If you’ve spent any time at all shopping around for a new bathroom vanity, chances are you’ve noticed that, within a few sweeping style categories, they all start to look a little bit alike. After all, standalone bathroom vanities are intended to replace built-in bathroom cabinetry, and many of them tend to be a little on the rectangular side. But especially if you aren’t going to go all out with a designer freestanding tub, custom tiled shower, and expensive decorative flooring, your bathroom vanity is prime real estate to add a little style and flair to your bathroom. So, if you want something beyond the boring rectangle, here are a few ways to get the style you crave – even if your bathroom vanity is your only major splurge.
Shape
Maybe the most obvious way to stand out in a room of rectangular bathroom vanities is to opt for something that’s simply shaped differently. For an antique style, that can mean opting for something svelte and leggy, raised up off the floor like a table rather than sitting squat on the floor like a cabinet. For a more modern aesthetic, that means looking for something a little out of the ordinary, like this Colorado vanity, which adds a little classic curve to the simple modern design – just enough to draw the eye and give it a little extra shape and style.
Material
The vast majority of bathroom vanities are made out of wood in one form or another (hardwood, mdf, plywood, etc.). That’s bad news for variety, but great news for you because a bathroom vanity made of basically any other material becomes a showstopper almost by default. Granted, practically speaking your options are more or less limited to metal, glass, ceramic, or tile, but even just that can get you a long way, and any of the above combined artistically with a partly-wood vanity can go a long way too. From wood bathroom vanities with architectural wrought iron detailing to something like this stunning, rustic, copper bathroom vanity, adding an unexpected material is a great way to get a unique look you’ll love.
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Color
You may also have noticed many bathroom vanities come in a vibrant rainbow of dark brown or black, with a smattering of medium browns and white. This is true across bathroom vanities of every style, period, and design – and it’s why bathroom vanities in any other color are basically the best way to add a big time wow factor to your bathroom. Now, these are a little harder to find, but are definitely worth the effort. If you have any DIY ability, you can even paint and convert an old chest of drawers into a fully functioning vanity in a color of your choosing. I’m personally a fan of red, but teal and turquoise are very in colors as well.
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Decorative Decals
One big trend I’ve been seeing in modern European bathroom design are simple, minimalist bathroom vanities with colorful or patterned decals applied to the surface. These range from simple patterns to totally custom images, and are a great way to dress up a simple modern design. Because the decals are available in a huge range of styles, and often can be used on shower doors or curtains or even your walls, it’s a great, easy way to customize your space.
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Getting Wild
Modern decals are often about sharp, clean lines and photo quality images, but there’s actually a nice middle ground between bright colors and glossy printed images: painted patterns. There’s no better way to draw the eye than with a wild animal print, and something like this cheetah-print vanity is something you definitely won’t find in just your average store. I’ll admit, it can take some guts to pull off a wild animal print, whether it’s zebra stripes or giraffe dots or anywhere in between, but if you want a bathroom vanity that will attract attention, this is definitely the way to get it.
Metallics
Bathroom vanities either made of metal, accented with metal, or finished with a metallic sheen are inherently eye-catching. Whether the surface is shiny steel or something a little more subtle, like this Buchanan vanity, metallic bathroom vanities inherently draw attention, because they have much more shimmer and shine to them than a more conventional paint or wood finish. The more reflective the surface, the “louder” and more attention-grabbing the vanity will be, but even a subtle pewter finish is all a vanity needs to become the focal point of your space.
Texture
Finally, one of my favorite things that makes for a unique bathroom vanity is texture. Now, plenty of vanities have beautiful hand and machine tooled detailing, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about vanities that shirk the traditional smooth surface for something expressly, eye-catchingly tactile. I’m a big fan of this Wave vanity, for example, with it’s ripply, slatted surface, and there are many other similar ones with raised studs, blocks, planks, and so on that turn even the simplest vanity face into a stunning three-dimensional display.
Do you have any great ideas to get a unique bathroom vanity look? Send me your suggestions in the comments!
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