When faced with remodeling a small bathroom, your instinct is probably to pare down – to look for the smallest, most minimalist furniture and fixtures you can find. After all, a happy small bathroom is one that’s simple, streamlined, clean, and clutter free, right? Certainly that can be true, but if you’re not a big fan of a stark modern design, the look can be off-putting, and if you ask me, the best small bathrooms are ones you enjoy being in. The solution? Look for bathroom vanities that are small but stylish, with a furniture-like appearance that will make your bathroom feel cozy and homey rather than simply small.
Think Outside The (Cabinet) Box
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If you ask me, a lot of small bathroom vanities can feel a little same-y, whether we’re talking sleek modern squares or more traditional compact cabinet boxes. In a tight space, though, you want a vanity that packs a more stylish punch – something that’s going to make a statement rather than blend into the background. Personally, I love vanities that are designed to look more like furniture than cabinetry, particularly ones that have a dresser-like feel. It’ll make your small bathroom feel like an elegant dressing room, and as an added bonus, the drawer-style storage is often more efficient, too!
Try On A Dressing Table
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Vanities designed to look like dressing tables are another great choice. With their long legs and smaller (or non-existent) cabinets, you’re looking at a little bit of a loss of storage, but all that white space will absolutely make your small bathroom feel bigger and more open – exactly the opposite of a hefty, bulky cabinet. If you really need it, you can toss a decorative basket underneath to store towels, or look for a slightly more substantial table with built in drawers or a small waist-height cabinet.
Add A Pop Of Color
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Opting for a more furniture-like bathroom vanity also means you have a lot more options in terms of color. While, again, most traditional vanities come in a handful of wood finishes plus black, white, and maybe gray, when you step a little outside the box, you can find all kinds of unique finishes. Far from the dreaded washed out white-on-white or overly stark black-and-white modern bathroom, these charming designer vanities are great for adding a little pop of color and a bit of lively character to your space.
Go For Glam
There’s even a whole subset of bathroom vanities with mirrored or metallic finishes. This is very much an unconventional option, but a surprisingly good one for a small bathroom. Mirrored surfaces in general help add depth and brightness to a room, and on top of making your space feel a little bit bigger, they’re also a fantastically glamorous touch. Mirrored vanity tables are very old Hollywood glam, and paired with a dressing-room style lighted vanity mirror, you can add a decadent, backstage feel to your bathroom without making it feel overly crowded.
Look For Lovely Woodwork
Lots of small, traditional vanities have woodwork on them – at least, the kind you’d expect from a vanity: decorative feet, carved wood doors, and some detailing on the edges and corners. But if you want a really unique look, opt for something a little more ornate, either more elaborate carving, unique hardware, or inlaid wood detailing. Now, you don’t want to go overboard or overly ostentatious in a small space, but if you keep everything else relatively simple, a show-stopper vanity can help you get that big bathroom feel even in a smaller space. Paired with a nice rug, towels, and curtains, a really nice decorative vanity can make even the smallest bathroom feel luxurious.
Charming Hand Painted Detailing
Last but not least, veering away from conventional vanities means you can find some really lovely detail work that you rarely see in a bathroom, like hand-painted embellishments. These are, of course, designed to stand up to the harsh conditions of a bathroom (which is part of why they’re on the rare side!), but they very much have the feel of hand-made furniture. It’s a relatively small upgrade, but one that can really make your bathroom feel relaxed and inviting – a small personal touch that makes your space just that much nicer to be in.
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