Here is a photo of a vanity that I really like. This one is 60” - could it work?

When you remove the shower you would be able to have two sinks. If two people regularly use the bathroom then consider it. But if a linen tower and one sink would be a better solution for you then do that. You don't have to buy a prefab vanity online or have custom cabinets built. The middle ground is to go to a local cabinet builder that does kitchens and put together a combination of sink and drawer bases to get what you want (if that is something accessible to you), or use a US based cabinet maker that will ship to you RTA. A lot of people swear by Ikea as well. Some the stuff available online isn't very good quality. There are a lot of different ways to configure vanities.

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Thank you so much for your reply, kanddrewspa! The quote we received was from a custom kitchen cabinet maker (most likely one of the best in my city!) but maybe we could keep looking to see if we could find a happier medium, rather than going through Wayfair or another online seller. At this point, I'm leaning towards keeping just one sink in favour of more storage - who doesn't need more storage? LOL!

I’d be tempted to demo the shower and use that space toward a 2 sink vanity with lots of drawers and some upper cabinets for closed storage - two sinks in a master bath is sooo nice if you have the room (storage is nice but I don’t think it’s a more is always better scenario - especially since it’s a tradeoff on other elements)

I do love that first bathroom photo you posted, la_la Girl! Thank you for your thoughts and ideas!

If you demo the existing shower and the new one is at the back of the room where the tub is, why can’t you build a custom closet there? Then you can extend the vanity and have tons of storage.

Thank you, RedRyder! I have been considering closing in the existing shower stall in order to have a deep storage area. I probably have the strangest storage need, but I really struggle with knowing where to store our luggage! I'm wondering if this would be a good place for it? Behind closed doors, obviously! If I did that, I think the most logical thing would be to leave the existing wall where it it (where the medicine cabinet is). The only problem with that idea is that my vanity would have to remain the same size (or smaller), which is 54.5". On the other hand, I am really loving the idea of getting rid of that small wall and opening the space up even more.

Thanks Karenseb - that is something to consider for sure.

In my much smaller bathroom I have a narrow floor to ceiling kitchen pantry cabinet (semi-custom, standard depth) with roll out shelving, You could place one where your current shower is located and rescue the found space for the closet behind it. I like the single sink vanity. Do you ever share the bathroom or is it practical for your use to just have one sink? That is your call!

Thanks ptreckel! That sounds like a great idea as well. Does your vanity match your pantry cabinet? My husband and I share the bathroom but in almost 25 years of marriage, we've rarely needed two sinks at the same time. I don't think the additional cost of adding another sink would make sense for us.

I went “vintage” with my sink: A Kohler “Katherine” console sink with NO storage beneath it. So, everything I might want to store in my bathroom is in my pantry cabinet. And, honestly, I don’t even use the upper cabinet of the pantry! Everything fits in the bottom portion of the pantry. I have walls on both sides of my cabinet; it is enclosed on both sides, one being the tiled wall of the bath tub/shower. I LOVE the pantry! If you go with a closed vanity, too, you would have plenty of storage in your bathroom

PS: The vanity you like and posted, above, is a simple Shaker style. I think you could easily match a kitchen cabinet pantry to that style. Color might be an issue…unless you paint the cabinet to match the vanity.

For sure! I'm hoping to have as many drawers as possible in the vanity, and to be honest, the more storage space I have, the more stuff I have, and I'm just tired of stuff! However, because I have the space to work with, I want to make sure I use it the best way that I can so I don't have any regrets later!

Okay, so I'm starting to think outside the box! I found this Canadian vanity company (right in our city!) that makes these beautiful vanities - I have always loved the navy and am really thinking about this! If I went with a 60" vanity, I could add an IKEA pantry unit in the corner - it could be either 24" wide (which would leave a 6" gap in between the vanity and the cabinet), or I could go with a 30" wide cabinet which would then butt right up to the vanity. Which would look better? The cabinet could go right up to the ceiling and I would add white mission style doors. I should add that the cabinet is 24" deep so with the shower inset, it wouldn't line up flush with the vanity - I think I would like that, actually as it would make the vanity more free standing. (Or I am completely wrong in thinking this?!)

I could also stay with a white vanity but then the cabinet white most likely would not match vanity white. If I went with the navy, there wouldn't be a problem.

I'm also loving the subway tile! I have subway tile in my kitchen and in my main floor powder room (which is painted Hale Navy). Would it be too much to have a feature wall of subway tile over the vanity? We're going with a marble-look porcelain tile for the shower enclosure with grey-brown wood grain LVP flooring.

My husband and I are never in the bathroom at the same time. So one sink over more storage is better. Married 56 years! Also a cabinet with rather plain fronts is best, powders and sprays etc. are hard to clean from small crevices. And if I had a choice a great shower and no tub. We never have taken baths. But that’s a personal preference, especially if there a tub in the second bath.

56 years! That's amazing! I sincerely hope we make it to that :)

We do have a second tub in the house - planning to reno that bathroom shortly after this one and add a larger, deeper tub. We also have not taken a bath in our jacuzzi tub in 2 1/2 years since we bought a hot tub - which we use year-round! Thanks for the suggestion of plain fronts - always great to have cleanable surfaces for sure!

The choice of your vanity is first, and the new “storage pantry” size will accommodate the leftover space. One sink or two is so personal. We have two sinks and are NEVER in the bathroom at the same time. Our previous house master bath (which we renovated) only had one sink. I would only want more drawers, not necessarily the two sinks.

As for color, buy the navy and get unfinished doors for the pantry. Then color match to the vanity. OR - Buy the vanity from a kitchen/bath company since they probably have bigger doors that will fill the pantry space in any color you choose. Anything can be done - it’s a matter of how much time, effort and money will it take. I think navy-and-navy will look very custom and different.

Thanks again, RedRyder! It’s great to hear personal stories about the 1 vs. 2 sink debate! We are definitely leaning toward one sink with more counter space.

I am definitely going with the navy vanity! I chickened out when we did our powder room and so we painted the walls navy but have a white vanity. This time I want to go with what I really want!

I have sent a couple of requests for navy custom cabinets, but one I received already is over $6,000 more than if I go with a semi-custom vanity and IKEA storage cabinet (that would be white). I feel that’s a huge difference and I’m hoping the other quotes will be slightly less for custom, but I’m doubting it. I’m hoping that because the cabinet won’t be flush with the vanity it will look more like a built in cabinet which will vanish into the wall if I keep the walls white. Then the navy vanity will be the star of the show.

I have yet to fully explore the idea of buying the IKEA box and having a local cabinet maker make the doors and paint them the same colour as the vanity. I did ask the vanity company what colour their blue paint is and of course it’s custom so colour-matching may be too difficult. Is it better to miss the match, or to go completely different (white vs. blue)? So many decisions!! 😂

Since this is a major gut job, I’d hire a bathroom designer. Toooooo many details you’re asking about that truly require a professional’s opinion.

I think you’re right, pkatzzz! We just confirmed with our bathroom renovator today that we are going to move ahead with the project - I’ll check with him to see if he could recommend someone. He came to our bathroom to give the preliminary quote but many of our ideas have changed since then. I was just hoping to get a better idea of what I want, and need, before moving ahead.

So many options. We are mid-remodel of our primary bath, and I found a vanity from Willow Bath and Vanity, sold on HD, but purchased from them directly (online) for slightly less including a hefty shipping fee. It’s not made with pressboard, looks amazing, and their customer service has been excellent. Promise I do not work for them! I got the 72” Malibu but they have many options and sizes. We went with a navy vanity, and had built in on an opposite wall a prefab pantry cabinet we bought at Lowe’s, which come in various sizes. They sell them unfinished so you could paint to match a vanity if you wanted. Both the vanity and cabinet have shaker doors and you can get hardware to match.

Thanks Carrie W! I’ll see if Willow Bath is available in Canada - quite often we can’t get the same items, unfortunately. Are you going to match your cabinet to your vanity?

Since the cabinet is on the opposite wall and next to the shower, which will have white tile, I went with a white cabinet. If it’d been next to the vanity, we’d probably have gotten an unfinished one and painted to match.

I found Willow on the HD website when searching for vanities made from plywood, as their site lets you narrow by material, but I think they are sold through other vendors. If they don’t work, you might try a similar process - search on big box store sites for a vanity with the material you want then see if you can order direct. We did direct order because it was easier to make minor changes like getting the 8 in wide faucet holes and adding a side splash, and was slightly less expensive. I’m really glad we did because their customer service was so helpful and I’m certain HD’s would have been less so.

Good luck! Our circa 2000 builder basic bathroom is currently under construction, so no pics, but we’re excited.

Whenever any project has a “forever” goal… i always avoid “contemporary” …for a more traditional style…contemporary may be “out of style” in as little as 5 years..🤷🏻‍♀️..we still love our “eclectic “ bathrooms ..installed in 1999…in our case we used antiques for our cabinets and an already old claw foot tub…antique mirrors..even improvising interesting towel racks and toilet paper holders..one bath has picture windows…the only thing changed over time …was that LVP floors were installed…the best thing is everything is old …so any little dents or tiny scratches just add to the “ charm”..one of the best features is an old wicker lift-top hamper that is full of lots of toilet paper..no need to waste cabinet space..only have to refill once a month or so

Kandrewspa’s suggestions have that timeless feel to them..that I think will endure…as well

When you are thinking of a custom cabinet, don’t take the first bid as gospel. My friends got insane quotes for a vanity when they started their “bathroom journey” and the final price was half. It’s tedious, but multiple quotes (and having a professional helping you) will get you good construction for a fair price. The $6k quote sounds high to me. But you’ll know when you ask for two more.

Glad you’re doing the navy! It’s so sophisticated and elegant. Full disclosure: My current bathroom has a huge vanity with lots of drawers but was an oak I didn’t like (it was EVERYWHERE in our house) so I painted it SW Distance. I love it - it’s a grayish-purple-blue. Love statement blues in a bathroom.

Thanks RedRyder! That gives me a bit of hope! My first quote was actually $10,000 CDN! Mind you, the vanity was completely drawers with a double sink and the price included delivery and installation, but I did find to be quite high. I’ll be getting another quote early next week so it will be interesting to see the difference in cost.

I adore navy and I have a lot of it running through my house! I am so excited to have it in our vanity. Yours is gorgeous, by the way! Thanks for sharing!

I am crossing my fingers there are smaller carpenter businesses that will be a more reasonable price.

When your CAD cost is converted to US dollars, it’s not too terrible a price - if installation is included. ($7580.00 US ?)

Check out kitchen cabinets instead of “bathroom” vanities. Many more sizes and combos including lots of drawer options. In my case the kitchen cabinets were cheaper than the bathroom ones for the same product. Easier to get a fit for storage cabinet too.

Agree with @Husterd. Lots more options in the “pantry cabinet” category than bathroom storage cabinet. And they do the same thing. Just keep an eye on depth of your space versus the cabinetry you’re buying and make sure they line up.

Thank you for all the great comments and suggestions! I really appreciate all of your help! I just received a second quote for custom cabinets and it came in at half the cost of the original quote!

One thing the cabinet maker suggested is to go with a vinyl finish on the vanity and cabinet due to it being in a bathroom. I really love the look of painted cabinets but what do you all think? Should we consider the vinyl? I don’t want it looking cheap but I do want it to stand up well. If you do agree with vinyl I will definitely go to their showroom to see what it would look like .

No on vinyl. Wood lasts for centuries. Wood can be repaired, refinished, repainted. Vinyl breaks down, cracks, discolors, peels, and looks and feels cheap. Your new bath will have proper ventilation as required by code. Assume a stone/stone-like top and a backsplash of some sort will give added protection.

Your cabinet maker said to consider a vinyl finish on the cabinets?? That seems like a red flag to me. I'm not an expert, but makes me wonder if maybe that cabinet maker isn't an expert either?

Always get a third bid, lets you know if high or low are reasonable. More if necessary. Go with what you want, painted probably your navy.

Good rule of thumb- contractors are not designers. Use paint so you get the navy blue you want.

I love the kitchen cabinet company idea. You will be able to match the vanity and “pantry”.

$10K for two custom cabinets is actually not that much money. This is your master bathroom and if you plan to be in this house for a long time, it's money well spent. The matching custom cabinets will look better and will last a very long time.

Bite the bullet and pay a little extra. Or get another quote from a different cabinetmaker to see if the pricing is reasonable. I'm betting you won't get a better deal.

And no vinyl on the finish. If you have a good fan in your bathroom, the moisture should not be an issue.

Okay, thanks everyone! Definitely no vinyl! I was actually taken back a bit by the company that recommended that - that feels builder grade to me!

I am meeting with our bathroom guy tomorrow to talk details, but my largest conundrum is whether or not to have the pantry blue or keep it white. I feel because it will be recessed, white could just disappear and then the vanity would really stand out. If I paint it blue, it might feel dark and heavy. I could keep the dividing wall by the current shower stall, but have it cut back so that it's flush with the cabinet, which would make the vanity stand on its own. Thoughts?

Here's a quick mood board I created. The top left photo is my inspiration ensuite. The bottom photo is the vanity that I'm smitten with. We're going with LVP flooring that is the same as our main floor to tie in the floor and warm up the space more. The arch mirror gives a nod to the archways on our main floor as well.