I would do an off-center sink to maximize drawer space. Remember, you lose space due to the slides and the drawer sides, so you net much more space with one larger drawer rather than two smaller ones.

I don't understand how or why your upper drawers would be wider than the bottom drawer.

Medicine cabinet a must for small things

I'd opt for off center leave as much counter space as possible

a single shallow drawer for the loose stuff and brush, comb,

a midsize center and a deep 7" bottom for toilet paper, extra towels.

think about a slim pull out for under the sink for 'hot' tools...

a good time to edit the clutter and learn to live with less.

@catbuilder I think it was just poorly phrased... the drawers would be the same widths

@Lyn Nielson thanks for your thoughts, the medicine chest will hold a lot

I imagine a 24” sink base with a 15” drawer unit. This leaves three 1” spacer trims - one at each end and one between sink and drawer unit.

@jackowskib thanks for the spacer thought, I was leaning toward a 15" drawer unit, but though 27" sink base. The actual space is 43.5", would you still choose 24" over 27"?

Sara, yes get bigger base if space allows, the spacers help with any clearance needed when doors or drawers are opened. My base cabinet door would hit the side wall if we didn’t have a spacer at the side wall.

I would NOT offset the sink. It makes lighting and mirrors look odd.

The Question, before you decide ? What style and flavor are you going for? Does it make a difference? Yes it does......these are ALL 42 inches ( Perigold )

Build. com, no top. below

I always prefer drawer storage and I agree we need to know your style. I think an undermount sink wastes space in a small vanity . I agree center the sink. No tower sitting on the tiny counter you have,In fact posting a to scale floor plan here might be a great way to make sure you get use of 100% of your space .I use Godmorgon from Ikea often IMO the beset useable storage in a small space This one is 40 1/2 inches wide .

A drop in sink, or worse......a vessel atop? No way. I want a clean sweep easy wipe of a top on a daily basis. As clutter free a top as can be maintained : )

How does an undermount sink waste space? You get the most counter space with an undermount. If you're talking about the space under the sink, that Godmorgan unit's sink must be extremely shallow to have 2 drawers under it.

My bathroom vanities are approximately 45" wide, the undermount sink is centered, and I have narrow drawers on either side. They're 8" wide and perfect for all the small items you need in a bathroom--makeup, health and beauty aids, even hair dryer and brushes!

I vote for offset: the 27" base + 15" drawers suggested above. It's possible to achieve balance without being symmetrical. If you have questions about that, perhaps add a picture of your space.

First question - did you measure very accurately including any overhang for the vanity top when you measured for the 42"?

Does the vanity sit in a position where you will need a spacer so that drawers can open - won't hit door trim?

Usually you need to have a spacer to avoid the door trim, so I will assume that you need a spacer.

Cabinets and drawers typically come in 3 inch increments. Spacer may only need to be one or two inches depending on your door trim. Knowing what is on the other side of the vanity and knowing exactly where you want to vanity to end will dictate the size of the spacer.

I will assume that your bath is set up with a vanity as you walk through the door and a toilet on the far side of the vanity. Inside dimensions of my drawers is 1.5" narrower than the outside dimension so I used this for your mock up.

Here are your choices:

I find drawers less than 12" to be pretty useless, but you may not have an issue with narrow drawers.

If I didn't have an issue with the narrow drawers and wanted symmetry I would probably go with the 3rd option. It will look symmetrical with the spacer and overhang.

I would rather have asymmetry and better functionality, so I would choose option 4 or option 5.

Don't forget to think about where things will be plugged in. Some things get put away after use (blow dryer, curling iron, but you don't want the cord dragging through the sink. Other things like an electric toothbrush or waterpick may need to be out on the counter. Do you want these items along the wall where they are not the first thing you see when entering the room?

My master is asymmetrical and I opted to use a full size mirror over the full width of the vanity and centered my light over the full width of the vanity rather than centering a narrower mirror over the sink.

Take an inventory of what you like to store in these drawers and how much mess you can stand. Fewer bigger drawers will afford you more space than a bunch of small ones. But they can get messy. Give me the mess and the greater space.

I think undermount sinks are the way to go for giving you far more surface space above and easier cleaning. I agree that an off center sink might throw off a lot of other measurements and placement of lights, mirror.

When I was looking for 42" vanities online, most of them seem to be in bathrooms with vast amounts of space. My house is a 1920 California bungalow. It has a mix of styles with some of the trim (it wasn't all the same) being art deco incfluenced, to the fireplace seeming Victorian in style, and all of it needing a pretty serious update. To keep the costs down, I am mostly working within walls that already existed to avoid beams, etc.

The contractor is actually putting the new bathroom wall a few inches further to the left (from this perspective). I realize the drawing indicates smaller than 42" for a vanity... Now that the demo is done in that space I am hoping to remeasure with the contractor before I go to the cabinet store tomorrow. No matter the size it will be boxed in with walls on each side of it.

I already purchased an undermount sink. It is a the Orbit by American Standard. I am using a single hole faucet, the Align by Moen. I have a light bar with three lights (bought during the pandemic when the remodel plan was a bit different). The counter top will be Corian Antarctica, same as the kitchen (also purchased for a previous plan that is too expensive to realize post-Covid). The flooring will be Marmoleum Grey Iron - Cirrus.

The kitchen cabinets, also being redone, will be a painted light gray shaker style (Waypoint Painted Stone). I have seen on various shows that some people like the same kitchen cabinets, floors, counters in the bathrooms. I think I want the cabinet a different color. I will have the same flooring and the same countertop, I have not picked the tile for the combo shower/bath yet. I want to get the sink vanity chosen first as there are fewer options available. I don't mind the look of the offset sink. I also will have a recessed medicine cabinet, so there will be a lot of little items in that.

My style... I think I am trying to make it all more Modern Cottage. I live in an area with ocean beaches (cold water not warm) and forests of giant redwoods. We are keeping some of the touches from the past, beadboard where we find, etc.

@Jennifer Hogan Thanks for the comments on drawers - sizes and options. You will see my toilet is not next to my sink. I am sure seeing the toilet on opening the door will draw all kinds of remarks. I think at some point in the history of indoor plumbing, people must have shown it off. When I bought the house, if you left the bathroom door open, it was all on display from the front door! Shifting the door and putting it off a smaller hallway off the kitchen should help with that some.

I did plan to center the mirror and the light bar on the whole vanity, even if the sink was assymmetrical. But maybe I better recheck the size of the mirror I was looking at. Thanks

@Kendrah Good idea to inventory. I won't have linen closet access from within the bathroom, so there will definitely be a drawer with washcloths and hand towels.

@Sara D - I am not sure when seeing toilets became taboo, but it has been in the past few decades, growing up it was quite normal to see the toilet from the doorway even in exclusive, high end homes. I don't understand why it suddenly became offensive to see a toilet in a bathroom.

When I redid my bathrooms I found that it was far less expensive to have my mirrors made to fit the inset than it was to buy a ready made mirror.

I spent $600 on two mirrors that the glass company came out and measured, made and brought back and installed.

They were large mirrors that fit the entire width of the alcove or vanity.

one 57"x36" with a cutout for an outlet (electrician couldn't get an outlet outside of the mirrored space without a lot of trouble - not worth the extra expense).

and the other 84" x 42"

I don't think it's necessarily offensive to see the toilet from the doorway, but it may make someone uncomfortable to be seen on the toilet from the doorway. Just MHO.

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Focus on the real issue. Not possible unless a shrink of tub

I have a lever handle on my master and my dog figured out that she can open the door. Guest bath got a round handle so she doesn't pop in on them.

Off-center gives the biggest drawers, but that can mean chaos. Look for vanities that have a drawer under the cupboard where the plumbing is, if possible.

The Helm Bathroom Vanity, White, 42", Single Sink, Freestanding · More Info

Bella 42" Bathroom Vanity, Marine Gray, Carrara Marble · More Info

This one is interesting -- seems to make pretty good use of the space!

Flynn 42" Vanity with Power Bar and Drawer Organizer, Oxford Gray · More Info

Oh, here's a bottom drawer, although the sink is centered:

Ariel Cambridge 42" Wood Vanity Cabinet Only, White · More Info

Mod 42" Single Bathroom Vanity in Gloss Ash Gray · More Info

Huntington 42" Single Bathroom Vanity in Weathered Gray with Italian Carrara Marble Top · More Info

This kind of thing is nice too, although if you already have a sink, then you're not in the market for included tops. I used one like this in a very tight bath.

Vanity Art Single-Sink Vanity Set With Ceramic Top, 42", Gray · More Info

Anyway, hope this helps. The advantage to the Ikea vanity that Patricia posted is that they push the plumbing against the back wall, so you get full-size drawers, rather than U-shaped cutouts. Be sure that you see what's inside the drawers of any model you pick.

@Diana Bier Interiors, LLC shopping for doors right now.. and it seems there is a longer lead time on them than anything else... hopefully no one will be caught with their drawers around their ankles. NO guests until there are doors!!

@JAN MOYER NEVER going to shrink the tub. It has a hig priority!!

"NEVER going to shrink the tub. It has a high priority!!"

This is yours below, yes?

Wellllllll? Then something is going to shrink.

You have a 104" bathroom ( your drawing above ) inside the walls

Take out 60 for the tub , and 6 for a plumbing wall for that tub. Take out 1.0" both sides of your vanity for filler or it will not slide in, nor will a drawer open

You are left with what is going to be a 36 inch vanity. NOT 42.

Plan accordingly. Or....get a contractor who can measure?

Jan is right--the space is the space. Unless you make the space bigger or shrink the tub, you can't have a 42" vanity. Or keep the tub at 60" and live with a 36" vanity. It all comes down to the math and the inches.

Hey, people, why don't you read the posts--especially ones posted by the OP?

From the OP: "The contractor is actually putting the new bathroom wall a few inches further to the left (from this perspective). I realize the drawing indicates smaller than 42" for a vanity... "

The OP knows that the drawing is incorrect and that it shows that a 42" vanity won't fit in the space shown. That problem is being addressed already.

I hope "a few inches" equals 6 : )

Then draw it as it will be, not as it is, to get the best advice.

Agree as above. As it is , we generally dig and beg to flush out the details in most posts, so the advice can be RELEVANT to the posters situation. Inches matter.

@catbuilder - thanks for reading all the words. I visited "the site" yesterday since the demo for that part of the project was done. Put many heads together between contractor and crew to make sure everyone was on the same page with what could fit where... what the tub/shower plan was (as it was updated post drafting and permiting too) and the crew came up with a 43.5" spot for the vanity between the tub/shower wall and the new bathroom wall.

@JAN MOYER@Diana Bier Interiors, LLC Thank you ladies. There have definintely been some tweeks for the remodel between the architect who first drew up the house as is, the draftsman who stepped in to help create a more financially feasible remodel plan, a third contractor who was the first I spoke with about a simpler plan, and the 2nd contractor (the 4th I have spoken with about the project since January 2019) who took over for the first contractor (who was the third also the 3rd) due to a health emergency. I have picked out kitchen cabinets three different times with three different shops, made some choices in the first plan that was never able to be realized due to covid, etc. So items purchased are being adapted to this plan that can be realized. So, sorry if you didn't feel you had the right info. One of my intentions was to have people point out errors in thoughts or planning. Planning is such a big part of the process. Want to get it right!

Not sure if this is too late to be helpful, but we just did a bathroom with a 42" vanity. It is a new master bath so we specifically wanted to have two separate drawer stacks vs. an offset sink with larger drawers. We also have a recessed medicine cabinet with sconces centered on either side, so an offet sink wouldn't have worked well for that. We love it! (We have the Ariel Cambridge that is in acm's post below; they do make an off-center version of the same cabinet that also has the drawer below if you don't want the sink centered.) The drawers aren't huge but they are plenty big for bathroom storage. It looks at home in our 1915 California bungalow.