I would taper the legs myself. it will provide the space you need. Also might help lighten the look. Here is my vanity, it is way different from what you are doing, cause mine has a turned leg. I tiled with a baseboard and everything fit fine behind the vanity. I didn't initially want a turned leg and wanted something simpler, but cabinet maker suggested it and I thought why not. I am very happy with how he did this cabinet. I brought the pencil tile in the lestello to the backspace, otherwise it is tiled behind the vanity.

I had not thought about tapered legs; I need to look at examples. Three inches wide is wider and more heavy looking than I wanted...more like 2.5 I thought. Cabinet designer thinks it needs the 3 inches due to length.

I have loved your sink and vanity since I first saw them...very unique and totally fits with bathroom elements.

The tile base must be continuous and sequential. Cabinets come and go; tile not so much. Alter the legs.

Not an easy one! I'd want the tile to be continuous. But you'd have to alter the legs so that the vanity is flush to the wall. In my case, I wasn't going to alter the legs and I was using a wood baseboard. Not ideal either, but it's not too visible.

Who says it has to hug the wall anyway? Put up the base, push the vanity in place, and be done.

It doesn't look good if the vanity is not against the wall. And stuff can fall off the back of the counter unless you do a really thick backsplash that covers the gap. Which would then look bad because you'd still have a gap behind the vanity.

We had this issue, but with wood baseboards and a round-ish foot. We shaved off the backs of the feet so the vanity would be flush with the wall.

Do the legs have to be on the corners? Set them in a bit--actual furniture is usually built like that (back legs at least) to account for baseboards.

Joseph and Edwina 1330: not having tile continuous bothered me...thanks for confirming I was not over-thinking...husband (and I suspect the cabinet designer) thinks I am. What bothers me more is the notched look to a straight leg if tile is not continuous.

Fori: I like the look of posts on the frame that turn into legs...but...I have learned by my education in this forum that compromising is often needed...this may be one of those times. I will need to look at pictures of other styles where the cabinet is a cabinet on top of feet...I am a visual learner....I have a hard time seeing things in my "mind's eye."

Weedyacres: Thank you for the visual...if I could get DH to agree to that kind of foot...great work-around suggestion; "shave" looks great. A bun foot would fit what I am going for. He will never go for it...yikes...finding out there would be feet and no toe kick was too over-the-top for him! He acquiesced to "plain." and declared he would NEVER vacuum under it.

Would it hurt to put vanity and legs up against wall, then finish with baseboard tight up against the legs? I don't think it would be noticeable (especially with square legs), and probably what I would do.

"It doesn't look good if the vanity is not against the wall."

Look around your house. Are your end tables and others pushed right against the wall? Unless you're my mother-in-law, no. And why not? It looks bad.

Keep in mind that we are talking about built-in furniture - you can't move a vanity once installed around the bathroom. So I believe it needs to be treated as built-in and if that means baseboard butted up to the legs then that's what I'd do - for the cherry vanity I've built with straight 3" wide legs I plan to do that when I install it. One side will be next to the toilet and not that visible and the other side against the side wall next to the door so also not as visible since there sill also be the door trim. And it's at the floor where not that many people will look - unlike let's say at countertop height where any strange interfaces with materials would be highly visible.

I'll have a look on Houzz for some photos of such vanities but can't make any changes now since the vanity carcass is already built - there are so many small details to think of!

tranquilgarden: it sounds as if we have the same kind of space; please post if you find pictures. My search was unsuccessful. If I could see it, it would help...when I put the tile next to a 2x4, the look bugs me...it is the closet mock-up I could come up with.

If you don't butt the vanity right to the wall on the side it needs to be 4" away from the wall to be code-compliant if that is an issue in your area. It makes sense for cleaning and retrieval purposes.

One of the bathrooms in my house had a vanity one inch away from the wall. The gap was filled with litter and dust and hair. This happened in two years, because the bathroom was brand new when I bought the house and I rented it out for two years.

I checked photos here on Houzz and it looks like there is a wide variety of ways to deal with this:

- no baseboards, either tile walls or painted walls with a neat caulked joint

- baseboard butted up to the legs, looks not bad if the baseboard and legs are the same material and colour

- legs inset enough to clear baseboards or entire cabinet installed away from wall

Not sure yet how I will treat my vanity - will mock up each option, although last one probably won't work since the vanity is already built and countertop was measured and has been cut.

I'm of the same mind that the more durable and hardest to repair surface wins. In this case, the tile wins since the vanity is moveable. For a floating vanity (vanity attached to wall) or for a built-in vanity for example, the vanity would win.

Compromises can be made. Vanities can be altered. You have a vnaity like the one weedy posted, with feet. The feet can be relocated and inset so they don't conflict with the wall trim.

Even with continuous legs like the vanity that edwina posted, I've cut off the legs and rebuilt the bottom of the cabinet. Sometimes you can add aftermarket feet, inset, either stained to match, ebonized, or painted, and the cabinet looks like it was designed that way. Or based on the cabinet design, it might look better with a bit more trim or with bottom rails added on the bottom...or even building a small inset platform and setting the footless vanity on that. I've made base platforms and even included a pull-out drawer for storage.

There are several ways to attack it.

If you do decide to let the vanity take priority and you cut the tile around the vanity, order enough tile so if the vanity is ever removed you have tile to infill as needed. Make sure that the infill tile will flow across the room. ie, you don't want the tile layout to run from the left wall to the vanity. Done. Then have the tile run from the right wall to the vanity. Done. You don;t want two separate independent layouts. If that happened and you ever had to infill, the two independent field patterns might not match up. It simply takes a little more thought.

Some ways are better than others, but not all people think the same or see things the same, so my "better way" may not be the same as your better way. It's a different strokes for different folks thing.

Expanding on Mongo's idea, why not install a cleat on the back of the vanity, mount the cleat to the wall studs, have the vanity bear on the cleat and the front legs and eliminate the back legs altogether?

After much thought and weighing suggestions/comments, I am going to try to resolve the issue by trying an idea someone used when turning old dressers into vanities. We are going to try adding a side strip of wood (painted dark grey or black) the thickness of the bullnose 7/8" back from the front edge of the two legs; strip will be n-line with the front and side cabinet plane. I will have full overlay doors.

My hope is it will just look like a shadow effect. I originally planned to try this 3 inches back behind the square 3 inch frame-leg pieces; the cabinet maker said it would be a "bear" if I ever wanted to paint the wall. He has a point. We will see what it looks like when we install.

I am not sure if I should run the strip all the way to the top of the bullnose or stop the strip where the cabinet box ends. Cabinet maker says to the bullnose... I will have to see it to decide.

If it looks goofy...I can always pop tile pieces and re-tile around the legs. I appreciate all the comments and suggestions.

" Cabinet maker says to the bullnose..."

He is correct. Have him scribe the pieces.

Joseph...thank you for the scribing suggestion...I forgot to discuss that.

If the counter top does not yet exist, I suggest using a "shadow spacer" a thickness of wood equal or greater than the tile thickness which would be fastened to the cabinet perimeter at the back, but spaced in at least as much as it is thick. That way the cabinet can still be secured to the wall, but there is a shadow line instead of a gap, which could attract all kinds of undesirable things. The spacer can be painted matte black so it does not draw attention to itself, and enhances the free-floating illusion.
When the top is fabricated it runs all the way to the wall, and ultimately must end up x-amount deeper, x = depth of the shadow spacer.

Scribing and caulking would be acceptable if the cabinet had not been made with legs as apiece of furniture. I'd only go the scribing route if space demanded it, or you already have the c-top.
Casey

Casey:

Am I glad you posted...Was it your suggestion to someone that I read concerning what you had done with antique dressers? The granite counter does not exist yet

I get the idea of a shadow piece, but am confused about where you suggest placing the spacer piece per "cabinet perimeter at the back, but spaced in at least as much as it is thick." Could you explain this more, please? Wouldn't stuff still get back there on the side next to the wall and the back part of the vanity if the spacer pieces are placed 5/8" from the back corner? How far from the front (next to a side wall) would you place the shadow piece if the vanity is 21 inches deep and the bullnose baseboard tile is 5/8" from the wall?