't have stoppers which he uses daily when he shaves. I don't like them for frequently used baths as I don't think it is easy to clean around the base where the sink meets the counter top. Also, you need to adjust the vanity height if choosing a vessel sink as the edge of the sink is higher and you need to be able to reach your hand and other things comfortably in it....e.g., I won't get a sink/faucet combo in the master bath that I can't stick my head under for when I want to do a quick shampoo on my hair.

I'm most interested in how people see different bathrooms in a home fitting together, how strange would it look to have very different fittings and styles in the various baths, since I have not finalized plans let alone purchased anything. But I do appreciate the feedback/opinions on vessel sinks specifically.

I certainly could not stick my head under our current faucet/sink setup, or any other I have had in a bathroom. I have never had the urge to shampoo my hair in the sink, I wash my hair in the shower.

We'd get sink drains with pop-up stoppers, though DH does not fill the sink anyway it's nice to have the option.

Not that it matters, because if I build this vanity type I can make it whatever height I want... but our current vanity top is far too low for either of us, I hate bending down to wash my face closer to the sink to avoid splashing everywhere - and I'm only 5'4". DH is tall and the sink is far too low for him. Our current countertop is 30". I would much prefer 34-36" and have had "comfort height" vanities before and we preferred that height. SO I'd make the vanity 30" and the vessel sinks would add about 4" to that.

I generally think it's a mistake to veer too off course with an individual room. I think you could do something that looked as current as you wanted but fit better, (like you did with the powder room)--the inspiration vanity looks like it would only fit in something completely different than your house--it doesn't really look like it belongs in the bathroom it's pictured in either.

All my bathrooms were the same when we moved in and we have changed them all. The style of all of them now is contemporary, but they are all different. The hall/kid/guest bath is done in colorful tiles halway up the wall and in the tub surround and a modern pedestal sink. We enlarged the master...it has a 70" maple floating vanity w/ 2 sinks, a limestone counter. Got rid of tub and made it just a shower. Field tile is plain and the accent tile is bands of onyx. The powder room also has a floating vanity and granite which matches kitchen and a vessel sink. I think as long as the general style is consistent, you can mix it up a little.

It's difficult for me to determine what would be th best course because this is only our second house - we were renters for years and on student budgets and couldn't alter things much. Then for our first home we bought a brand new condo which was fairly modern in style - so we didn't do much as everything was new and fit the home.

But now, we have this townhouse which we love because of the location and the outdoor space, but decorating wise it doesn't give me any cues. The exterior is spanish mission style cream stucco with dark green trim and red tile roof. But the builders didn't adhere to that style, they used large contemporary globe outdoor lights for example instead of a lantern style.

Inside, it's all just builder basic semi-contemporary style, and it I hated the look of the kitchen and bathrooms. I gave the kitchen a mini makeover, but I'm just at a loss about how to make these bathrooms appeal to me and yet not look ridiculously out of place, or cost too much.

For the master, I would really like to have a higher and nicer looking vanity - the cultured marble in the master is in the worst condition as the most used. I'd also prefer to have 2 sinks because DH and I get up at the same time and he shaves, and I'm brushing my teeth etc. The current setup is a lot of wasted counter space and not enough washing space for us. But double vanities are so expensive - at least $1000 for the cabinet and top, more for a nice looking complete unit including sinks.

PS I think the picture I posted is the finished vanity in an unfinished bathroom project, I assume it fit in better later.

If you need to see more of the home for context, here are some pictures - these are from last year shortly after we moved in, I need to take some newer ones since details have changed such as new bedding etc.

master bedroom
{{gwi:1729386}}

staircase
{{gwi:1385953}}

A more recent photo of the kitchen - post makeover
{{gwi:1729387}}

{{gwi:1729388}}

living room
{{gwi:1590991}}

Unfortunately, I don't have any advice about the bathrooms. I do, however, absolutely love the color of your master bedroom! It's beautiful!

All of our baths are very different and have different finishes. It doesn't bother me as they are far apart and no one ever sees them all at the same time.

If you are looking to save money, you might look to green demolitions or another cabinet recycling charity like Re Store. We got the vanity for our guest bath for a song.

I think you could get more mileage out of converting the current vanity to something with a different top and adding vessel sinks to it rather than starting from scratch.

What is currently there is much more practical than the DIY vanity as a starting point, and its primary negatives are a lower counter height and esthetics.

You could also raise the counter height by creating a thick countertop using the technique you used in the kitchen. If you made a thick looking countertop of 4-6 inches you could use conventional sinks as well, rather than the vessels which are less practical than a conventional sink in a heavily used bath, according to a lot of people.

I don't really like to use the word "dated" too much, but from your posts I know that this is one of the things you are concerned about, --so in my opinion the bathroom and the kitchen where you made cosmetic changes to conventional looking cabinets will have much more staying power than the inspiration vanity.

They just look like a contemporary version of cabinets that people have installed since the modern kitchen and bath were invented, and that's good. The inspiration vanity is a look that is rather extreme. I know there are regional variations, but this is a look that is about 10-15 years old where I live and it doesn't look cutting edge anymore, and people are actually tiring of it. Its's harder to get tired of something that just looks like your other projects that are updates of classic things.

The vessel sink on rustic table still has it's applications and looks fine in some overall schemes, but where I think people are tiring of it is within the context of a house that has pretty typical, classical features throughout.

This post was edited by palimpsest on Mon, Jun 10, 13 at 9:07

After seeing pics of the rest of your lovely home, I think your inspiration picture/idea would look great. I don't find it a jarring change from the other rooms at all ... it's attractive, and very natural looking, and fits well with your home.

I remodeled my dad's master bath a few years ago, and he wanted a vessel sink. I tried my hardest to talk him out of it (from things I'd heard about cleaning them, etc), but he insisted. It was a gorgeous, heavy stone sink, and he loved it. It was set deeper than the ones you show here, and not harder to keep clean than any other style. He later moved and was very sorry to have to leave the sink behind.

Anyway, if I did that type of sink, I'd set it deeper, like his. I liked that it didn't look like a big salad bowl on top of the counter, and it was easier to use.

Good luck with your project. :)

This post was edited by Miz_M on Mon, Jun 10, 13 at 9:19

I think vessel sinks are a fad that will scream "dated" in a few years.

You went from a condo to a townhouse, and if the progression continues, at some point you will be looking to sell and move to a single family home. Smart money would pass on the fad when it comes to plumbing and put in something more mainstream.

I realize this doesn't address the height issue, but thought you might find it informative anyway.

I redid my powder room on the cheap last fall and was very happy with a custom vanity top with sink from Home Depot. The price was good and the material is much nicer looking than I expected.

Below is a link to HD's applet for figuring out the price for a vanity top with sink. There's a slide show that shows the various top materials. Be patient, because the first several tops aren't attractive; but the rectangular sinks later in are much nicer looking. The Stone Effects line of vanity tops are surprisingly pretty. I've seen them in real life and was impressed. The quartz tops are nice too.

To save money, I got cultured marble and was happy with the modern styling available now. I got an integral rectangular sink in White Quartz, white with gray veining. No cheesy swirls like in the 80s. Here's a link to a large picture of the sink, taken during the reno:

Here is a link that might be useful: Home Depot vanity top calculator

IKEA using kitchen cabinets, e.g. link below.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/before-amp-after-ayas-70s-to-serene-guest-bathroom-renovation-184187

Here is a link that might be useful: IKEA bathroom

How about two single vanities side by side? You can get vanity/counter/sink combos at HD/Lowes that are quite nice and probably less than what you would spend for one long one. This would solve the height/2 people problems.

Vessel sinks may be a trend...but enough people have them now...and I doubt everyone will rip them out and replace when they sell. Some people say granite is a trend too, but it also won't get ripped out to put in quartz or whatever is popular at the moment when people sell. I think as long as something is good quality and works in the space, people will appreciate it. I have a vessel in my powder room..no harder to clean than any other sink.

Personally, I don't see your inspiration bathroom fitting in your house. Your house looks light and airy, and the sinks/vanity are dark and heavy ... sorry.

I also do not have the same finishings in my 2.5 baths. I do what fits them and the areas they service ...

I'm afraid I would have to agree with what others have posted. The vanity in your inspiration picture looks rather rustic. When I look at your other three bathrooms, they look like they are in the same style, from the same era. It's almost like the old Sesame Street skit, 'One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other'.

For my three bathrooms, they all have different metals and different fixtures but they all have a vintage feel to them to go along with my old house. I think if you play within the latitude of the style and era of your house, you will be able to create distinction between the three without creating a distraction.

Thanks for all the interesting feedback!

I don't actually care at all about trends or "dated", I just like certain looks and don't like others. The current look of my 1980s bathrooms, I don't like it. It is very low quality workmanship and shoddy construction, cheap materials. I love very old things and traditional furniture etc, but they tend to be expensive because they are well made out of real wood.

Do I have a style of decorating? I don't even know, I know what I like in other people's pictures and I am learning that means that I don't like "modern" design - I find it cold and unwelcoming - and I am not fond of country - too fussy and extreme in the other direction. I like rustic, transitional, cottage, and traditional styles. I am certainly not a trend follower, I have dressed in the same blue jeans and men's-cut T-shirts most of my life, and had the same all-one-length haircut, things that I think look decent on me. That's pretty much how I am with decorating - it needs to be functional first, and to feel right to me, second.

Thanks for the compliment on the master bedroom color it is BM Wedgewood gray, I adore it. I just picked it a bit randomly from the chips so I am lucky I like it so much. When we closed on the home we were still selling our condo, and there were renters in the TH - we had to buy them out of their lease and in the next 2 weeks we sold the condo and lived in a temporary apartment... once the tenants moved out, I had 10 days to get the place move in ready before our 1 month temp lease was up, so I didn't have a lot of time to choose colors because I had to remove all the carpet tack strips and underpads, prep the floors, paint everything including ceilings (except the bathrooms which had been freshly painted by the PO and I left alone as functional) and lay the vinyl plank.

Here is the "before" - this is the "style" I have to work with! This carpet was only 8 months old according to the PO, installed before it was rented out.
{{gwi:1729390}}

{{gwi:1729391}}

{{gwi:1729392}}

and.. the master bedroom (doesn't it look tiny? I was not sure our king bed would fit based on my memory and the photos!)
{{gwi:1729393}}

I was looking for a calm, spa-like color for the bedroom and was unsure based on all the chips (I was getting color overload)... but when I put it on the walls I was so happy with it! Sometimes I just lay on the bed and look at the walls, because I found the color so soothing.

I do want to paint the bathroom a color that flows from this - I think the revere pewter chip looks great with the Wedgewood... but I am waiting to see if I keep the current floor and what I do with the vanity. The current floor has purple pink undertones and looks good with RP and family but nothing too blue.

Pal, I don't think the current vanity is not really worth trying to work with - everything looks better in the photo than in real life, but there is some significant water damage to the interior and the false front drawer thing has swelling/bubbles in the MDF panel from water, the drawer slides are all broken so the drawers sit crooked and don't slide well, and it would be very difficult to configure this vanity for 2 sinks. It really was a very low quality item to begin with and by the time I replace all the parts and the damaged wood, it would be a lot of work and money into a poor quality item.

I am considering giving up on the 2 sinks thing and instead replacing the door/drawer fronts on the existing cabinet, repairing the bottoms with damage, and removing the "makeup station" portion, then putting on a 70" top that stops after the drawer stack -leaving room between the vanity and wall for a linen cabinet, stool or something. However that's not what I really want...

I priced out 2 single vanities and 2 tops, it works out to about the same as one double vanity... and would be much more difficult to do the plumbing (remember I am 100% DIY) since I have to use a split on the existing plumbing to 2 sinks, if it's contained within one cabinet it's much easier (and even easier with a simple cabinet built for the purpose).

I have considered skim coating the cultured marble with concrete, but I am not sure how well it will adhere, and I still have to replace the rusty sinks which don't properly fit the countertops - and I haven't been able to find ones that fit the cutout shape and size. I'm not sure I like the idea of concrete in my bathroom for some reason... happy with it in the kitchen but it seems too hard and cold for the bathroom.

HD prices for a replacement "stone effects" vanity top for even the 70" portion, rather than the full 109", was $675... not cheap for the countertop alone. Prefab laminate fake granite would be about $150 and could be used with top mount or vessel sinks, but might not stand up to high moisture.

The DIY option would cost about $200 total for the vanity including the wood top, and sinks. Though I am taking into consideration the possible cleaning issues.

Faucets will be extra either way - about another $150 for 2 decent sets.

Vessel sinks I thought would offer me the ability for a DIY countertop and cabinet, I would not have to make it as rustic as the one pictured, different finished could be used. I could also install doors to cover the open area. At least the open space underneath is large enough to vacuum under (a lot of vanities available now have the annoying 2-4" toekick space as a dust bunny trap!) Here are some other DIY versions made from the same woodworking plan.

these people plan to build boxes to hide the plumbing
{{gwi:1729394}}

What about using a dresser? It looks less rustic.

Here is a link that might be useful: dresser vanity

That's nice! I'd have to find a nice suitably sized dresser for a good price though.

They got the dresser at Goodwill (originally Target). Another option would be kitchen cabinets, or CL.
Maybe some IKEA dresser (Hemnes, Tarva, Malm, ...) or even something like this:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/fuo/3854573051.html (the bottom right one, for two sinks)

Here is a link that might be useful: dresser

Well if I were going to go with the dresser look, I'd just get the Ikea Hemnes vanity - looks the same as the dresser and similar price but already set up as a vanity! With the dresser thing, it would mean one sink basically because it would not be possible for me to plumb in 2 sinks to separate cabinets without a lot of work and more plumbing skill than I have.

True about the Hemnes vanity. You know, I also really like their Gutenmorgan (sp) vanities, especially if you can hang them on the wall safely or with the metal legs.