To not loose the 3" in the framing you talk about you will need to go frameless. Ikea is a frameless system, have you looked at that option yet.

If you want the free standing look but need the bottom for a drawer, you can do a toe kick on 3 sides. It makes it look more like furniture. You could even put short legs on the piece. And you won't have to sweep underneath because the toe kick keeps the dust out from under the cabinet.

here is my frameless custom cabinet:

This is when I first got my toekick lights installed (night lights). You
can see the base a little bit on the side. This is to show you the 3
sided toekick. I could visualize a little stubby leg in the front and at
the back.

enduring That is a gorgeous cabinet! Yes, that is exactly the idea, a free standing look but a bottom drawer for towels.

lori_inthenw_gw The Strasser rep says they cannot make the cabinet the way I want. I have no choice but to believe him, so we are not going with Strasser.

enduring those really are beautiful cabinets! I have frameless cabinets in my kitchen. I love the extra space I get with them.

The custom cabinet maker got back to me and the 24" cabinet would be about $500 more than the Bertch. If only cost did not matter!

Location matters with custom cabinets. They are very expensive in the Portland metro area where I am. I doubt most cabinet makers want to bother with a 24" vanity or they'll price it so high to make it worth their while.

Are you dead set against using an IKEA vanity? 24" is tiny, and to get the most usable storage, it seems like that is the way to go.

xmkx We have 2 quotes so far and both are signifcantly higher than the stock Strasser 24"

Errant_gw 24" is far from tiny and is pretty normal in NYC. We are going from a 19" wall mount sink with no storage to a 24" vanity with multiple drawers and doors so it's an upgrade. I've noticed that people with tons of space, including my own parents with 3 bathrooms, don't even use the space. I looked in their vanities this weekend and they have barely anything stored. Then again, it's a house in the suburbs with linen closets steps away from all 3 bathrooms. I haven't seen any vanity at Ikea that fits my idea. I do like their Sektion kitchen line.

Katrina Tate - you are in NYC? I live in the burbs. What are you looking for? I originally thought you needed a lot of smaller drawers vs 1+ drawers . Right now I am looking at a company called New York Vanity. They are made in Brooklyn -- I think that is why the prices are pretty good. Here are two that I am looking at.

There is a strasser that is very similar to the 1 drawer vanity that I posted and that is significantly less than the strasser with 4 drawers you posted.

Here is a ronbow with drawers that comes in 24" that I think is so pretty but the hubby looked at me like I was crazy.

xmkx, hubbies do that! I find that anything that is new takes mine some getting used to. After he sees it a few dozen times he can start to consider it. I have looked at the Ronbow sinks and do like a lot of them. One nice thing about Ronbow is that they do make some vanities that are not as deep as the standard 22" - 24", so we did consider some of theirs. If you want something interesting in a 24" vanity, the modern-looking ones do seem to offer the most versatility. When you try to get drawers on the side of a door space and a framed cabinet, so much is taken up with cabinet boxes and drawer boxes that you end up with wasted space. That is why the frameless ones seem so much better at a 24" size.

Remember, too, that anything can be made into a vanity. If you find a chest of drawers, a nightstand, or even a bombe that you like that fits the space, a woodworker or handyman can make the top drawers into U-shapes to go around the plumbing. My bathroom vanity will be an early 20th century lady's vanity table because it has an opening to pull a wheeled seated walker or wheelchair up to the sink. (I don't need that now, but want the bathroom ready if I ever do.) It has three drawers on each side, too.

Because I was looking for such a strange set of criteria for a bathroom vanity, I spent months online looking at every site I could find. I also looked at any furniture piece between 36 and 46 inches wide, 16 to 18 inches deep, and 34 to 36 inches high! I finally settled on the antique off of Craigslist. My whole project has been on hold for a year, waiting for my contractor to be free. It gives me too much time to plan.

xmkx We're in NYC. I need a combination of drawers (one large bottom drawer for towels) and 2 small drawers on the right side plus a door(s) for cleaning products. What I want is a modified version of the right hand drawer vanity (bottom drawer needs to be wider though). I came across NY Vantiy last week but didn't find the vanities you posted on their site. They are in Freeport. Maybe it's a different company than who you found?

xmkx Just an update since I've gotten the last of the quotes for a custom 24" vanity with no sink top. Range is $1,700 - $3,400 including several local cabinet makers.

YIKES! My estimate was lower but still more than the Bertch and the NY Vanity I was looking at. BTW, you were right. NY Vanity is made in Long Island. I was confusing it with Dickson Vanity (wow, do they do a great job on their white painted cabinets) but I don't think Dickson has a 24" with drawers. I didn't ask after I saw the price on their 30" vanity. What are you leaning towards?

xmkx Checking out Showplace Wood next. I recently learned about them.

Road trip to PA to an Amish cabinet maker? Several people have used Dutchwood Cabinetry for their kitchens and have remarked about the superb quality and low price. Here is their bathroom gallery.

http://dutchwoodcabinets.com/gallery/Bathrooms

Mayflower, I read about them about the time I was doing my kitchen reno. I read that they are really backed up for kitchens but maybe they could push out a 24" vanity quickly. I just sent them an email. Not sure if they do frameless cabinets (which is ideal for a small vanity). Thanks for the link and the reminder.

A guy from Dutchwood just emailed back. Wouldn't get to it until January. Not sure if I want to wait that long. I'll have to think that one through.

xmkx Are their quotes in line with others you received?

Katrina Tate, yes. Prices are pretty good. I asked for 24 inch, slab door front, three drawers and one door. It came in at $630. But the price does not include delivery because they said that the delivery charge would be close to the price of the actual cabinet.

Does Dutchwood do frameless cabinets? Can you borrow a SUV to bring it to NY?

The nice thing about a vanity such as this is the easy installation. If you have to put in something temporary and wait until January for the one you want, it is worth it in the scheme of the life of the bathroom cabinet. Katrina Tate already has a pedestal sink she could use in the meantime, but xmkx, you may be able to pick up a used pedestal off Craigslist or at a Habitat store or the like for a song, install it where the plumbing is all ready for the Amish cabinet, then have the plumber back to finish when the cabinet arrives. Green Demolitions currently has some new pedestal sinks for under $200.

nancyinmich - Patience is not my cup of tea. Wish it was. I am ordering the bertch three drawer in white. It was less than the Dutchwood. And I decided not to go with the NY Vanity three drawers, the drawers are smaller than the Bertch.

katrina tate - let me know what you end up ordering. good luck.

Making a decision is a wonderful thing! Congrats!

xmkx I am waiting on two more quotes. Oddly enough, one is from a local cabinet shop we visited on 10/21. We sat with him for an hour and discussed all sorts of details and he created a mock up in 3D after we picked a door style and color. He gave me his cell phone number when we left. I've emailed and left voice mails a few times with no response. This is the worst part of the renovation process, vendors who don't call back or follow through. I never received estimates from multiple GC's who did site visits. The hardwood flooring installers we liked never sent a quote either, although we did exchange emails, twice, and they confirmed they were sending the quote by 9/15. Come to think of it, really only 2 vendors followed through without my prompting with a call or email. We selected our GC from those 2. Another customer said the same thing, of the GC's they met, our GC was the only one who followed up promptly and they love their bathroom that he just finished this month.

Katrina Tate - I understand what you are talking about. I keep calling contractors to give me estimates because only two people (second one came in today) sent me estimates. I feel bad keeping the first guy waiting. I guess some may think the job is too small which is fine but I don't know if that's the reason or maybe they just wrote my email down incorrectly. Let me know if you hear back from the cabinet maker. I'm suppose order my cabinet on Monday (my guy was out today).

xmkx Last quotes came in, $1,500 & $899 (rough estimate). We are going with the $899 custom vanity. I'm expecting the final price shortly, with small changes.

Katrina Tate - That's a great price for all those drawer you want. I'm excited for you. Can't wait to see the finished product. I'm sure you know this but try to get frameless doors to maximize the storage space you have. I've ordered a Bertch. When everything is installed, I will definitely post a picture.

xmkx I will definitely post a photo. It will be 6 - 8 weeks though after we finalize the design.

Katrina, I am interested in Strasser as well. I was blown away with the price. $1,600 not including the sink top. I do like the fact that Strasser offers Vitreous China Vanity Tops. I was first going to to with Quartz with an undermounted sink. Then went into a showroom to see the cabinet on Long Island and noticed 40+ cabinets had Vitreous China (one piece molded sink tops) on all their cabinets except a few with other material sink tops. I asked the sales lady why all the solid piece sink tops, She said that people are going for a cleaner, spa-like feel to their bathrooms. Which is I am gearing towards. But I do need storage in my cabinet being we have a small bathroom. The STrasser drawers are nice. But wonder if you loss space with them...?? I also like the fact that the cabinet is 34 1/2" high. They do make a cabinet with a drawer on the bottom... Have you looked at that one? https://www.atgstores.com/ Lowe's acquired ATGStores.com ) (Has a 30" bottom drawer for $888. and the one with the 3 draws for $610. Plus free shipping. which is nice.

The Bertch vanity turned out great!

2christene We've completely changed our design so this small strasser is not a consideration. We're adding a second vanity area about 58" wide and a small sink in the bathroom.

xmkx, I love your vanity. I'm looking at Bertch too. what finish is the cabinet? They've got a few different ones, thermofoil, some sort of laminate, wood, etc.

Thanks katrina tate and grannysmith18. Grannnysmith18, our vanity is wood - birch in the color white. Katrina - I see that you are using a recessed medicine cabinet. I love, love our Robern (just in case you haven't picked one out yet).

xmkx Is the floor hardwood? Or porcelain? I'm considering a hardwood look tile for the bathroom.

Katrina - it is porcelain. 9x36. Here is another photo of the floor tile. Ignore the bad paint job -- it still needed to be painted at this point.

xmkx Thanks! I've been trying to find a porcelain that matches my hardwood flooring but haven't been successful. I've tossed out tons of samples.

Every tile store carries different plank tiles - wonderful, and at times, painful. Have you tried posting a pic of your hardwood floors in the GW forums? The people here are so helpful. There is a good chance someone will have seen something similar.

Katrina-

Just a thought: complementary, but not matching. I think if you install a wood-look tile that is really close to your real-wood floor it will highlight the differences and cheapen one of them.

kudzu9 You may be right. However, the hardwood tile would be in an enclosed area....the bathroom hallway (linen and vanity area). The option is hardwood flooring as in the rest of the apartment (except WC) or use the same tile as in the WC (husband's preference). My compromise would be hardwood look tile. Our floors will be Somerset Character collection, Hickory Ember 5" EP51HEE (it's more gray than brown, which we prefer).

The WC tile will be Iris porcelain nickel stroke 12 x 24.

xmkx No, I haven't used the forums to find a match. I've been ordering samples for weeks.

Well, I never think wood floors are a good choice for a bathroom, so I'd go with tile. However, my own prejudice is that woodgrain tile is something that will look dated in 10 to 15 years. Many people love it, but it seems overly popular, and there are a lot of other fads that looked terrific at the time that now are also dated. I keep a file of decorating ideas, and sometimes I'm shocked at what I thought looked really great 10 years ago. My own -- admittedly biased, curmudgeonly, and opinionated -- view is that something that looks like wood should be made out of wood, something that is made out of tile should look like tile, and something that is made out of Formica shouldn't look like denim. However, you should do whatever makes you happy. I'm just suggesting that choosing a tile that is clean and classic, and that doesn't necessarily match the wood floor, is worth considering.

Katrina - we just put down those floors in January/February!!! I LOVE them and so does everyone who comes over. If you haven't purchased yet, I got mine from a vendor in GA and it was much cheaper than anywhere else ($5.07/ft plus $295 freight for 40 cases).

Here is a pic during the remodel where you can see the floors:

ETA:. We put in silver porcelain 12X24 tile in our small guest bath and laundry room!

I love my Bertch cabinet.

Fabulous floors! Erica L Please share your vendor info. The best price I've gotten so far is $5.99 + $129 delivery for 800 sq ft. Your price is significantly better, if they deliver to NYC.

What color is your wall paint?

We have tons of sample colors on various walls in different rooms from beige to grey to greige.

Bathroom color options.

Most likely using BM Stonington Gray, pictured on shower wall & ceiling

Katrina - we used True Hardwoods. Here is the Somerset Hickory Ember. I think prices may have gone up this year (we ordered ours last November), but I would definitely email/call them and see what the best price is. I worked a lot with Jordan.

Wall color - we have BM Revere Pewter. I kind of wish it had more of a grey hue to it, but we repainted the entire house 3 years ago when we moved in and I wasn't going to change it now!

Bathroom - we painted ours SW Wickham grey. We put in a grey vanity with carerra marble so I didn't want to do a grey that was too dark.

Erica L Thanks! I will check with True Hardwoods.

Revere Pewter is pictured on my walls too in all of the multi color photos I posted (far left in photo with blue and purple samples). Trying it out but hubby doesn't like it.

Erica L Thanks! Jordan got back to me at $5.47 + $415 shipping.

Hey Julienne, I never ended up getting the NY Vanity. I went with the Bertch. It has held up wonderfully. Much better than my white kitchen cabinets. I love it.