Choosing the perfect vanity for a master bathroom is a bit of a balancing act. Of course you want the vanity to look good, but even more important is finding one that works well. After all, having two sinks and plenty of storage is a must for keeping the peace in many relationships, and unfortunately many vanities that focus solely on style do so at the expense of functionality. The new Madison collection from James Martin Furniture strikes a perfect balance between form and function, with a design that’s ideally suited for a master bathroom.
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First and foremost, the Madison collection is transitional in style, combining the simple, clean lines of a contemporary design with just enough embellishments to give the vanities a classic look and feel. Shaker style cabinets are particularly trendy right now, and these Madison vanities use an exaggerated version of this traditional cabinet door style, drawing attention to the angled joinings at the four corners of the cabinet doors. This gives the cabinet a slightly more decorative look and feel while keeping all the lines clean and simple.
This middle-of-the-line approach makes it possible to get a bathroom vanity that feels simple and casual enough for everyday use, but that has just enough elegance and refinement that it still feels sophisticated and can stand as the centerpiece of a master bathroom. Transitional vanities like those from the Madison collection simply feel more inviting: subtle details (like the beveled edges on the square door and drawer pulls that mimic the detailing on the cabinet doors) keep the vanity from looking too stark or plain, but do so without making it seem overly embellished.
Open shelf bathroom vanities have become popular lately for pretty much this exact same reason. Adding a little white space and lift to the vanity, even if the legs and feet are very simple, helps break up the boxy feel that many modern bathroom vanities can have. An open shelf design is often used in spa-style spaces to keep toiletries more visible and accessible, so this style is also great for evoking that really relaxed, laid-back atmosphere. The Madison vanities are also available in some of the most popular finishes for this style, including a soft dove gray that toes the line between casual and sophisticated.
Of course, while having a lot of open space and lazily-filled storage baskets sounds great in theory, in practice this type of arrangement can end up looking and feeling more than a little messy. James Martin’s Madison collection takes a unique approach to solving this problem by keeping the open shelf, but filling it completely with a fitted basket. The result is a look that’s very similar to that casual “I just tossed it in a basket” style, but functionally works more like a drawer, keeping items fully hidden and tucked away.
In addition to the shelf-turned-drawers at the bottom of the vanity, the Madison double vanities also have two very large drawers in the center of the vanity for added storage. They’re wider and deeper than normal drawers, which makes them ideal for keeping oft-used items organized and easily accessible. While normal sized drawers can only accommodate small items, these larger drawers are ideal for bigger toiletries, like hairspray or a hair drier. Because they’re mounted on full extension drawer slides, you never have to worry about items getting lost in the back of the drawer: you can see everything inside all at once.
Having larger, wider drawers means having slightly smaller cabinets, but the Madison collection addresses this in a unique way, too. Instead of having the two sinks centered over the two cabinets, they’re slightly offset so the plumbing doesn’t take up the entire center of the cabinet. This helps maximize the amount of available storage space, so even though the cabinets are a bit narrower, they actually have more usable room on the inside. There’s also a narrow shelf installed at the front of the cabinet that’s perfect for storing small items that you want to access frequently, but that you don’t want to leave out on your counter top, like toothpaste tubes or contact lens holders.
The Madison collection from James Martin Furniture offers not only a very trendy style, but also a variety of unique solutions to problems that commonly plague high end master bathroom vanities. Though the difference is visually subtle, it can make a big difference in the day to day usability of the vanity. But what do you think of this collection? Let me know in the comments below!
