What was their reasoning for requesting a circular sink? What is the style of the bathroom? Can we see pictures?

To be honest, they are somewhat blindly making requests, and not all of them are well thought out or with good reason. Fortunately I can veto things.

As for a photo, I am unable at the moment to get one, but will snap one soon.

Typical 5x8 bathroom. They have their 36" wide vanity top (calcutta marble laminate with a non-decorative front edge), flooring and paints picked out. I have attached a photo of the floor pattern, vanity colour and their light fixture (satin nickel), which can be painted depending on what is done with hardware. The existing vanity is a kitchen cabinet, with panel type door. Nothing too fancy about the moulding.

The toilet and tub are older 60-70s units you'd find in an apartment, nothing special. The toilet may get replaced by a higher sitting model, but that isn't far up the list at the moment. The tub fixtures are chrome. I was considering keeping the light with the finish satin, and matching the vanity hardware to it, and doing a chrome faucet. I was told its okay to mix. I almost considered doing the satin pieces in copper or bronze but not sure about that.

Other than the light, flooring and paint, the rest is open slate... I will need to do towel bars, a mirror and some shelving above the toilet. I am on the fence as to what to do with a mirror, as I like either the frameless look or a statement piece, but the overall style would dictate that I suppose huh? I will work on a photo of the room this afternoon. Thanks

edit: added this poorly taken photo of the bathroom as requested.

tell me bout it!

i am so lost as to the direction to take this. i just want to finish it and forget about it... but that still requires some work. and there is big pressure to keep it cheap, which always looks great... hah.

I had a bathroom layout just like this. It had an L-shaped countertop that extended over the top of the toilet. that little sliver of counter space was necessary!

Instead of shelving, ours had a huge mirror that filled that whole wall. it was two pieces, and if you slid the right side over, there was hidden shelving recessed in the wall. difficult to open, so I stored "sometimes" items only -- but was SO glad to have the storage.

frequent use items were stored under the sink. makeup and stuff went into bins attached to the doors (so I could stand there with one door open while I primped). directly under the sink there were stacking plastic bins that just happened to fit next to the pipes. I was able to put a lot in there, but had to store other "infrequent" items in a different room.

I know this doesn't answer your original question, but just wanted to give an alternative idea for storage / organization. having a really huge mirror made the bathroom look bigger and was more usable for two people. two of us in there at the same time was not ideal, but worked in a pinch.

If they wash their hair in the sink, I would consider an offset faucet. They probably would be better with an oval sink, also. Hands/arms will be drippy and oval will catch the majority of them.

I don't care for mixed up finishes in smaller bathrooms. Especially with the tile they've chosen. It will be too much to look at.

I would do a plain white waffle weave shower curtain...

The first questions is how deep is the vanity... if it is not at least 21" deep then you are not going to fit most standard round drop in sinks... the bowl size of a round sink is slightly larger... if they are washing their hair then the depth of the bowl is really the more important factor - you may want to get a square sink..

Good luck!

Thanks for the input. Much of what you post makes sense. Wish I had signed up sooner.

The round sink is out I think. I agree with the arms dripping etc. I am leaning towards an oval drop in now. Function over form in some areas is a good thing, ya? The counter is 25.5" deep as it was a kitchen cabinet I believe. I am not 100% on whether to go with modern or traditional faucet type. I am leaning towards something a little more traditional like the Moen Banbury (the spout can be turned away when needed).

As for the mixed up finishes, do you mean any or too much? Would just one piece in an alternate but similar finish work? The only non-chrome piece so far is the light fixture. I can paint that or leave as is.

I agree counter space and storage is at a premium in a small bathroom. A big thing is the under cabinet space. I need to address their habits. I am thinking about 3 small bins to load their things into so they can have some organization and clean spills easier. Above the toilet was originally a small chrome wall mounted shelving unit that had collected a mix of knick knacks and dust bunnies. I am leaning towards something similar there, easier to clean, but am still kicking dirt. The frame is beat and rusted, but the original shelves that were there are tempered glass and I put them aside in case I should choose to do something like build shelf brackets to match a wood mirror frame. I have some Mahogany lumber I am considering using.

That said, the mirror is a big one to pull off. I had a place with a similar bathroom and managed to find a used builder grade mirror that spanned the entire wall. It was cool. Very open feeling to the space. I don't know how well it would work in this one due to the vanity not continuing across. I have seen frameless mirrors, ones with mirrored frames, fancy ornate ones at the Goodwills/Habitats and garage sales.

Also, if possible, would you sub out the Victory Blue in the vanity and go with a lighter, more neutral tone? If so what? A grey? White? Cream?

It's all so overwhelming...

Okay, are you adding the flooring you have shown above? And is the tub tile as shown in the "poorly taken photo"?

If the tub tile/surround is staying then don't do that flooring...

If you have the light fixture already and can't change it you can try to paint it. Not sure how it will turn out but there are suggestions online for the best chrome-look paint. https://repairdaily.com/best-chrome-spray-paint/  This is for cars, but that doesn't matter. I plan on changing my previously brass mirror rail to chrome (I'm putting all chrome in there as I want the sparkle) I already had the paint, I have the rail, and I can't see spending money when I don't have to...I haven't done it yet, so I can't comment on whether it works or not. I've used the paint on other stuff successfully though.

As far as your light goes, as I said, if you're stuck with it, it might be worth a try to paint it (paint is around 7-8 dollars a can). If not, small lights are not that expensive.

Make sure you don't put a contemporary light with traditional fixtures. So, will the tub faucet change or is that staying? It should match the sink faucet if possible.

Big mirrors...Here's a couple of pictures of what I think you mean....Keep in mind that you won't be able to put the shelf up...

It can look okay, even without the toilet tank/counter thing, but keep the lighting in mind. Do you want it just over the vanity, or centered over the entire thing? Personally, I don't care for the light just over the sink. Just my opinion, though.

I have washed my hair in the bathroom sink, and the swivel spout won't make any difference as far as how easy it is. Offset would be much better.

The vanity color depends on the question above about the floor/tub surround...

The flooring is here to stay. I am staring at the roll now.

And no the surround tile isn't staying, we just got a white one to install there when we get to that point. It's not ideal but hides what needs hiding. The shower curtain is usually closed, and I had to talk them out of skipping a surround and just trying to hide it. In a bathroom I think it's a rule - if it's brown, flush it down.

The tub faucet spout and taps are what is already there. While I can maybe add a different spout, I am unable to find a suitable plate and knob that fits my valve. I may be forced to paint them. We shall see what the supply guys can get me.

So would the bathroom benefit from a more modern sink faucet in this case? The offset tap likely won't happen. They won't like that, so maybe the best they can do is just shower or hit the kitchen sink. It's not gonna get any easier as they age anyways. This is getting ridiculous.

Won't be extending the vanity across like that unfortunately as we already have the vanity, and the toilet may not stay, so I am trying to avoid any boxing myself in etc.

In regards to the light, I am unable to move the electrical anywhere, so it would require certain type of lighting to hide the box etc. I had considered taking the fixture in the photo above, removing the shades, and painting it black with some Edison type bulbs or something for an older more industrial lighting look. Any thoughts?

I see you are against any finishes that contrast huh? Is it an opinion thing or a proven principle? This is all tough because so much is subjective, but discussion usually bears fruit, so I am enjoying this dialogue. Much appreciated.

As long as the tub surround is going to be just white, you're okay.

I think the faucet is fine with the flooring you've chosen.

I wouldn't bother changing out the spout. As long as the tub faucet isn't offensive, then I would just ignore it..

I don't care for an extended counter over the toilet either...I don't know how you get to the tank, but maybe there's a trick I don't know about.

So, assuming you must center the light over the sink, I would stick with a mirror just over the vanity, too. The kind you want depends on what you do with the light. You seem to be going in a bit of an industrial direction? Use caution with edison bulbs. They'll burn your retinas...I think the style of the light goes well with your chosen faucet...Just not the finish. Chrome would be my first choice, but you could paint it oil rubbed bronze and leave the shades on.

Is the vanity all wood or is there laminate on it?

The vanity is wood that will be painted. The top is laminate, but a Calcutta Marble pattern. I have the Victory Blue paint but may eat the cost for a lighter more neutral color if desired. Not sure if the paint for walls would work with a color swap, but it's possible. Or I could use it in another room. That may be a wise choice.

It also leaves me with another decision to make.

As for the industrial comment, I suppose that would be the effect that it gives off if I was to paint and do Edison's. It was just an idea really. Trying to work with what I have. The shades still look good and have function. Still tempted to leave it as my sole satin piece. Can always paint later.

The mirror question is answered as far as how big, It's just style I need to address. The faucet in the example above may be too ornate, and have seen similar ones with a little more subdued lines that will compliment rather than contrast. Something like these.

is a circular sink still worth considering if the washing of hair in the sink wasnt a thing? Or should I just stick with an oval? Square would be nice but really cuts into budget some compared to the others, plus maintains a but more top space I believe.

Shelves above the toilet seems common and safe. Especially reusing the old glass. This makes me want to try something different. Will have to peruse the site for ideas.

Anyone ever installed a battery powered LED in a shower/bath area? Have seen some online that look nice. Or they all junk, and should I just try to find a curtain with clear upper section to let light in?