When selecting a bathroom vanity, begin by taking a cold, hard look at who will be using it.
Will your two teenage daughters fill the countertop with makeup bottles, hair spray containers and curling irons? Or are you selecting a powder room vanity for occasional dinner guests?
Regardless whether you are choosing materials for an entry-level or luxury home, a bathroom vanity should be a reflection of your personal style and design scheme-as well as the presence of children, the general traffic pattern of your home and the size of your checkbook.
A bathroom vanity frequented by children, for example, should be made of durable material that can withstand cosmetic spills and the weight of a child sitting on the counter. Save the painted porcelain sink bowl with the cherry wood pedestal base for those infrequent guests in the powder room.
Homeowners should choose vanity designs and materials that fit the overall style and decor of their home, said Mary Ann Falkenberg, a certified kichen designer and showroom manager for Kitchen & Bath Mart in Palatine.
A Queen Anne-style vanity with a cherry wood base and a painted porcelain bowl, for example, would fit in well with a traditional floor plan and furnishings-and should be in the powder room.
Cabinet styles for vanities range from traditional cherry wood to a country-look oak to a contemporary, high-gloss laminate. The placement and design of the drawers can be conservative or so dramatic that it dictates the mood of the bathroom.
Bathrooms for children should include cabinets with strong door hinges to protect the doors from wear. The size of the bathroom, the presence of odd-shape walls and the location of the plumbing also will guide the decision, Falkenberg said.
Most new homes priced less than $300,000 include cultured marble vanity tops and sinks as standard. Country Lane at Wadsworth Lake, being built by Chicago-based Baxter Homes, is one example. The 126 single-family homes, in six floor plans, are priced from $147,900 to $172,900.
According to Andy Warner, director of sales and marketing, cultured marble replicates the style of marble, but is more durable and less expensive.
Cultured marble typically has a marble-like pattern and a glossy finish and is available in a variety of colors.
Vanity tops at Country Lane are 3 to 12 feet long, depending on the size of the bathroom. Some bathrooms include “bango tops,” which extend the counter across the top of the toilet tank. This creates a narrow shelf and is designed for esthetic appeal.
Master bedrooms at Country Lane include double-bowl vanities, a popular item with couples tired of fighting for sink space.
The standard cabinet height is 30 inches, but some builders have begun offering cabinets 2 to 6 inches higher. At Valley Lo Towers, a Baxter Homes development in Glenview, for example, the builder will add a 2- or 3-inch platform under the cabinet to raise the height. The cost is approximately $200.
“There is no reason that anyone over 5 feet tall should be stooping down to a 30-inch vanity,” said Jerry O’Connor, president of J. P. O’Connor & Co., which is building Columbine Glen in Lombard. The townhouse development includes 36-inch vanities with cultured marble tops as standard.
Homes at Columbine Glen are 1,577 to 1,832 square feet and are priced from $160,000 to $185,000.
Pedestal sinks offer another vanity style and typically are found in powder rooms. Country Lane include pedestal sinks as standard in the first-floor powder room.
“It’s considered more elegant for guests,” Warner said. “You can be pretty dramatic with pedestal sinks.”
Valley Lo Towers includes cultured marble tops as standard, but offers upgrades of solid surfaces, such as Corian. The Valley Lo condominiums are priced from $150,000 to $225,000 and are targeted toward people who are moving from a larger home, Warner said.
The cost of adding a solid-surface counter in the bathroom averages $800, depending upon the size. “It’s an empty-nester market, and although they are stepping down in space, they’re not willing to step down in quality,” Warner said.
Solid surfaces are seamless, giving a consistent color and texture. The sink and counter often are bonded together to form one integral piece.
The cost will be affected by the design, cut and presence of a seam or special edge. Solid surfaces typically are seen in semi-custom or custom homes and in updated kitchens.
