Pretty little cabinet

Renovating your bathroom? Consider the vanity

- TIM MCKEOUGH

At the heart of most bathroom renovations is one great piece of furniture — the vanity.

"The vanity can make or break the design of the bathroom," said Hema Persad, founder of Los Angeles-based interior design firm Sagrada Studio. “It takes up a lot of square footage, no matter how big or small the bathroom is, so you have to think about it really carefully.”

There are two key points to consider — how to maximise storage space and how to bolster the design vision for the room.

“The vanity should always meet a functional need,” said Gabriela Gargano, founder of New York-based interior design firm Grisoro Studio. “But how bold or discreet it is really depends on the design goal for the space.”

The answer to those questions can lead to vastly different designs, from expansive built-in cabinetry to compact wall-mounted units. Here are some of the designs that Persad, Gargano and others have implemented to make bathrooms look, and function, their best.

TAKE STOCK OF REQUIREMENTS

At Ten Plus Three, a design firm with offices in Dallas and Monterrey, Mexico, every vanity design begins with an assessment of how a homeowner will use it, said Gonzalo Bueno, a partner at the firm.

"Some of our clients have simple bathroom products, while others have not-so-simple skincare products and tall bottles they need access to," Bueno said. Some people want a large cabinet with a door, so they can hide a wastebasket inside, he said, while others desire drawers with integrated power outlets for hair dryers or toothbrushes.

A vanity in a powder room or guest bathroom, on the other hand, might not require so much storage.

GO WALL TO WALL

One of the best ways to maximise vanity storage space, even in a small bathroom, is to build a custom cabinet that stretches from one wall to another.