Whether you do a center sink or keep it offset, I’d for sure do an undermount sink. That alone will increase counter space a bit. Probably easier to find centermount set up but you’ll also increase storage with drawers on both sides of cabinet & doors in middle for sink. You’re taking tub out? Will you tile to ceiling or at least higher than the shower head connection to wall? I would.

Center mount and light change-it looks odd in that position. New mirror as well as it doesn't need to go over the commode.

I like as much counter space as possible. Find pretty tenant piece of granite or quartzite NOT quartz. Put sink to right and counter space on left. Get vanity with plenty of drawers. Lots of choices out there.

Wow! Thank you for all these great ideas! It’s funny, we’ve lived with this for 20 years and it’s always bugged me but now I’m thrilled we’re finally updating it!

Yes, we will be tiling right to the ceiling. I will be getting a new mirror - leaning towards a chrome framed rectangular mirror (with rounded edges) which will be about 42” wide.

The cabinet will definitely have as many drawers as possible!

This is the Costco cabinet I bought. However, it’s 42”. We ruled it out as it’s not big enough to go all the way into the corner so it would be a potential nightmare with stuff dropping in the 6”.

The second cabinet (48”! is one that I absolutely love and it’s built in my city. It blows the budget out of the water, though! I am wondering, though, about the legs butting up to the wall - would that look silly?

Flo Mangan - I’m curious why you say no to quartz?

Will the storage shelf area stay or go as part of your reno? I would be tempted to get doors on that if possible

Maybe the hesitancy for quartz in bath counters is related to girls leaving curling & flat irons on the non repairable, non high heat resistant counters. Back legs or even side legs butting up to walls can be dealt with by planing them flat against baseboard or even removing the back legs or cutting baseboard around them. As I’m looking at the pretty cabinet you want, the side legs against wall would be ok & I think the counter top should maybe be flush to wall. There would be small space from bottom of counter down to legs but I think it would look ok.

The storage shelf will stay. The bottom is a laundry chute which we use daily. I’ve thought about putting doors on it but doors would make the chute difficult to use. I’m thinking of changing the wire shelves to thick wooden shelves in a medium color stain.

Got it! Thanks for the explanation!

Probably ok to center the sink -- given how much more storage you'll have underneath, they may not need so much stuff on the counter.

That’s the hope for sure! We will have to use heat proof mats when we use our irons, if we end up with quartz. I’m an avid baker and I’ve had quartz counters for 8 years. So far, I don’t have any scorch marks, but I am very careful as well.

So, the general consensus is to go with a centre-mount sink with drawers on either side. Thanks for your help, everyone!

I am wondering, though, about the legs butting up to the wall - would that look silly?
Yes. Notice how the legs splay out. That vanity is not designed to butt up next to a wall. There will be quite a large gap. And you will need to figure out how to deal with the baseboard.

So, the general consensus is to go with a centre-mount sink with drawers on either side.

Think this over as well. For instance, a 48" vanity with a center sink is going to have quite narrow drawers. An offset sink with drawers on one side will make better use of the space and leave you with more usable drawer space.

Yes, ci_lantro, drawer size is the main reason we’re trying to find an offset sink! Maybe someone can help me, but I cannot find cabinets with offset sinks that are available in Canada! I’ve poured over every box store, Wayfair, etc and am just having a difficult time! The American sites like HD, Lowe’s, Wayfair, offer so many more options that are not easily shipped to Canada!

cwurch, have you tried sourcing from a Canadian cabinet company? Kitchen cabinet manufacturers always/ almost, anyway, are a source of bathroom vanities. Because kitchens require more cabinets, companies advertising focus is going to be pitching kitchen installations.

IF you have enough space to fit standard kitchen cabinet depth, then you don't need 'vanity' cabinets anyway.

I checked with one Canadian cabinet company--Kitchen Craft--and they do have bathroom vanities but you have to dig a bit to find them. Just photos though. Would need to visit a dealer to know what all they offer..

Thanks for this advice, ci_lantro. I have checked with Kitchen Craft and Home Depot - their prices just seem high! Over 3k with a quartz top! At that price point, I would consider custom for sure. However, I’m heading over to a kitchen cabinet supplier later this morning which sounds promising - fingers crossed!

I have been contemplating using kitchen cabinet bases. We’re still trying to get our heads wrapped around the extra depth. Our bathroom could certainly handle the extra depth but I’ve read that many people find that it’s just “off”. Does anyone have thoughts on that?

one option for the storage area is to create closed storage on top with cabinet doors and leave the bottom open for the chute

I have thought of that! Would that look okay? I should try to find some inspiration pics!

And now here’s my dilemma. I’m am replacing the vanity with a 48” (staying the same size as our current) - most likely white with mission doors. Since we are removing the banjo counter, should we get a vanity with a cantered sink?

- I'm really spending your money here, but if I were trying to really make this bathroom functional, I'd remove the closet (not that closets aren't nice, but large vanities for two girls are nice too). Then I'd build in a wider vanity with one nicely centered sink /flanked by a nice wide set of drawers for each girl. Then an 18" or so linen tower (which is more expensive but takes less space) where the closet is now ... keep the laundry chute in the lower half /towel and toiletry storage in the upper half.

- If you stick with the 48", which isn't a bad size at all, definitely keep the sink off-center. Why? Because it'll allow for more drawer space. If you center the sink /have two banks of smaller drawers, you'll lose a good bit of that limited space to the hardware and side pieces required for the drawers.

- As for legs, I don't like any of them. In a bathroom, I'd much rather have a cabinet that goes all the way to the floor ... nothing to "clean under".

- Keep the mirror large .. easier for sharing, and it makes the room look larger.

- I agree you should go with an undermount sink. Neater looking, easier to keep clean.

- Yes, natural stone is nicer, but this is for a kids' bathroom. Is that extra cost in keeping with your goals and the overall house?

- I wouldn't worry too much about burning the countertop with curling irons, etc. The sink my sister and I shared all our teenaged years was laminate, and it's still in perfect shape (in my mom's house). My own two girls shared a cultured marble (so ugly) sink, and it has zero stains or burns. This is one of those things that's worse in imagination than in reality.

Mrs Pete - thank you so much for all these great ideas!! Spend away! 😂

I would dearly love to remove the wall to the storage area, but here’s the configuration of the laundry chute. Unless we’re willing to remove the chute, I don’t see how we could get around this. If only it was on the left side, closest to the wall!

I also completely agree about the size of the drawers with the off-set sink and would ultimately prefer that. If we go with a centre sink, We’d be going from one 12” drawer to 6 -12” drawers so already that’s going to be a huge improvement! We’re also thinking that our girls may appreciate their own dedicated sides rather than sharing the bank of drawers - they are 18 years old and almost 8 so that consideration is more for our adult daughter (who is living at home while attending university).

So I think for me, the decision will come down to aesthetics. What will look the best in this space?

You may already know this, but…

If you change the vanity, you will likely change the mirror and lighting locations. Moving the light may require an electrician and possibly different blocking behind the drywall for the light box. A different mirror may require different support behind the drywall as well. (You may be able to keep the existing mirror.) There is probably a sink drain vent pipe behind the wall somewhere, and possibly plumbing. Whatever electrical you move, or blocking you add, needs to work around that. Drywall may need to be repaired. Also be aware of where your sink valves and drain are and if the new vanity has room for them to be accessible.

If you get a vanity that is not designed to go against the side wall, for example, one that has legs or mouldings that protrude from the sides, it should be set away from the wall, at least 3” IMO to make a little room for you to get down there and clean the crevice. 4” is better. Cleaning that crevice is a pain. So is cleaning under a vanity if it has 4 legs. There may be a tool that makes it easier. If the vanity gets shifted toward the toilet, make sure there is at least 15” from center of toilet to vanity edge. That is code. Also figure out where the toilet paper holder will go and if that location is comfortable. And the flooring may need to be replaced or patched if the footprint of the new vanity is not the same or bigger than the old (unless you already have flooring underneath the vanity).

If you have to hire an electrician anyway, You could consider side sconces for your lighting (instead of overhead) if you want to buy new.

I got some nice vanities with marble tops from HomeDepot.com on sale a while ago. I haven’t installed them yet, so I don’t know what the drawbacks are of marble in the bathroom. The tops are beautiful natural stone, sinks are undermount. If hot appliances are a concern, you could try to find a spot in the kids bedroom where they can use hair tools. I am nervous about using plugged-in appliances around a water source.

Sometimes a new vanity top is more expensive than an entirely new vanity with sink and top, but a new vanity has all the other concerns discussed above.

Thank you, kelli_ga for your help! Yes, we are aware that we’re opening up a can of worms! I think that’s why we’ve left it for 20 years!

We will be doing this reno at the same time we’re having our ensuite completely gutted and redone. We’re hoping that we can get the trades people to do whatever needs to be done in this bathroom at the same time - may save a bit of $ in the long run. My brother in law is an electrician so we also have that covered.

And yes, I’m planning for a new mirror and lighting as well, along with flooring. Most likely will go with SW Sea Salt for the walls.

Pretty spa-like paint color! I used BM Iceberg in a bathroom with white light and it was gorgeous.

Well, I went to check out the cabinetry store and I could get either configuration with the bathroom vanity depth. I’m still on the hook for getting the countertop fabricated and installed. The cabinet would be about twice the price as IKEA, so now I’m wondering, am I crazy for considering installing kitchen cabinets? We could go with a 30” sink base and an 18” bank of drawers with an offset sink, OR a 24” sink base with 12” drawers on both sides. Thoughts?

I did find this cabinet available with a left hand sink, but does anyone else find it strange that the measurements are 36” for the sink box, and the drawers are 12”? It seems like such a strange configuration - or is it more designer-like to have this format?

Forgot to post the pic!

I prefer the symmetry of the centered sink. But if this is your primary bath, why not remove the huge shelving area and have a 72” (or more) double vanity, maybe even a ”floating“ vanity with a long shelf below for fluffy white towels. Look at deluxe hotel bathrooms to get inspired. You could have two 24” x 54” tall mirrors and 3 sconces on the wall, It would look like a bathroom in a brand new high end home. Good luck!

You are lucky to have a lundry chute! You could definitely reconfigure the opening to the chute if you wanted to - I don't think you are tied to how it is now. I might be tempted to float a custom vanity across and build in chute access -

this is too modern, but gives the idea

You could also have a tip out cabinet that connects to the floor opening where the chute connects

Visually and from a sink and countertop usage standpoint, my preference would be for a sink to be in the center. That way you have ample room on either side of the sink. The only caveat would be that you'll want to make certain the sink plumbing can be easily moved to the center location and that the storage on such a vanity will suffice for your purposes.

I LOVE the bottom pic idea, La La girl! This is a project that I think will be outside the scope of what we are able to do at this time. Maybe we could still incorporate that in the future? I would really love to close in those shelves!!

Pricklypearcactus - I finally sent an email to our bathroom contractor asking about the plumbing so I’ll post when I hear from him regarding the plumbing configuration.

I’d love to make this bathroom look like a high end home, but then it will be the most beautiful room in our home and our. 18 year old will never want to get out on her own!! 😂

24" sink base on the left side. 24" drawer bank on the right side. I would not put the sink on the right side with the wall next to the sink. Would want more elbow room that a left side sink will give you.

As far as cabinet depth vs the varying vanity depths--the reason vanities are more shallow is because bathrooms are often quite small and there isn't enough room for a deeper cabinet. With a deeper cabinet, the drawers can be longer so more storage. You just are used to seeing shallow vanities. And manufacturers keep making shallow vanities for the mass market that doesn't have room in the bathroom for a deeper cabinet. So, a larger potential customer base. If you have space, embrace a deeper cabinet. It may look 'different' for a week or two. After that, you won't give it a second thought.

Back to a center sink with drawers on either side. Those drawers will be very narrow. Given x amount of available width, one drawer in that width will give you more actual drawer space than the sum of 2 narrow drawers.

I would price the cabinets separate from the top. And shop for a remanent piece of counter material.

Delve into the materials used to construct a big box store vanity vs using cabinets. Premade vanities are often cheaply made and the drawer boxes are often much shorter. Partly because a premade vanity has to be adaptable to different plumbing configurations...an attempt at one size fits all situations. Shorter drawer boxes leaves space behind the drawers for plumbing. Space that you may not need and would be better off having maximum drawer length.

So, you could be spending more money but getting a better made cabinet, a deeper cabinet and larger, more functional drawers than you would get going with a premade 'vanity'.

A centered sink is better form. But given the 48" of space you have to allocate for a vanity, left side sink, like you have & are used to, is better function. So much better that it trumps form. And a sink base and drawer bank is going to look better than the sink base and makeup counter that you now have. IMO.

Ci_lantro - your explanation about the bathroom vs kitchen depth resonated so well with us!! Thank you for taking the time to explain all of that! I agree that we will get used to the extra depth quickly and will appreciate the extra storage space.

I just heard back from a counter company this afternoon and they will cut and install a remnant for a fantastic price so now we just need to pick out cabinetry!

Update! I found a semi-custom cabinet supplier and can order a bathroom vanity with the left sink orientation configuration - a 30" sink base with a bank of 18" drawers on the right. I'm almost ready to order that one as I'm still very unsure of the kitchen depth - it's the extra space behind the faucet that I'm concerne about. I've looked at some pictures of that on other threads and it just looks a bit odd to me.

I've gone ahead and put a board together of my choices. I'd love some design input! I'd like to keep this bathroom classic but I'm open to any ideas of how to make it a bit more fun and edgy! I'm mixing a bit of gold with chrome in my MB reno, but should I stick to all chrome in this bath, or add another metal? I am planning on adding a couple of wood floating shelves over the toilet to tie the flooring in a bit more. Any other ideas? The shower will be subway tile with a medium warm grey grout.

The vanity light is also available with 4 bulbs, so it would be 32" wide - I'm thinking that would be better? Also, someone posted that my current light is not hung correctly - how should it be centered? Over the mirror, or more towards the sink (which is off centre to the left!).

Update! I just had my contractor in today to talk about removing the wall I’m between the vanity and the shelving area! Now I have a couple of questions that I could use some help with!

• I’m back to using IKEA kitchen cabinets for the vanity, so 24” deep. By doing that, I can get a matching pantry unit for the corner. It can be 24” wide. I have two depth options - 15” deep or 24” deep. Should the pantry unit come flush with the vanity? Or would it look okay for the pantry to be less deep than the vanity? The reason I’m asking is that the door clearance will be tight with the bathroom door if we try to open the cabinet while the bathroom door is open.

• Should I go with a 30” wide cabinet and reduce the vanity down to 42”? By doing this, I could keep the cabinet 24” deep and then have two doors (15” wide) which would reduce the chances of the cabinet and bathroom door colliding.

If anyone has photos of varying depths of cabinetry in the bathroom I’d be greater up to see them!

Thanks in advance!

I’m back with another question! Hoping someone can weigh in! I was hoping to put in a 36”‘round mirror with a light overhead, but now I don’t know if it will work and how it would look with the offset sink. It’s so hard to visualize with the current counter because it makes you think there is some balance. When the counter goes down to 48” the light fixture will have to move, and then the dilemma with mirror placement comes up. Should I go with a rectangular mirror instead? Would that start right at the edge of the counter on the left?

Or should I use a rectangular frame like either one of these? The right side of the vanity will be right beside a tall cabinet, so no extra wall space on that side for a sconce or full width rectangular mirror.