When I was planning my new bathroom remodel to include my W/D, I really had some limitations. But I got it in there and love it. I got a Miele set because they are 24" deep and wide, or there abouts. I stacked mine and that might be an option, but I like side by side better myself. I incorporated a cabinet surround that included storage, open shelving, and a pull out ironing board. I love it. All very efficient for the most part. The stacking kit has a shelf that pulls out and is great for folding clothes. I use the vanity on the other side of the room to hold more folded clothes. I have a small valet rod that pulls out, mounted inside the middle cupboard and use it to hang a few shirts for ironing. If you go with a top loader and side by side installation go with a Speed Queen. SIMPLE to use for the girls and built like a tank, I hear. Over on the laundry forum they love their Speed Queens. Built like all machines used to be built. No nonsense cycles. No bells and whistles. If my 26 year old Maytag top loader that I have in the basement ever quits, I will replace it with a Speed Queen if I still need 2 washers. Another thing about washers on the second story. There could be a bouncy problem in the spin cycle. My Miele instructions said to place the set on a load bearing wall. You don't want the set in the middle of a joist span because it will act like a trampoline I hear. Front loaders have tremendous force when in the spin cycle something like 1100 or more RPM, whereas a top loader might be around 700 RPM. Don't quote those numbers please :) Outlets in my laundry cabinets allow me to store and use my iron above my ironing board pull out. I also have a false back to the cabinet, where I can pull apart all the shelving and have full access to the w/d shut off valves, electric plug ins, and the dryer venting for cleaning. Because my Miele dryer has side venting option, that is why I could fit it in a 24" depth space. Outlets in the medicine cabinet that I had made, and an outlet under my vanity to store my hair dryer for daily use. It is a little bit awkward, as the cord can hang up when I pull out the pullout that houses the dryer. They have systems that retract the cord I believe and might be tidier. I put LED strips in 2 cabinets with infrared on/off switches and I LOVE this feature. I have them in my vanity under the sink, and in my laundry cabinet. I also have a strip in my Medicine cabinet. On my go-to LED online source their infrared switches are expensive so I got them on sale for $16 each, still expensive but I knew I needed them for my plans. I ended up doing an extra LED install, with a plug in power, instead of hard wired by electrician, so I needed another switch. I did a search and there is an small auto LED light shop that sells the same switch for around $8.

It does not look strange to have door hardware that matches the rest of the house and chrome fixtures inside the bathroom. That's one way to do it. Another way is to get split finish door hardware which would be the ORB on the outside and chrome on the bathroom side of the door, which you would see, really, only when the door is closed. Personally I prefer Archer but Forte is very similar. I think the Archer would look fine in the first floor bath too, if you don't want to spend on the Memoir. There's something about the Dryden that I don't quite like, too. I've looked at it myself. What about Kohler Kelston with the Rohl Verona?

Maybe I'm crazy, but do you think a nautical wallpaper border could be mounted above the mirror to cover the unpainted part? You could run it all the way around the room, and then trim it top and bottom with a painted piece of half-round molding to really make it look deliberate. Then mount a new light fixture in place of the hollywood bar (you're right -- that absolutely has to go) and make sure you position the border so the light makes sense on the pattern (am I getting too technical here?) I mounted a huge border in my son's bedroom so that the bottom edge lined up with the bottom of the window moldings and ran it all the way around the room. My wall were a similar blue, with alternating light blue stripes. The half-round was painted a rich cranberry red and I coordinated with a box pleated red valance with tiny blue stripes. It looked really sharp. I like the vanity as is. Good luck!!

Question, Bill - my parents just had the daltile Timber Glen tile installed in their beach house in the dune color. It was laid in a random pattern like a hardwood floor, and the tile guy used toothpicks as spacers, to simulate the spaces in hardwood floors. It is flawless and a perfect solution to the constant water issues they seem to have being on the beach. Is this fine because it is porcelain? Are there any other tiles you can lay with a butt joint to minimize grout lines, other than natural stone? I don't like grout lines in my tile (too difficult to keep clean) and prefer the look of minimal grout. Am I limited to natural stone then? Or some sort of hex tile or other tile attached to a mesh underlay? Thinking about boys bathrooms which I want to look nice but need to be budget friendly.