How to choose a bathroom cabinet?

When trying to revamp your bathroom the bathroom furniture is a very important piece of furniture whether you are an experienced Joiner or not you can have style and finesse in your bathroom as well. Here are some helpful ideas and tips to help you design a space that suits your needs.

1)    How should I choose a good bathroom vanity?

So, before we go mad and waste days on end searching Pinterest and getting lost in all the wonderful images styles and layouts….

Lets go to your space and look at how it is arranged the sizes and obstacles that may be potential problems, draw it out. So, when I’m drawing, I make it supper simple I draw 10cm to 1 metre – it can look 10:1M on professional drawings. keep it simple stupid. Allow for door swings if they open into the bathroom as this can impact on how you place items within the room. You may want to pay attention to shower doors and the entry door. and don't forget about the pipes( water and waste pipes, electrical outlets, radiators and there pipes.

Now you have your space down on paper as it is trace over the walls and things that are not moving now you can see how much space you have and can play with. Disclaimer/TIP- as drawings can be out cm/mm it just to give you an idea of what’s possible always double check measurements before purchasing with actual measurements from your bathroom. 

Drawings can help you focus on what space you have when out shopping as warehouses showrooms are big with perfect lighting and you can get lost or side tracked of your vision or possibilities within your limits of your room.

2)    What do you need to look out for in bathroom vanities? 

Looking at the drawing and your space we can now eliminate some ideas that are and not possible for your bathroom.

 SIZE: Do you have room for a double sink or a single basin vanity unit or is it a small cloakroom vanity. Things to consider may include leaving enough room to walk around and use the unit comfortably. Are you a tall person would a taller height be beneficial for you, have you children and a lower height may be needed? or a drop bench to catered for the different heights, think of a dressing bench. A Small bathroom may need careful planning to get everything in but good planning and alternative storage ideas like high shelving baskets and mirrors can make a space seem bigger and organised.

 USAGE: what are you and your family going to use the cabinet for. Yes, we all use it for washing hands after using the facilities or at least you should. As well as morning rituals like brushing teeth.

What else are we using the vanity for or wish that we could use it for. Possible considerations are :- 

Do you need a toothbrush socket a shaver socket?

Do you need to think about lighting for application of makeup and hair?

How many people is this unit going to cater for a family of 4 or a couple and are they using it at the same time?

 Do you need a lot of storage solutions for towels and toiletries? this could be in the form of a storage cabinet or a complete storage unit that is freestanding or wall mounted shelving?

There are now mirrors that have a built in Tv, to watch the news while getting ready if you love a good gadget in the bathroom this could be on your wish list. everyone loves a good bit of technology.

 Wear and Tear - I know children can be harder on furniture than possibly adults so considering materials is very useful and practicable. Bathrooms are naturally warm damp areas and where some materials can be better suited than other in these environments.

Thinking about Solid oak units and water don’t mix very well and while they can be cared for with oils and water resistant finishes. You can get water resistant finishes for your solid wood or veneered units but they do need that extra care. You would need to be wiping up any spills immediately but - can you really expect a three-year-old to do this and some grown men in my house. With the only fix being re-sanding and resealing to make the unit look pleasant again and this may be to much work for some, or not possible with a thin veneer, depending on how far the water has penetrated into the wood.

 So, looking at vinyl wrapped units and ceramic or water proof counter tops are going to suit my family life better. Choosing the right finish is important, you can get the wood effect look with water resistant doors that can be cleaned easily and with very minimal maintenance.

STYLE: The bit we all love, now we have the practicalities out of the way we can now think about how we can get what we need, what we want, and how are we going to fit it in to the space we have available with out compromising on the usage of the other facilities.

 Showing more floor Space can make a bathroom look bigger, you can achieve this look by having feet on a unit lifting it of the ground (a freestanding vanity unit) or by choosing a wall mounted unit also known as wall hung vanity unit, enabling you to see under the unit giving the impression of a bigger space. While these sink vanity units can have the illusion of extra space they do take away from extra storage were a floor standing cabinets use all the space to the floor for storage. However if on of the uses was for towel if folded neatly they can be a feature on an open shelf or baskets on the floor.

If you need a lot of counter space choosing the type of sink can help. A bowl may use more space of the counter were a built under sink can give you more usable sink space and give the illusion of clean lines. 

DESIGN - have you got a theme running through out your house or is there something you have seen. Keep in mind that trends do come and go but if we remember practical and functional needs that you require in your bathroom to make it function properly on a day to day bases to help us.

Here are a few of the tried and tested styles that come up time and time again :

Modern - sleek lines minimal and lots of gadgets normally bold colours or white monochrome.

Beach and Costal - blues, whites, light coloured woods, slatted blinds.

Country - style - Large chunky wood frames and with large exposed hinges or large handles with lots of characters, normally the units are freestanding and may or may not have open shelving.

There are many other looks you can explore on pinterest and other blogs. Find a style you like and get many different ideas that could work for you in your space and lets see about recreating these with in your budget.

I personally try to buy furniture that can be timeless, or at least something that is going to last at least 10years, you can bring your fashion in with tiles, towels, sink accessories, and possibly taps. Where these can be changed later at a little expense than trying to redo a whole bathroom can be very expensive.

3)what about our budget? / How do I go about creating my style?

Surf the web, looking at all the online resellers look in bathroom showrooms and retails on the high street, and even magazine for inspiration new trends, and tricks. Look at high end even if it is outside of your budget as a little creativity and you may be able to achieve these looks.

Lets Take Farmhouse / country style - you can go to to online bathroom resellers and buy the vanity direct and get it delivered , this can be very convenient and easy.