Bathroom vanities and storage that works

What height should a bathroom vanity be?

The height figure is the one worth acting on. Kitchen counters are 36 inches and nobody complains; bathroom vanities were standardized at 30 to 32 inches decades ago and most adults bend to use them. Unless the bathroom is for children, build at 34 to 36. If two people of very different heights share a bathroom, two separate vanities at two heights is a legitimate and rarely-taken option.

Why do drawers beat doors?

Open a conventional vanity with doors: there is a shelf, a drain trap running through the middle of it, and dead space at the back that nobody can reach. Most of the volume is unusable.

The alternative:

• A top drawer with a U-shaped notch cut around the trap. It holds everything shallow — the things used daily — and slides over the plumbing.
• Two or three deep drawers below, unobstructed, for everything else.
• Full-extension soft-close under-mount slides, so the back of the drawer is reachable.
• Interior dividers for small items, or they migrate into a single layer at the bottom.

This is a cabinetmaker’s detail rather than a stock item, which is one of the more persuasive arguments for custom or semi-custom cabinetry in a bathroom — see the built-ins and cabinetry guide.

What actually has to fit

Before drawing a vanity, list what goes in it. The list is usually shorter and more specific than people expect:

• Daily items — toothbrushes, paste, skincare, medication. Shallow, frequent, wants to be at the top.
• Appliances — hair dryer, straighteners, an electric razor. These need a deep drawer and, ideally, an outlet inside the cabinet.
• Bulk — spare paper, refills, cleaning supplies. Often better in a linen closet than in a vanity.
• Towels. Decide whether they live in the bathroom or a hall closet, because a stack of bath towels needs about 14 inches of depth.
• Medication. A bathroom is the worst place in the house for most of it — heat and humidity — which is a genuine argument for keeping less in there than tradition suggests.

The general method for this, and for the rest of the house, is in closets and storage design.

Mirrors, cabinets and sconces

• Mirror width. Either the full width of the vanity, or centered on each sink. Anything between the two reads as an accident.
• Height. Bottom edge 4 to 6 inches above the counter; top edge high enough for the tallest person in the household to see the top of their head.
• Sconces at 60 to 66 inches to center, 36 to 40 inches apart, flanking the mirror. Light from both sides eliminates the shadows that a single overhead fixture creates.
• A medicine cabinet recessed into the wall gains storage without taking floor area — provided the wall is not structural and has no plumbing or wiring in it. Confirm before the drawing is finalized.
• Mirror-front cabinets with interior lighting and outlets are genuinely useful, and they need power in the wall at rough-in.
• A mirror above a wall-mounted faucet must clear the spout. Check the projection.

Materials that survive a bathroom

• Plywood boxes, not particleboard. A leaking supply line under a particleboard cabinet destroys it; plywood survives long enough to be dried out.
• A catalyzed or conversion finish from a cabinet shop, which resists moisture and cleaning products far better than a field-applied paint.
• Quartz or porcelain counters for a bathroom that gets hard use. Marble is beautiful here and will etch where toothpaste and cosmetics sit.
• Undermount sinks, so the counter wipes into the bowl. Vessel sinks look striking and raise the effective height — check the total before committing.
• Solid hardware. Bathroom pulls are used with wet hands; weight and finish both matter.
• A furniture toe kick or legs makes a small bathroom feel less built-up, at the cost of cleaning underneath.

Power, and the detail people regret

• An outlet inside the vanity for the hair dryer and the electric toothbrush. This is the single most-appreciated detail in a bathroom and it costs almost nothing at rough-in.
• Outlets at the counter as required by local code, protected, and positioned so the plates do not land awkwardly in the tile or the stone splash.
• Switch positions decided with the door swing in mind, so the light is reachable without stepping into a dark room.
• Separate switching for sconces, ceiling light and any shower light, all dimmed. A bathroom used at 3 a.m. wants one dim fixture, not everything at full.
• Blocking in the wall for the mirror, the towel bars and any future grab bars. Cheap now, impossible later — see aging-in-place bathroom design.

Jan Revels

ASID Allied Professional Interior Designer · Chateau Concepts, Dallas

Jan has practiced interior design in Dallas since 1997 and founded Chateau Concepts in 2001. She holds a BFA in Interior Design from the University of North Texas. She designs and general-contracts residential and commercial projects across the Park Cities, Preston Hollow and North Dallas. Read her full profile →

Written and reviewed by Jan Revels before publication