Before and After: 4 Baths That Gained Warmth With a Wood Vanity
See how design and construction pros, including one found on Houzz, used oak vanities to enhance four bathrooms
A wood vanity can add wonderful natural warmth to a bathroom. Oak is a popular choice for vanities because it’s a durable species that can handle the wet environment of a bathroom. Various vanity styles, sizes and details can enrich a space with even more character. To see a little of what’s possible, check out these four projects to see how an oak vanity helped create a warm look and feel.
After: New custom white oak vanities with a furniture-style design add warmth and a textural element with fluted fronts. The fluted detail is picked up in the whitewashed porcelain wall tiles, which have the look of thin slatted wainscoting. The vanity light in a brass finish coordinates with vanity hardware in honey bronze. A second, smaller vanity in the same white oak fluted design on an adjoining wall includes a recessed medicine cabinet and custom mirror in white oak.
Vanity hardware: Lily knob in honey bronze, Top Knobs; vanity light: Vaughn in Heritage Brass, Hinkley; wall tile: Kenridge Ribbon matte porcelain wood look in white, 24 by 48 inches, TileBar
Read more about this bathroom makeover
Vanity hardware: Lily knob in honey bronze, Top Knobs; vanity light: Vaughn in Heritage Brass, Hinkley; wall tile: Kenridge Ribbon matte porcelain wood look in white, 24 by 48 inches, TileBar
Read more about this bathroom makeover
“After” photo by Stephanie Studer of LifeCreated
2. Skinny Shaker Fronts With Increased Storage
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Jennifer Waldrip and her two kids
Location: Gilbert, Arizona
Size: 230 square feet (21 square meters)
Designer: Lauren Lerner of Living With Lolo
Before: This generic bathroom in Gilbert, Arizona, had bulky elements that were packed together, resulting in a cramped feel. A basic vanity with a low cultured marble countertop, a frameless mirror and outdated light fixtures also wasn’t creating the lively look the homeowner wanted. She hired designer Lauren Lerner to help open the room up and inject it with fresh style.
2. Skinny Shaker Fronts With Increased Storage
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Jennifer Waldrip and her two kids
Location: Gilbert, Arizona
Size: 230 square feet (21 square meters)
Designer: Lauren Lerner of Living With Lolo
Before: This generic bathroom in Gilbert, Arizona, had bulky elements that were packed together, resulting in a cramped feel. A basic vanity with a low cultured marble countertop, a frameless mirror and outdated light fixtures also wasn’t creating the lively look the homeowner wanted. She hired designer Lauren Lerner to help open the room up and inject it with fresh style.
After: Lerner kept the new components in the same location. An enlarged frameless glass shower and freestanding tub make for an airier layout, and a custom rift-cut white oak double vanity is taller and slightly longer than the old one and has more storage. Skinny Shaker-style fronts and brass hardware give it a fresh, modern style. The vanity’s marble-look off-white quartz counter with bold gray veining offers durability and an elegant vibe. The light wood vanity, geometric accents and the bathroom’s warm brass details create a modern boho look.
Read more about this bathroom makeover
Read more about this bathroom makeover
“After” photo by Christian Morales
3. Ample Storage and Organization
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A woman
Location: Los Angeles
Size: 67 square feet (6.2 square meters)
Designer: Barbara Schwarz of Avec Interiors
Builder: 5blox
Before: A confusing layout, odd fixtures, offbeat colors and an abundance of brown tile were some of the issues with this bathroom in a 1928 Spanish bungalow in Los Angeles. Among the more perplexing features were two stainless steel wall-mounted sinks with seafoam green glass countertops and no storage below. The homeowner, a busy professional in the entertainment industry, wanted more storage, better function and a calm and elevated beach style. She found designer Barbara Schwarz on Houzz, who recommended also bringing in remodeling firm 5blox.
10 Bathroom Vanity Features Pros Always Recommend
3. Ample Storage and Organization
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A woman
Location: Los Angeles
Size: 67 square feet (6.2 square meters)
Designer: Barbara Schwarz of Avec Interiors
Builder: 5blox
Before: A confusing layout, odd fixtures, offbeat colors and an abundance of brown tile were some of the issues with this bathroom in a 1928 Spanish bungalow in Los Angeles. Among the more perplexing features were two stainless steel wall-mounted sinks with seafoam green glass countertops and no storage below. The homeowner, a busy professional in the entertainment industry, wanted more storage, better function and a calm and elevated beach style. She found designer Barbara Schwarz on Houzz, who recommended also bringing in remodeling firm 5blox.
10 Bathroom Vanity Features Pros Always Recommend
After: Schwarz rejiggered the layout, placing a new custom vanity on the left, followed by the toilet and a new low-curb shower where the bathtub had been. The custom rift-cut oak vanity has Shaker-style fronts, polished nickel knobs, a storage tower where the shower once stood and seven drawers (including a drawer under the sink cabinet). The countertop is polished Calacatta Super White porcelain. The vanity adds visual warmth to this calm, beachy space with ocean-inspired blue-green glazed ceramic tiles wrapping the shower walls and sand-colored square glass tiles covering the bottom portion of the side walls.
Cabinet hardware: Egg knob and Ascendra pull, both in polished nickel, Top Knobs; countertop: Magnifica Encore polished porcelain slab in Calacatta Super White, Bedrosians Tile and Stone
Read more about this bathroom makeover
Cabinet hardware: Egg knob and Ascendra pull, both in polished nickel, Top Knobs; countertop: Magnifica Encore polished porcelain slab in Calacatta Super White, Bedrosians Tile and Stone
Read more about this bathroom makeover
Photo by Carina Skrobecki
4. Furniture Feel
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two young daughters
Location: Seattle
Size: 140 square feet (13 square meters)
Designer: Jessica Nelson
Before: This small and dark bathroom with pedestal sinks in a 1920s Tudor-style Seattle home lacked sufficient storage and countertop space. From their bedroom, the homeowners had to walk through another bedroom to get to their primary bathroom. Luckily for them, their neighbor Jessica Nelson is an interior designer who understands their house, their style and their needs. She worked to replace the dysfunctional layout and create a bathroom with better storage and vintage-inspired charm that fits the architecture of the house.
4. Furniture Feel
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two young daughters
Location: Seattle
Size: 140 square feet (13 square meters)
Designer: Jessica Nelson
Before: This small and dark bathroom with pedestal sinks in a 1920s Tudor-style Seattle home lacked sufficient storage and countertop space. From their bedroom, the homeowners had to walk through another bedroom to get to their primary bathroom. Luckily for them, their neighbor Jessica Nelson is an interior designer who understands their house, their style and their needs. She worked to replace the dysfunctional layout and create a bathroom with better storage and vintage-inspired charm that fits the architecture of the house.
After: Nelson took most of this floor of the home down to the studs and reconfigured the floor plan. She took space from a bedroom and created a new bathroom for the owners. A 7½-foot-long rift-cut white oak vanity with reeded fronts is a vast improvement over the pedestal sinks. In addition to the many vanity drawers, Nelson gave each homeowner their own storage tower on either side of the counter. Each tower has a spot for a hand towel hook. Nelson repeated the reeding on the towers and backsplash. The reeding adds texture and, along with the vanity feet, creates a furniture feel. The thickness and clean lines of the countertop lend a modern vibe. A 6-inch-high mitered countertop front gives the illusion of heft.
Read more about this bathroom makeover
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom designer
Shop for your bathroom
Read more about this bathroom makeover
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom designer
Shop for your bathroom
Sponsored
Virginia's Award Winning One Stop Kitchen & Bath Remodeling Resource
1. Improved Function With Fluted Details
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: An empty-nest couple
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 150 square feet (14 square meters)
Designer: Laura Parsons of Parsons i.d.
Before: Many of the elements in this Austin, Texas, bathroom rooted the space firmly in the 1990s. Among them were the vanities, one of which is seen here, which lacked hardware and had a makeup counter the homeowners never used. The couple asked designer Laura Parsons to help them create an airy and soothing bathroom with a warm spa feel.
Hire a local bathroom designer