37 design ideas for bathroom sinks and vanities
Changing the bathroom sink or vanity is an easy way to update your bathroom. The whole look can be transformed - from town to country, from contemporary to classic, from modern to antique - with the aid of a simple swap. Sinks and vanities have an aesthetic function but they serve an important practical purpose too. Bathrooms tend to be small and short on storage: the right vanity unit can provide much-needed bathroom cabinet storage under your sink. Enjoy our fuss-free guide to the best bathroom sinks and vanities - after all, the bathroom should be a space for serene solitude, not stress!
Jerome Galland1/37The ultra-romantic bathroom in this Normandy house by Laura Gonzalez features an oak vanity with a striking green marble top, which is continued onto the rim of the bath and on a wall ledge. The green tiles (in the same colour but different material) wrap the entire room, creating a dramatic effect. The storage in the vanity means the remaining surface area can be used for Laura's collection of beautiful things.
James McDonald2/37The sink in this unusual London mews house is the ‘Marble Rose Aura’ twin basins made by Stone Fashion London Ltd with a skirt in a voile fabric by Simon Playle. The contrast between the vast slab of dramatic marble and the delicate, flouncy skirt creates a very successful and theatrical effect, which is picked up in the mirror, which was designed by Charlotte Crosland Interiors and made by Nick Hilliard of Redhouse Forge.
Lucas Allen3/37Edward Bulmer's Herefordshire house features a striking marble sink, whose material stretches up onto the wall to create an almost ‘splash back’ effect. This is not only a useful protection for the walls, but a neat way of continuing the material and drawing attention to the antique sink. The two antique shelves hold knick knacks and serve as a loo roll holder, whilst a wooden cabinet lends extra storage which you miss when you have having no fitted cabinetry around a sink.
DAVIDE LOVATTI4/37This 16th-century Italian house, restored to a glorious state by Maria Speake of Retrouvius, is the perfect canvas for beautiful antique finds. Pictured here, arched doors open onto a bathroom, with an unusual antique washstand from Retrouvius as the central focus.
Astrid Templier5/37“The master bathroom was really fun to design because I’ve always wanted to do an antique chest restyled as a vanity unit” says Pandora, of this grand vanity in her Herne Hill project. “And this was the perfect space for it. The piece adds to the old country house feel, as do the valance curtains and traditional sanitaryware." The wall lights are ‘Seaton Storm’ lights from Vaughan.
Owen Gale6/37In between two tiled ‘sheds’ which house the shower and loo in Angus and Charlotte's north-west London home, sits a stunning reclaimed double sink, standing against a half-wall of Calacatta Viola marble. In the mirror you can see a model ship on the chimneypiece; this is an antique Victorian pond yacht that Charlotte gave Angus for a birthday, and he re-rigged the sails in Buchanan Studio's Ticking Rose linen.
Owen Gale7/37A very different energy was captured for the children's bathroom of the same house by Buchanan Studio. The pink and yellow tiles are from Topps Tiles, while the pink sink, bath and loo are from the Bold Bathroom Company; playful and lively, the colourful sink is evocative of the retro 1970s bathroom suites.
Milo Brown8/37In this space designed by Lonika Chande, the bath is an under-mounted bath, which “feels luxurious, but the shelf space means there's a place for candles and toiletries and nothing feels shoehorned in,” says Lonika. The bathroom cabinet is painted in ‘Drummond’ by Little Greene. The marble has a bullnose detail, which complements the bath fittings from Drummonds. Lonika added a shelf above the upstand so there was still plenty of ledge space with the double sinks.
9/37In the bathroom in fashion designer Morgane Sézalory's Paris apartment, a brass-framed vintage mirror, matching sconces, and a ceramic table lamp from Les Composantes dominate the otherwise minimal primary bathroom.
Chris Horwood10/37In the guest bathroom in an apartment in Mayfair, the cream-coloured sink is a gentle addition to the small space, which works well with the patterned fabric wall covering from Antoinette Poisson. Interestingly, the vanity does not go wall-to-wall, instead standing as a separate unit in the small wall indent, which helps to ground the sink and vanity and make the entire guest bathroom feel special.
Paul Massey11/37Interior designer Octavia Dickinson has put together an appealing blend of antique finds, favourite fabrics and bespoke pieces to create a comfortable, colourful home for her family in south London. Octavia designed the vanity unit, which has fabric panels made from Bennison’s ‘Petites Fleurs’. “I used slate around the vanity unit and bath to take the edge off of the prettiness,” she explains.
Boz Gagovski12/37The interior designer Lucy Mayers has wrought an impressive transformation on her tiny Kensington flat, taking it from boring ‘standard student rental fare’ to a space full of personality and packed with surprises. The narrow vanity in the bathroom is an old sewing table bought at Criterion Auctions as a bedside table, but Lucy adapted it into a vanity by adding a brass top and a marble bowl from Ebay.
Richard Powers13/37The bathroom at a divine Provençal house by Andrzej Zarzycki is clad in woods of various warm tones, including oak by the vanity area, fumed oak on the floors and oiled teak on the William Garvey bath.
Tim Beddow14/37The bathroom in Sarah Vanrenen's home does not appear as a traditional bathroom, between the drapery, the armchair and, especially, the conversion of a walnut commode into a proper and expansive marble-topped vanity.
15/37In Gabby Deeming's pretty Bloomsbury flat, the blue patterned vanity stands out against the floral wallpaper and the green panelled bathtub to its right, making for an interesting – and lovely – vanity with a flair for fun.
Alexander James16/37The bathroom in a London house by Studio Peake features a larger, more modern farmhouse sink, despite the rest of the bathrooms firmly country aesthetic. The overhang, too, instead of a smaller sink or a built-out vanity, actually helps to make the small bathroom seem larger, the perfect solution for those in need of a larger sink but without the proper space for one.
Simon Brown17/37A ‘loo to remember’ was the idea with the guest bathroom of this house by Salvesen Graham. DeGournay's ‘Magical Mengagerie’ wallpaper, featuring polar bears and tigers, covers the walls, with the ceiling painted to match in Farrow and Ball's Oval Room Blue. The washstand, from Balineum, is simple yet elegant, helping to further emphasise the bold wallpaper choice.
Owen Gale18/37In a bathroom at Pembroke Lodge, the Delft tile backsplash elevate the otherwise standard bathroom set-up – and match the checkered drapery to their left.
Paul Massey19/37To create a colourful, dramatic bathroom, Rosi de Ruig lined her loo in Ottline's ‘Pillars’ wallpaper, added a bright pink striped skirt to the sink basin and, for an intriguing backsplash, vintage tiles from Palermo, Sicily.
Christopher Horwood20/37In her rented flat, Sally Wilkinson has added a skirt around the basin, a simple decoration fix to add flair to an ordinary bathroom feature.
Ollie Tomlinson21/37In the bathroom of a Regency house in Marylebone, the vanity is custom made by Paragon Stone. The stone surrounds the entire vanity, a unique touch which works well with the other white and off-white colours in the bathroom and helps to highlight the evergreen coloured drawers.
Mark Anthony Fox22/37The vanity and sink in the bathroom of a contemporary Cornish cottage with spectacular views of the sea are the perfect old- and modern-world contrasts. The vanity is a repurposed vintage Hungarian table, which helps to highlight the modern basin sink.
Dean Hearne23/37A small bathroom on the first floor of this charming, colourful seaside house in Deal has been enlivened with Little Greene's ‘Orange Aurora’ paint, while an Ottoline fabric creates a skirt for the vanity, which makes for a fun and frilly addition to the otherwise cubic space.
Mark Fox24/37The wallpaper in the main bathroom in Katie Glaister's London house is Busted’ by Work & Sea. “I love the art and the depth of this paper and have surprised myself by finding it incredibly peaceful,” says Katie. The vanity was a serendipitous find at Sunbury Antiques market, modified with marble from Mander and Germain by her contractor D3Lux – the perfect antique addition with modern updates.
Paul Massey25/37The owners of this Thirties Georgian-style house were keen to give it an established look while avoiding any stuffiness. So they asked designer Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay to conjure distinctive interiors full of idiosyncratic details. In the main bathroom, the marble surrounds of the sink match those on the bath, which creates a cohesive scheme. The wall-covering mirrors make the space seem larger than it is, too.
Alexander James26/37Following the client's brief for something ‘really quite graphic and black and white,' Studio Peake created this thoroughly modern bathroom in this pied-à-terre in Notting Hill. Designed to contrast the ‘country’ bathrooms in the client's house, the stone is from Stone Age, the Basin Taps are from Porter Bathrooms and the wall lights are from Waterworks, which, all together, make for a sleek and airy bathroom.
Paul Massey27/37A well proportioned London flat was the ideal setting for interior designer Emma Grant’s trove of eclectic finds, with each piece shaping her vision for the space. In the bathroom, the pretty scalloped sink was carved from a single block of marble.
Simon Brown28/37A twin washstand designed by Rose Uniacke stands in the main bathroom of an airy Kensington flat. The walls are covered with tadelakt plaster, while the walk-in shower has a projecting marble base.
Romain Ricard29/37In this Victorian house in London, Maria Speake – House & Garden’s Interior Designer of the Year – has cleverly reorganised the layout and made inventive use of the salvaged materials for which her company Retrouvius is known. An ‘SS41’ Thonet chair covered in jumbo cream corduroy softens the effect of pale reclaimed and new marble in the main bathroom; the ‘Carlton’ double basin unit is from Aston Matthews.
30/37Sandberg’s leafy ‘Raphaël’ wallpaper offers a charming backdrop for antique prints and a salvaged oak washstand in this bathroom designed by antiques dealer Jack Laver Brister. Bear in mind that if you are using wallpaper, the space will need to be well ventilated.
Alexander James31/37The owners of this newbuild Bahamas beach house turned to trusted interior designer John McCall to provide their house with a British sensibility, practical furnishings and interiors that were not 'too beachy'. In this bathroom, white wall panelling is covered in framed prints of various fish, offering a seaside theme that isn't overbearing. The vanity unit is white and functional, with plenty of shelves for storage space, while the ornate mirror above adds elegance to the space.
32/37A vanity unit with an eye-catching skirt made from Beata Heuman’s cotton-mix ‘Marbleized Velvet’, white honed marble surfaces, pink walls and shell-style wall lights have been combined in this loo by the designer to create a decorated and feminine feel.
Lucas Allen33/37This powder room at Mount Algidus has a luxuriously French feel to it. The wallpaper, from Brunschwig & Fils, covers the walls like the inside of a jewelry box. The antique style vanity sits triumphantly at the centre of the scheme, flagged by gilt accessories and pretty picture frames.
Paul Massey34/37This bathroom in architect Johnny Holland's Richmond mansion flat is simple yet luxurious. The Carrara-marble-clad double vanity unit has contrasting brass fixtures from Barber Wilsons. The walls have been painted a deep blue-black. This unusual colour - which happens to reflects the natural light beautifully - highlights the beauty of the white marble vanity.
Rachael Smith35/37Interior designer Louisa Jones has injected a sense of fun into her west London bathroom. A high gloss jade green vanity sits wittily against floral wallpaper - 'Botanical Tulips' by Twigs, available from Simon Playle - and below a kitsch bamboo edged mirror. The effect is pretty and fun: this vanity is anything but vain!
Davide Lovatti36/37A simple white bathroom in Christine Van Der Hurd's London house is livened up with a colourful rug.
Lucas Allen37/37Suzy Hoodless, known for her mild eclecticism and smart monochrome backgrounds, designed this bold patterned bathroom. The geometric tiles create a sense of division and space, and also act as the perfect stage for the reclaimed wash stand with brass taps.
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