I bought my current apartment without much space there and cannot clean the dirt that has collected over the years by the old owner. I am renovating and one of my first thoughts was - keep space between tub and vanity. I am leaving 4-6" due to the small size of the bathroom. If you have the space then definitely leave some space there else dirt will collect and you won't be able to clean.

PCJS, I love the basket idea. I am going to see what kind of baskets would work. I am also looking for shelving. ErikaNH, Thank you. You are right I feel rushed. I need to take a big breath, have a cup of decaf and enjoy the process not the finished product. I think because two of my slab choices were sold when I should have tagged them. I feel worried. I did not bring Jet Mist home yet to abuse. Good idea. I already know it shows smudges and is not as squeaky clean looking as a polished stone but it does give that Soapstone appearance. Wish I could convince my hubbie to do Soapstone but he refuses. The Honed Jet mist is a strong stone and my fabircator/installer assures me I will be pleased if I do not mind the fingers marks and smudges that come with non polished stones. My hubbie wanted to do a leathered finished New Atlantic black. It looked so PLASTIC or PLEATHER that I had to hold him back. He thought it would be unique. He has super taste but this was scary. Thanks again. I need to move slow and let it happen not make it happen.

It depends a lot on how you use the kitchen. DW is 5'4" and I am 5'8" so we're very similar in size. I went with 19" because I use a tilt up mixer a lot and when I've had a lower clearance I've felt it really affected my sight lines/made it harder to see what I was doing. On the positive side - It does make the higher shelves on your uppers easier to reach. Are you planning on any undercab lighting? If so what kind and how will that affect your clearance? I know a lot of people are opposed to this, but I actually like a slightly shorter counter height so I had 3/4" shaved off of my base cabs (but not the island where the range is) . I asked my GC who was extremely knowledgeable if I could shave off an inch and the max he advised was 3/4". He was right - more would have been trouble. I'm happy with it so far and don't think it's that noticeable. It could bother someone at resale time, but I'm willing to live with that trade off for a counter height that's more comfortable for DW and myself. If you do shorten, you want to be very, very careful about measuring your DW and range. My brand new Bosch DW had problems and had to be swapped out with a new one. The repair person who swapped them out (not the original installer) was not pleased about the clearance but did manage to get the new one in. Also, IMO, This is the kind of thing a KD should help make the right decision on, not make a bad decision for you without consulting you. They absolutely should have checked with you about this. If this can't be fixed easily, I would ask them to make it up to you in some other way.

Rob, if you have less than 30 1/4" between the two walls, it won't work for hairdrying. The user will be banging elbows into both walls. And yes, buyers will notice how narrow it is.. i know no women who sit down at a vanity to put on make-up. I certainly don't. It's a lovely, romantic thought, but not based on reality. The days of long, elaborate cosmetic rituals are long gone. As others have said, making this a make-up vanity will not update the condo, it will date it. My choice would be to make it storage or a spot for a pretty piece of furniture, as others have suggested. If you decide a sink is absolutely necessary, please improve the lighting. And change the flooring to something waterproof and cleanable! The thought of toothpaste on the carpet makes me shudder.