Vanities are the default option for most bathrooms; they work well with a wide variety of spaces, and have convenient built-in storage, so most bathrooms have one. But that means that installing something different, like a wall mounted sink, is almost always an intentional choice – a swap that’s made either for the sake of functionality or style. Despite the fact that they’re less common, though, wall mounted sinks can actually be a great choice for a bathroom, especially if you’re trying to pull off a specific look.
Small Bathroom
Wall mounted sinks are most commonly used in smaller spaces. After all, one of their biggest advantages is that they can be significantly smaller than even the most compact bathroom vanities. Though opting for a sink rather than a vanity means giving up cabinet storage, the sheer difference in the amount of space they take up can make the swap worthwhile, and often frees up space for more customizable storage options elsewhere in the bathroom. More significantly, a very small wall mounted sink can make it possible to squeeze a bathroom into a space that would be too small or oddly shaped to accommodate a full sized vanity. They’re also an especially good choice for a small guest bathroom.
Kid’s Bathroom
Wall mounted sinks are also a surprisingly practical option for a kid’s bathroom. Unlike a solid vanity, wall mounted sinks have space underneath where you can put a step stool, making it possible for small children to use a grown-up sized sink. This also saves you from having to child-proof your bathroom cabinets; installing wall storage rather than having a floor-mounted cabinet will keep cleaning products and the like safely out of reach of children. Trough-style wall mounted sinks are especially nice for families with multiple small children but not quite enough bathroom space, since they make it possible for more than one person to use the sink at the same time.
Modern Bathroom
Wall mounted sinks can also be a great stylistic choice, and nowhere is this more evident than in a modern bathroom. Having modular or floating elements is a pretty common feature of modern design, and wall mounted sinks do this incredibly well – even better than wall mounted vanities. They’re simple, spare, slightly glossy, and have all clean, elegant lines while leaving plenty of white space. A simple flat rectangular sink can be striking in its simplicity, but there are also lots of much more avant garde, sculptural wall mounted sinks out there that are fantastic for turning a functional piece into an artistic statement.
Minimalist
Simple, small wall mounted sinks, though, are great for a minimalistic design. Though it’s probably a bit too sterile for some, I love the bathroom design above, with its breathtaking layers of white-on-white, ample open space, and generous natural light. The monochromatic decor accentuates the depth, angles, and textures of the various surfaces, which turns the emptiness of the space into a striking feature and makes what’s actually a small and somewhat awkward space feel very large and open. The wall mounted sink is a perfect choice here, too, because it has a simple, geometric shape, a petite profile, and a streamlined, inconspicuous design that keeps the bathroom feeling light and clean.
No Wood
Wall mounted sinks are also nice if you simply don’t want any wood in your bathroom. While there are vanities out there that aren’t made of wood (painted or otherwise), they’re rare, and the number of available finishes is vastly more limited than it is for paint or tile. So if you really want to establish a cohesive color scheme throughout your bathroom, nixing the vanity and replacing it with a simple white sink is an easy way to do it. Since most basic toilets and bathtubs also come in white, this also affords an easy sense of coordination; as long as you can get your floor and walls to match, the big fixtures will go together automatically.
High Contrast
You can also use the fact that wall mounted sinks are naturally coordinated with your other fixtures to create a very dramatic, high-contrast design. In the bathroom above, the red mosaic accent wall stands out strikingly, a sharp contrast against the matching white porcelain of the sink and toilet, and the intentional stark whiteness of the rest of the room. The red of the wall accentuates the shape of the toilet, sink, lighting fixtures, mirror, and accents, while the white “frame” of the surrounding wall, floor, and ceiling makes this relatively dark and muted shade of red absolutely pop.
Wall mounted sinks may not be the default option for a bathroom, all that means is they can be strategically used to create totally unique and stunning styles that you simply can’t get with a traditional bathroom vanity. But what do you think of wall mounted sinks? Are you more interested in their style, convenience, or functionality? Let me know in the comments below!
