All the Details on 3 Farmhouse-Style Vanities
Experts reveal dimensions, finishes, paint colors, hardware, faucets and more
So you’ve decided you want farmhouse style in your bathroom. While the hard part is done, there are still a lot of decisions you’ll have to make, and many of them concern the vanity. In order to help, we’ve asked three designers to give us the nitty-gritty details on three different farmhouse vanities.
Here you can see how the vanity relates to the rest of the bathroom. Notice how thoughtfully it was nestled right into the other trim work — the detailed chair rail lines up with the counter and the V-groove wainscoting continues a line at the same height around the room. A prominent baseboard with an ogee detail completes the look at the floor.
Bathtub: BainUltra; sconces: Authentic Designs Inc.
Team
Architecture: Cushman Design Group
Interior design: Carol Flanagan Interior Design
Construction and carpentry: Patterson and Smith Construction
Bathtub: BainUltra; sconces: Authentic Designs Inc.
Team
Architecture: Cushman Design Group
Interior design: Carol Flanagan Interior Design
Construction and carpentry: Patterson and Smith Construction
2. Freestanding in a petite farmhouse. This bathroom was part of a renovation of a 100-plus-year-old Greek Revival home. “In this era, all cabinetry would have typically been built freestanding, not wall-to-wall,” architect Meriwether Felt says. To avoid overwhelming the scale of the small home, she kept the selections petite. Antique dry sink cabinets were an inspiration for the vanity.
Size of bathroom: 100 square feet
Style of bathroom: “I would call this bathroom 19th-century farmhouse style,” Felt says.
Vanity style: Freestanding with inset doors and drawers with exposed frame. The vanity was custom made by Paul Eull of Eull Woodworks.
Dimensions of vanity: 62 inches wide by 22 inches deep by 36 inches high
Vanity paint color: Greenmount Silk by Benjamin Moore
Hardware: Simple round knobs in oil-rubbed bronze match the cabinet doors’ exposed hinges. (Similar: Dominion Knob by Baldwin Hardware)
Sinks: “We needed to keep them petite,” Felt says. These are Caxton 15-by-12-inch undermount oval sinks from Kohler.
Faucets: The faucets mix a polished nickel finish with black porcelain handles. They are the Easton EALS04-K from Waterworks.
Countertop: Carrara marble
Backsplash: There is no backsplash, a common look in a farmhouse-style bathroom. The wainscot around the vanity is walnut with a clear finish. Above the walnut is beadboard.
Mirror: This is a quarter-inch polished edge mirror set in a walnut frame.
Lighting: The choice of Hadley wall sconces from Hudson Valley were inspired by the welcoming porches seen on homes in the South and are an apt fit for the farmhouse look. The silk fixture by Fortuny near the bath adds soft, elegant contrast.
Bonus: Because the vanity is freestanding and relatively small, there was room on either side for towel bars.
Size of bathroom: 100 square feet
Style of bathroom: “I would call this bathroom 19th-century farmhouse style,” Felt says.
Vanity style: Freestanding with inset doors and drawers with exposed frame. The vanity was custom made by Paul Eull of Eull Woodworks.
Dimensions of vanity: 62 inches wide by 22 inches deep by 36 inches high
Vanity paint color: Greenmount Silk by Benjamin Moore
Hardware: Simple round knobs in oil-rubbed bronze match the cabinet doors’ exposed hinges. (Similar: Dominion Knob by Baldwin Hardware)
Sinks: “We needed to keep them petite,” Felt says. These are Caxton 15-by-12-inch undermount oval sinks from Kohler.
Faucets: The faucets mix a polished nickel finish with black porcelain handles. They are the Easton EALS04-K from Waterworks.
Countertop: Carrara marble
Backsplash: There is no backsplash, a common look in a farmhouse-style bathroom. The wainscot around the vanity is walnut with a clear finish. Above the walnut is beadboard.
Mirror: This is a quarter-inch polished edge mirror set in a walnut frame.
Lighting: The choice of Hadley wall sconces from Hudson Valley were inspired by the welcoming porches seen on homes in the South and are an apt fit for the farmhouse look. The silk fixture by Fortuny near the bath adds soft, elegant contrast.
Bonus: Because the vanity is freestanding and relatively small, there was room on either side for towel bars.
There’s bonus storage on either side of the vanity in the walls that form the niche around it. The medicine cabinets are custom and are painted the same color as the vanity. “They were stenciled by a dear friend of the homeowner’s,” Felt says.
Also worth noting is the mix of metals in the room. Dark finishes on the sconces, cabinet pulls and faucet handles are small but important details that help tie the vanity vignette together.
Bathtub: Sunrise Specialties
Team
Architecture and interior design: Meriwether Felt, while working for TreHUS
Also worth noting is the mix of metals in the room. Dark finishes on the sconces, cabinet pulls and faucet handles are small but important details that help tie the vanity vignette together.
Bathtub: Sunrise Specialties
Team
Architecture and interior design: Meriwether Felt, while working for TreHUS
3. Repurposed in a modern farmhouse. The idea of repurposing an antique work table was very appealing to interior designer Lisa K. Tharp, but it had its challenges. The piece had to be straightened out and plumbed, but the results were well worth it. “In this farmhouse, the humble simplicity of the work table contrasts nicely with the sheen of other surfaces, including the luxurious bateau-style soaking tub,” Tharp says. “Plus, the antique wood adds warmth to an otherwise white palette.”
Size of bathroom: 157 square feet
Style of bathroom: Modern farmhouse
Vanity style: Vintage modern
Dimensions of vanity: Approximately 6 feet wide by 2 feet deep by 3 feet high
Vanity paint color: India Yellow by Farrow & Ball
Hardware: The simple pulls are original to the antique table.
Sinks: The rectilinear vessel sinks add modern contrast to the vintage base. “The extra height of the sinks are especially appreciated by taller people,” Tharp says. These are Avalon sinks from Signature Hardware.
Faucets: Hi Arc Lavatory Faucets, Rohl
Counters: The wooden top is part of the original antique. “Its imperfections are its beauty,” Tharp says. “One can wipe on a little mineral oil if areas get dry-looking, but it really is a personal preference — it has held up beautifully.”
Backsplash: There is no backsplash, just the V-groove paneling used all the way up the walls.
Mirror: Custom, and proportioned to leave enough space on either side for the sconces
Lighting: Gooseneck sconces that play off the arch of the faucets and farmhouse style. These are Barn Light sconces from Barn Light Electric Company.
Size of bathroom: 157 square feet
Style of bathroom: Modern farmhouse
Vanity style: Vintage modern
Dimensions of vanity: Approximately 6 feet wide by 2 feet deep by 3 feet high
Vanity paint color: India Yellow by Farrow & Ball
Hardware: The simple pulls are original to the antique table.
Sinks: The rectilinear vessel sinks add modern contrast to the vintage base. “The extra height of the sinks are especially appreciated by taller people,” Tharp says. These are Avalon sinks from Signature Hardware.
Faucets: Hi Arc Lavatory Faucets, Rohl
Counters: The wooden top is part of the original antique. “Its imperfections are its beauty,” Tharp says. “One can wipe on a little mineral oil if areas get dry-looking, but it really is a personal preference — it has held up beautifully.”
Backsplash: There is no backsplash, just the V-groove paneling used all the way up the walls.
Mirror: Custom, and proportioned to leave enough space on either side for the sconces
Lighting: Gooseneck sconces that play off the arch of the faucets and farmhouse style. These are Barn Light sconces from Barn Light Electric Company.
The vanity is a nice mix of hidden and open storage. “The lower slatted shelf is great for storage bins,” Tharp says. “They are even easier to pull out than drawers and hide a lot.
“Aedi Construction did a great job of accommodating the work table’s antique irregularities, including rebuilding interior drawers to allow for plumbing while salvaging precious storage,” the designer says.
Team
Architecture: ZeroEnergy Design
Interior designer: Lisa Tharp Design
More:
All the Details on 3 Single-Sink Vanities
Browse farmhouse vanities in the Photos
“Aedi Construction did a great job of accommodating the work table’s antique irregularities, including rebuilding interior drawers to allow for plumbing while salvaging precious storage,” the designer says.
Team
Architecture: ZeroEnergy Design
Interior designer: Lisa Tharp Design
More:
All the Details on 3 Single-Sink Vanities
Browse farmhouse vanities in the Photos
Size of bathroom: 154 square feet
Style of bathroom: Elegant farmhouse
Vanity style: Open
Dimensions of vanity: 6 feet, 11 inches long by 36 inches high by 20 inches deep
Vanity materials: The base is Eastern white pine finished with a polymerized tung oil wood stain by Sutherland Welles Ltd.
Hardware: Polished nickel drawer pull by Ashley Norton
Sinks: Undermount white porcelain sinks
Faucets: “These faucets are a more modern take on the traditional cross bar,” Flanagan says. They are by Sigma and the finish is a tarnish-free polished nickel.
Counters: Carrara marble
Backsplash: The countertop marble continues up the wall 4 inches around the vanity.
Mirror: The mirrored medicine cabinets by Roburn add clean, crisp lines and can handle all the couple’s storage needs. The inside of the doors are mirrored as well.
Lighting: Four Thomas Obrien one-light wall sconces are supplemented by new recessed lights overhead.