Many of the top bathroom vanity trends for 2020 aren’t really all that new. In fact, the vast majority are looks that started popping up in the last year or two, but have really gained traction in recent months. But when it comes to buying a new bathroom vanity, this no-news is definitely good news. Why? Because it means the these recent stand-out features aren’t fizzling out… which makes them a good long-term investment that will help update your bathroom, rather than a look that will feel dated as soon as it’s done.
Go All-In With Warm Metal Hardware
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The design world has been moving steadily away from cool-toned metals for the last few years – especially when it comes to hardware in the kitchen and bathroom. Big picture, that means a lot of little changes for your bathroom, from towel bars to shower heads. But in terms of your bathroom vanity, it’s much simpler: look for vanities with warm-toned metal hardware. Copper, brass, antique gold, and even oil-rubbed bronze faucets and drawer pulls will make any style vanity pop, and make the look both warmer and more up-to-date. Note: matching all the hardware in your bathroom will create a very coordinated look, while mixing and matching different metals produces a slightly more subtle look.
Get Daring With Little Black Bathroom Vanities
Similarly, over the last few years homeowners have been getting increasingly fed up with white bathroom vanities (and, subsequently, the grey vanities that flooded the market to replace them). But black bathroom vanities have been a strong third-place contender for a while now, mostly for their use as accent pieces, and in 2020 they’re definitely moving to the fore. Whether traditional, transitional, or modern in style, black vanities add a great pop of contrast to a white bathroom. While gray vanities help soften the starkness of an all-white color scheme, a coat of black paint makes white paint or tile feel crisp and clean while adding a little sense of drama to your space.
Warm Up Your Bathroom With Natural Wood Vanities
Not a huge fan of a black-and-white color scheme? Don’t worry. While the shift from white to gray was pretty exclusive, the move away from both white and gray is a whole lot less monochromatic. Pretty much all tones of wood are exploding in popularity, particularly light neutrals – the warmer and more natural the wood the better. This is both a backlash against too-sterile white bathrooms and a move towards more natural, spa-like spaces. If you want to go all-in, wood floors, beams, barn doors, and shower stalls are all part of this trend, but simply swapping to a relaxed, modern wood vanity can change the vibe of your space all by itself.
Get High-Tech With Vanity Outlets
Lots of designers and commentators are touting that 2020 is the year that bathrooms are going high-tech, but this, too, is a trend that has long been on the rise. From electronic toilets to medicine cabinets that play your favorite music, little high-tech luxuries have been sneaking their way into common bathroom fixtures for years. But whether or not you’re craving a TV and surround sound in your steam shower, upgrading to a vanity with built in outlets and USB chargers is gradually becoming less of a perk and more of a standard feature. Especially if your bathroom is otherwise short on places to plug in your drier, curling iron, electric toothbrush, and clippers, vanities that have outlets built into the shelves and drawers can help streamline your morning routine and save you from having a mess of tangled cords cluttering your countertops.
Smart Storage Is Becoming Standard-Issue
In the same way that vanity outlets have gone from being an expensive custom feature to one that’s rapidly becoming standard issue, the demand for customized cabinet boxes has caused the “standard” to get, well, better. Instead of big single-cabinet vanities, manufacturers are offering more and more of what you used to have to pay a premium for: working drawers, built-in shelves, and even specialized organizers and cubbies to help make all the space inside your vanity actually usable. If you hate the way your current vanity is set up and it’s more than five years old, it’s probably worth shopping for an updated model – if not for the tech update, then for the drawer faces that are actually working drawers!
Double Down And Split The Master Vanity
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Last but not least is one of my favorite bathroom vanity trends of 2020: the shift from big double vanities to multiple smaller ones. Now to be fair, both options are popular ways to furnish a master bathroom, and which is “better” is mostly a matter of personal opinion. But having two smaller, single vanities comes with a few distinct benefits. First, having a vanity for each person who uses the bathroom is an easy way to keep toiletries separate and soothe arguments about shaving debris and improperly-squeezed toothpaste tubes. Choosing two smaller vanities also leaves you a little more freedom to play with your bathroom layout, both in terms of where you place your sinks and in how you supplement them. While a large double vanity will give you a large bank of standard cabinet space, splitting up your sinks allows you to opt for more sophisticated storage cabinets, make-up tables, or other fixtures or furnishings in the leftover space.
So far the biggest bathroom vanity trends of 2020 aren’t shaping up to be anything particularly new or breathtaking, but they’re proving to be something a whole lot better: practical AND reliable. While many 2020 design trends in general are a little out there, in terms of choosing a bathroom vanity, they’re a great checklist for tried-and-true, time-tested features that will take a bathroom you love to look at and turn it into one you love to use, too.
