James Martin Furniture is one of the top manufacturers of luxurious, high-quality bathroom vanities, and their collection is always expanding and changing to keep up with the latest design trends. Sometimes those changes are small, like adding a new finish color to their existing bathroom vanities, and sometimes larger, like adding full new design sets to their existing lineup. This season, James Martin has done both, sprucing up some of their most popular vanities with finishes in a few of this season’s trendiest colors, and adding an entirely new collection that’s perfectly in line with the increasingly popular casual-but-elegant transitional style.
The color gray has been a runaway hit in the design world this year. It’s showing up everywhere, from wall paint to upholstery to cabinetry, in no small part because it has that middle-of-the-line, transitional feel that’s so desirable right now. Many of James Martin’s existing bathroom vanities are already available in gray, but until now their Providence, Savannah, and Brookfield collections were notable exceptions. This is a big change for the Brookfield collection in particular, which has a much more traditional feel than most of James Martin’s vanities. The addition of a gray finish to the collection, which previously emphasized medium to dark wood tones, makes the streamlined traditional design a better fit for a contemporary space.
Similarly, both the Providence and Savannah collections previously focused on natural and weathered wood finishes to create a relaxed, spa-like or beach-inspired look. Both finishes had a fairly rustic, unfinished look and feel, but the new gray finish makes the vanities feel much cleaner and more polished. While the change in color makes the Brookfield vanities feel a bit more casual, it makes the Providence and Savannah vanities feel a bit more sophisticated and elegant, smoothing out the rough edges and creating a look that’s posh rather than windswept.
All three collections have also had their cottage white finishes resurrected. This barely off-white color was briefly discontinued when the company streamlined their manufacturing process a year ago, but popular demand has brought it back. White is a perennial favorite and iconic of the cottage style for which it’s named, and this seemingly-simple finish gives the vanities in all three collections a classic, homey sense of elegance that’s perfect for a relaxed, casual bathroom style.
The biggest change in James Martin’s lineup this year, though, is the addition of the Brittany collection, which includes both single and double vanities in a variety of sizes, as well as mirrors designed to match both the style and the sizes of the various vanities. The Brittany collection draws inspiration from Shaker style cabinetry, with the classic simple, squared flat panel cabinet doors and drawer fronts that are so popular this year. Combining very basic, minimalist lines with a subtly old fashioned feel, Shaker style cabinets are the poster child of a transitional style, and the Brittany Collection elaborates on this basic design, incorporating decorative feet and subtle detailing for a look that’s a perfect balance between casual and elegant.
The vanities from the Brittany collection aren’t the only ones in James Martin’s line that feature Shaker style cabinet doors, but they have a very distinctly different feel from the other transitional designs. The Urban South Hampton and Madison collections are both open shelf vanities and have a distinctly beachy or spa-like style that emphasizes open space as much as simplicity of design. The Brittany collection, on the other hand, has a solid body with full sized cabinets, and the little bit of lift it gets from the feet serves to underscore the more traditional aspects of the design, contrary to the contemporary spa style.
The Urban North Hampton collection also has Shaker style cabinet doors, and like the Brittany collection it features delicately tapered feet. But the doors and drawer fronts on the Urban collection are subtly more intricate and complex, with an extra cross bar bisecting the door panels and subtly curved details that give the vanity a slightly Asian-inspired look and feel. The vanities from the Brittany collection are simple and square, with faux drawer panels above the cabinets and smaller, simpler cabinet doors for a more streamlined, traditional feel that’s a little less busy looking.
If you’re in the market for a new bathroom vanity, James Martin’s newly expanded collection is a great place to start looking for the hottest trends of the season.
