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sarah_curtis_bayens

Bathroom Vanity Backsplash and Single handle wall mount faucet Dilemma

5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago

Hello everyone,

I am designing my own master bathroom currently. In our last home we ordered these faucets and loved them so I ordered again. Plumbing is installed already, but we still have time to decide how thick our backsplash will be, or if we dont have one at all and mount to drywall.

This is an old farmhouse, I am trying to combine some modern fixtures with more natural elements such as stone and wide plank wood, soft colours, as well as some fun farmhouse things we can now incorporate like patterned tiles

The bathroom will have a small patterned floor (grey, white, navy blue), there is only space along the vanity wall for a 30" vanity and the toilet to the left. Vanity will be either very dark navy or natural wood. Sink will be undermount.

My dilemma is as follows:

1. Choose no backsplash (ie. mount faucet on drywall),

2. Choose a straight horizontal backsplash made of the same material as the counter (at this point im down to quartz, concrete or possibly some type of stone look) - previously we did this with quartz but our vanity was 60" long so I'm not sure if this option would look funny with such a short vanity and one sink.

3. I really like the curved vanity backsplash style, but realize now my faucet will be off balance since it does not have two handles. Does this matter? Do you think anyone would notice? Otherwise I love the look.

*I realize these faucets are often paired with vessel sinks but it worked quite well in our previous master bath with undermount sink and we preferred it.

*We could tile the wall as well, however with the patterned tile floor, plus a full 60" shower tiled across from the vanity I just felt like it was way to much tile if we did this wall too. Another options was shiplap, but I'm really not sure how much I like that everyone is doing it and how quickly it could go out of style (or has it already?) - plus like the tiles, its another thing on the walls in a relatively small master bathroom








apologies for the giant pictures. I do not seem to be able to resize them. :)

Thanks for your suggestions!

Comments (20)

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    Usually with a wall mounted faucet I would tile the wall with field tile. Would not use a stylized backsplash and can’t mount a faucet on drywall.

  • 5 years ago

    @Sabrina Alfin Interiors yes that is our other option, however our vanity will only be 30" and wont be "wall to wall" so I wasnt sure if the straight rectangle would also look odd.... but that was our original intention with buying the single handle faucet.

  • 5 years ago

    This might not be an option but can the faucet handle be mounted above the faucet if you don't want it off center...

  • 5 years ago

    ah @c_ z interesting, would require moving the plumbing but i'll look into it. Maybe still a little weird but i'll lay it out and see!

  • 5 years ago

    I think it is great

  • 5 years ago

    It might be convenient to put the handle above, then it's easily operated with either hand.

  • 5 years ago

    I would lean hard into asymmetry. Cut two holes that COULD work with one of those faucets with separate hot and cold leads that come from the wall and meet in an exposed mixing chamber, but then mount the faucet you chose. It should read as “off beat” but not “wrong”.

  • 5 years ago

    Have you mounted the plumbing already? If not, you could change to the two handle look that is often shown with the curved marble backsplashes. I was considering this look for a narrow powder room but got overwhelmed by the plumbing issues too. It’s a great look for a farmhouse bathroom!

  • 5 years ago





  • 5 years ago

    the spout needs to be centered over the sink. As was said - embrace the asymmetry. I think you can still do the backsplash as the backing for the faucet mounts, and perhaps a straight look to that as to not worry about getting tings aligned with anything fancy on that!


  • 5 years ago

    Have you made a decision re: the above? I need to finalize my decision about what style faucets for master bathroom. I really like how the wall mounted faucets looks. I’ve purchased field tile for the wall behind the vanity - but now that I’ve seen these curved backslashes, I’m not sure what to do! Also, I’m trying to decide between one handle or two handle faucets.


    I feel like I have “design block” (cousin to “writer’s block!). My head may explode if I have to make one more decision!

  • 5 years ago

    @dani_m08 have you already gotten a quote for the curved backsplash fabricated from marble/stone? I‘m in love love with this look too, but it‘s $1200 just for fabrication plus the cost of the marble!

  • 5 years ago

    @elizabeth_eclectic - haven‘t received a quote yet. You may have just helped me make my decision! I didn’t realize it would be quite this much extra for fabricating the stone. Hmmmmm . . .


    Guess I better find out exactly how much extra it will cost in order to see if I want to add ANOTHER cost to this project. My initial budget didn‘t include tiling the wall behind the vanity/under vanity lighting/radiant heated floors/wall mounted sink faucets/wall mounted tub faucet. These items just came up as I continued looking at photos of bathrooms/reading discussion threads on Houzz.


    It does look really beautiful though. . .

  • 5 years ago

    @dani_m08 Sounds like we’re in the same boat, haha. What vanity did you find? I found my wall mount faucets from Newport Brass since they don’t break the bank, and vessel sinks on Wayfair are affordable, but the vanity is still in question.

  • 5 years ago

    I’m having custom floating vanity installed. I need to order my faucets ASAP. I’m having a very difficult time deciding what to purchase. I liked some of the ones by Newport Brass, plus the cost is reasonable. BUT - then I read some discussions here on Houzz yesterday - including one entitled, “Newport Brass = Expensive Garbage. . .” - so, I decided against making the purchase. The post is from several years ago - maybe quality has gotten better? I thought I should probably look into it a bit more.


    If I wasn’t wall mounting both the faucets for the sinks + tub, it would be easier to select something. I’m just worried about putting something inside a wall and having a leak - especially since the wall where the tub faucet will be located will have tile on all sides.

  • 5 years ago

    Oh wow that definitely contradicts what 2 plumbing showrooms said. They both talked about how great they were plus would arrive much quicker than the pricier brands. Hmmmmm

  • 5 years ago

    @elizabeth_eclectic - Newport Brass is owned by the same parent company as Delta/ Brizo/Peerless (plus, they have some type of relationship with Hansgrohe - maybe the manufacturing part?).


    StarCraft Custom Builders has the largest unbiased review of various brands of bathroom fixture manufacturers (among other items). I found this out after reading some discussions on Houzz. I just pulled up their in-depth review of Newport Brass. I’ve attached a screenshot of the end of the review.




    Not sure if the above helps or not. They sure sell a lot of different types of faucets - and appear to sell a lot of them.


    I still don’t know which one to buy. I think that I’ve looked at too many faucets and have read too many reviews!

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    If your new home is farmhouse style, then I think your best solution would be to select wall-mounted faucet with an 8" spread. One that doesn't have levers but handles would be in keeping with the style. A spmply designed stone or soapstone backsplash seems appropriate.






  • PRO
    8 months ago

    If you’re looking for Custom Vanity Installation in Irvine, CA, I highly recommend Arthur’s Remodeling. Their team does great quality work, pays close attention to detail, and makes the whole installation process smooth and stress-free. They helped me choose the right style and handled everything professionally. A solid choice if you want a beautifully installed custom vanity!