Designer Powder Room Vanities For A Supremely Stylish Small Bathroom

Small spaces are sometimes the hardest to design. The smaller your room, the more thought required to deal with all the little necessities – like finding the right balance of storage, floor space, and style. But in a powder room, all that goes out the window. Since you don’t need a place to store your toothbrush or curling iron, a powder room is the perfect place for that beautiful-but-impractical vanity. No cabinets? No drawers? No problem! Designer powder room vanities are an ideal way to really showcase your smaller space, and give your guests a little wow factor, no matter what size your bathroom.

In a powder room, style is king. While your selection for typical or master bathroom vanities is likely to be limited by the number and size of their drawers, in a powder room you probably don’t need to stow anything more than maybe a spare roll of toilet paper. So when it comes to powder room vanities, I always like to give a first look at my favorite vanities that got taken off the top of the list for a regular or small bathroom for practical reasons. This Colorado vanity from Ryvyr is a personal favorite – it’s got a subtle, sleek style that works well with just about any decor. With the right vanity top, it also makes the perfect pedestal for a unique vessel sink, which is one of my favorite ways to customize a powder room.

In fact, outright pedestal vanities, like this Esprit Vanity from the Wyndham Collection, also work extremely well as powder room vanities, especially if you want to give the space a slightly museum-like flair. Again, pick a really beautiful glass or metal vessel sink to sit atop a dark wood or stone pedestal vanity like this one, then fill the room with ambient bathroom lighting. Strategically placed recessed lights or undermount lights will help enhance the museum feel, and one bright spotlight right over the sink will serve not only as task lighting, but to bring out the color and detail in the sink – sure to take your guests’ breath away!

Then again, if you need a little extra storage space – say, if you cant find a decorative toilet paper holder you like for your spare rolls – there are slim, trim powder room vanities that have at least enough space for toilet tissue and hand towels. This HPY-0155-22, for example, is similar in shape and size, to the Wyndham museum style vanity, but instead of a solid pedestal, this one has access to the interior. Tapered, sure, and certainly not ideal for a regular bathroom, but for a guest bath or powder room, this powder room vanity has all the storage you’ll need.

Similarly, this Column Style Vanity from Silkroad Exclusive is reminiscent of the columns you’d rest a bust on – similarly subtle-but-breathtaking, and begging for a beautiful sink to show off. Once again, while the lean mean 12″ width and depth would make this beauty at best inadvisable for a heavily trafficked bathroom, the whole interior is open for simple storage, which makes it picture perfect as a powder room vanity. As a bonus, it even has a few shelves inside to make organization a little easier.

Of course, powder room vanities can be a statement all to themselves. This Edwina Vanity is a gorgeous, antique-inspired piece that acts as a focal point for a bathroom of just about any size. The simple woodwork is subtle but elegant, and the finish makes it well suited for either a contemporary or a period inspired bathroom. This particular bathroom vanity is especially well suited to a powder room, with just enough counter space for soap, and enough storage inside to make spare toiletries easy for guests to find.

Powder rooms are also a great place to try on modern bathroom vanities that are just a little too cutting edge to be practical. While this Cristallino vanity from Fresca at least gives a nod toward storage with the two small shelves on either side, putting a roll of TP on one and can of shaving cream on the other sort of ruins the minimal, geometric effect. In a powder room, though, this vanity really shines. Since you won’t need the storage, you can use the shelves to display simple, beautiful objects or soaps and decorate the two front towel bars with decorative or seasonally appropriate hand towels.

If you want to get really extreme, go for a bold, unusual powder room vanity like this Quebec Vanity from James Martin Furniture. The king of otherwise-impractical vanities, this is a real star piece when used in a powder room. It’s both more compact and unusual than a typical pedestal sink, with a beautiful tapered design and asymmetrical decorations. The drawback? There’s so little counter space that you wouldn’t want to use it in a high-traffic bathroom, but the look is perfect for a very small space that you want to look lavish rather than minimalistic.

In the same vein, this HPY-0141-23 vanity has a very small footprint and a highly decorative, visually appealing design, but is a tad more practical in design. The hidden-ish front panel allows for a modest amount of storage (and easy access to your plumbing). It also comes with dainty, decorative hand towel hooks built right in, which is perfect for guests who aren’t quite sure where to wipe their hands (and makes it look a little like you could lift this goblet-shaped vanity and take a swig). The detailing on this vanity is stunning, and even with a simple white undermount sink, it’s a real show stopper – especially if you give it a little help with some creative bathroom lighting. Instead of trying to highlight the sink, though, fill the room with lots of good ambient light, making sure to feature the texture of the carvings for a sight that your guests won’t soon forget.

Even if your powder room is incredibly small, that doesn’t mean it can’t be one of the most stunning areas in your home. In fact, while a smaller bathroom might be considered a bad thing elsewhere, in a powder room, it gives you a better opportunity to splurge on the vanity and other bathroom decor you really want without having to worry too much about price or practicality.