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Building a Home Design Dilemma Bathrooms

Powder Room Vanity Size

last year

last modified: last year

What size vanity do you recommend for our Powder Room?

Leaning towards 36"/3ft because 48"/4ft seems a bit too large for a Powder Room in general and it's less expensive, though I know the 7ft wall is big enough to fit it.

We're giving the toilet 3ft of wall space meaning it sits in the center of the 3ft, leaving 4 ft of available space for the vanity. If we do a 3ft vanity, the builder would make the center of the bowl be in the center of the remaining 4 ft.

I want something that doesn't look too small or big for the space. If we go with 36", we can probably put a bath stand/tiered bathroom shelf next to the toilet/vanity to fill up the room more.

Comparison of the two sizes below:

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Comments (7)

PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
last year
Factor into the decision what will be easy to clean.
kandrewspa
last year
I agree with you that 48" is large for a powder room (and one that large isn't necessary), but that would look best. If you go with a 36" you should have the same amount of space between the toilet and the wall and between the toilet and the vanity.
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Thank you all for your suggestions and pictures. billl - good point about the dust collecting strips - I agree either against the wall or room for cleaning between. enduring - thanks for the link, although I think my architects violated most of the suggestions - they seem to be more form over function - but it's only the powder room - our bathrooms were designed and built in 1939 - so of course they violate most of the suggestions too. Good luck with your reno pricklypearcactus - I'm meeting with the GC and finish carpenter to discuss a built-in. I was thinking if it had 3 drawers and feet instead of the standard cabinet doors, it would look more like furniture even if it is built in. In the case that I go with RH - how do you like the quality? kfhl - thank you so much for pointing out the baseboard issue. I completely forgot that. mydreamhome - it's a renovation, but we're bumping into what was our original attached garage. Unfortunately the plumbing is already installed. But, give that the door hinge is on the opposite side of your hinge, I think you'll never see in the room from the entry - only from the mud room. nini - lovely vanity and I absolutely love the black granite w/white bowl look - but it would end up being the fanciest piece of furniture in our entire house :) Does the black granite show a lot of waterspots?
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Comments (9)
I have a walnut vanity in my only full bathroom. It is walnut veneer over birch plywood on the body, with solid walnut door/drawer fronts and a walnut slab top. I had a local specialized wood lumberyard glue heartwood planks together for the top, then router the edges. It is Waterlox-ed with four to six coats. I found the lumberyard by going to my local woodworker's shop (Woodcraft is the chain) and talking to them, and they told me about the lumberyard a half hour away. You can duplicate this look with solid walnut planks (be sure to specify heartwood if you do not want the blonder streaks) held in place with good, strong brace supports or cleats underneath. The deep front is achieved by putting another plank across the front. There is no reason for the top to be a block 6 or 8 inches thick. Your cabinetmaker can miter the edges so that they butt at the front edge and it appears to be a solid slab, but is made with solid planks. I would not use a veneer in a wet area. So, start by looking for a cabinet maker or wood worker who does small jobs, show him/her the photo of what you want and ask if they are interested in the job.
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Another alternative besides a cabinetmaker - you can order a vanity cabinet from the kitchen area of the big box store (or even Costco) that is not a pre-made, free standing vanity. It will fill the space from wall to wall with the appropriate filler pieces. Then you pick the countertop which is templated to fit the space exactly. You will save yourself from dropping stuff in the cracks between the vanity and the wall...
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Comments (4)
If I am reading this right, it looks like you have a large space for the vanity. There are 48" vanities with different configurations of doors and drawers. You could also do a 30" or 36" with drawers next to them.
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chispa
last year
Is this your guest/formal powder room?

What do you like to put out for guests on the counter? Paper hand towels? Tissues?

My wall is also 7 ft and my vanity is 39" wide with a 41" countertop.

Just enough room to have a single handle faucet, liquid soap bottle, a square tissue box on one side and a rectangular paper hand-towel holder on the other. I wouldn't want it any smaller.

I also have hand towels on a ring, but many prefer to use the pretty paper towels, specially with a larger gathering. Also have a glass shelf over the toilet with a faux-orchid arrangement (no window, so real plants won't survive!).
artemis78
last year
For a powder room, I'd go even smaller and then put a tall linen cabinet next to it where you can have closed storage. Assuming this doesn't serve a guest bedroom and is really just a powder room, no one really needs to store anything in the vanity, but you might want space to store linens, extra toilet paper, household supplies, etc. I'd split it 36" for toilet / 24" for vanity / 24" for linen cabinet (or you could do 30" / 18").
Steph Castonguay
last year
What about allocating 42inch to each the vanity and the toilet? That wouldn't feel too big for the vanity (especially if you get a floating vanity) and you would still gain extra storage space. Or if you decide to maximize the space, with a 48" vanity you can get a taller narrower mirror or a round mirror and add wall sconces on either side to balance out the heft of the cabinet. A 36" vanity would be more affordable and would still look great though. I would nix the storage tower and opt for a larger vanity if you need the storage space. I think budget and storage needs will help you make the final decision.
Karenseb
last year
I like the 36 inch space for the toilet and I would put a 42 inch stand alone vanity 6 inches from the wall on the right. Two drawers in the 42 inch vanity would be nice for towels, extra soap.
JP Haus
last year
Our previous home's powder room vanity was like @chispa's with a 42" top. I appreciated the extra storage under the sink for hand towels, paper guest towels, soap, toilet paper, Lysol wipes, etc. The surface was outfitted the same way. In our temporary home where we lived while building, the powder room had a 36" vanity and that felt too tight.

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