For truly tiny bathrooms, a lot of the conventional wisdom about small bathroom storage goes right out the window. If you don’t have room for shelves or a place to put an organizer, you have to make the most of the furniture you’ve got. Sagehill Designs offers a full collection of petite bathroom vanities that range from 24″-30″ wide and are cram-packed with spare storage, but don’t have the utilitarian look and feel of many small bathroom vanities. This simple guide is designed to help you choose the right one for your space.
Be Honest About Your Current Setup
Chances are, if you’re reading this you’re already thinking “remodel,” but if you think your main problem is the size of your bathroom, it might actually be your vanity that isn’t working. If the vanity is too big, it can make the whole space feel cramped and crowded. Reducing the size by even 6 inches across can really open up your bathroom and make the space seem a lot larger, especially if you can stand to lose the storage. Many Sagehill bathroom vanities are available in 24″, 30″, and 36″ versions, so you can scale up and down to whatever size is the best fit for your specific bathroom.
Pay Attention To Shape
The shape and structure of a bathroom vanity is another important consideration, and one that’s easier to overlook. For example, the Parsons vanity above is only 24 inches wide, but despite the fact that it takes up less floor space, it offers almost no storage space at all. The little shelf at the bottom is pretty, and the open center can give your room the illusion of being a little bit bigger, so if your bathroom is big enough to tack on some supplemental storage, this is actually a great option. But if not, this vanity leaves you with nothing more than a single low-lying, out-in-the-open shelf to store all your toiletries, which can start looking very cluttered very fast.
Cabinet Space vs. White Space
A bathroom vanity with ample white space can make your bathroom feel more open and less crowded, so it’s not a design feature you want to overlook entirely. You just need to make sure to strike the right balance between white space and storage. Sagehill offers bathroom vanities in many different configurations, from very simple open shelves to ones that have more storage but still feature ample white space. Bathroom vanities with a compact, raised cabinet and a single shelf are a good compromise between functionality and aesthetics, and even if the cabinet is relatively small, the items stored in it tend to be more easily accessible.
A Little Lift Goes A Long Way
If you don’t want to skimp out on having a full sized cabinet, simply adding feet to the bottom of the cabinet is a great way to get just that subtle hint of shape and personality. It isn’t full-fledged white space, but there’s something sweet about a bathroom vanity with feet, and nearly all of Sagehill’s bathroom vanities have them. Even the most basic, simple feet give bathroom vanities a more furniture-like quality, while decorative feet can give a traditional or transitional style vanity a more distinctly classic feel.
What Kind Of Storage Do You Need?
When it comes to bathroom vanities, there are two kinds of storage: Doors and drawers. Plain cabinets work well for storing big bottles, towels, or hair driers, whereas drawers are more important for cosmetics or hair care items. How much of each you need is largely a matter of personal preference, but should be a determining factor in the style of vanity you buy. Occasionally, you’ll find a vanity that replaces the cabinet with multiple large drawers. The drawer placed directly beneath the vanity top is usually sectioned into smaller parts to accommodate the plumbing, but while this does reduce the available storage space somewhat, the design more than makes up for it in added accessibility and improved organization.
How Small Can You Go?
If you’re really truly strapped for floor space, you might actually want to consider a wall mounted vanity. Admittedly, these afford the least storage in terms of quantity simply because they’re so much smaller, but a simple wall mounted vanity can not only visually open up your bathroom by adding tons and tons of white space (and creating a cool floating look), but also literally adds floor space. Since the vanity itself doesn’t touch the ground, a wall mounted vanity opens up a lot of space for your feet. Many wall mounted vanities also come paired with wall mounted storage cabinets to add a little more storage space while still leaving your floors open.
Put simply, no matter what size, shape, style, color, or design you have in mind, before you ask “do I love it?” make sure you ask “Is this what I need?” All the important questions about finding a good, functional vanity are amplified in a smaller bathroom, so before you buy, make sure your prospective vanity isn’t just nice to look at, but has the type and amount of storage you need to be able to enjoy using it. What do you think of these petite, small-bathroom-friendly vanities? Let me know in the comments below!
