Small Vanity Unit

Often overlooked, a small vanity unit can unlock the potential in a small bathroom or downstairs toilet.

I discovered this in a friend’s house - a friend with an astonishing ability to furnish and decorate rooms exquisitely. She used vanity units to free up a lot of space. The key was their size.

When I came to decorate my home, this same friend suggested slim units that hugged the wall. Until then, I hadn’t realised her vanity units were at all different. I just thought she had lovely, roomy bathrooms. These bathroom cabinets with sinks attached, which don’t project too far into the room, are a practical, creative and stylish way to gain storage in your bathroom, ensuite or downstairs toilet.

Here are eight I found that look good and have different things to offer ...

High Gloss Mayford Tiny Bathroom Vanity with Sink

This Mayford is a sturdy, up-to-date vanity cabinet that will fit the smallest of rooms. It only extends about 8 inches from the wall, and its white, glossy finish reflects the light - giving the room an airy feel. It has one shelf, and therefore two storage areas, which are great for stowing away essentials like spare loo rolls, spare soap and even a discrete bottle of air freshener. The soft close door is an unexpected surprise - it feels quite luxurious. “Soft close” means the door finishes closing really gently and quietly. There are no annoying BANGs!! Also, little fingers and pets won’t get caught.

The sink is ceramic, which adds to the sense of quality, and is just generous enough to wash hands in, comfortably. However, the sink does jut out further than the cabinet, by about 3½ inches.

Things to note:
1)  You will need to cut out part of the back of this unit to fit over skirting boards and pipes.
2)  It doesn’t come with a tap. You need to buy that separately.

VeeBath Wall Hung Vanity Units for a small bathroom

Seriously gorgeous. This elegant, streamlined VeeBath unit looks like it belongs in an opulent spa. It’s sturdy and you just want to keep running your fingers over the sumptuous ceramic sink and glossy sides. The door swings down so there is a lot of space for the waste pipe and spare toiletries. It comes with a  soft close door which means the closing is slowed right down at the end, and the door eases itself shut. So, no noisy slamming, nor little fingers getting trapped.

Do consider, though:
1)  It does extend out a little over 15 inches.
2)  It comes in different widths so you can have this 600mm (23½ inch) one in the downstairs toilet, and the 700 (27½ inch)  or 800mm (31½ inch)  one in the main bathroom.
3)  It doesn’t come with a tap. You need to buy that separately.

Compact Oak Finish Vanity with Tiny Bathroom Sink

This hard-wearing Oak Finish unit is an exciting find. It extends 8 inches from the wall, it has the more unusual wood effect and comes with a smart, contemporary rectangular ceramic sink. You can attach the sink either way so the tap can face the way you need it to. The door can also be attached so it opens either way, giving you a lot of flexibility. Although it’s slim, the door handle, which is made of chrome, feels substantial - like heavy cutlery feels, compared to flimsy throw-away party cutlery.

It is worth noting that the sink is lipped – it is raised around the edge like a tray. The really useful thing about this lipped design is the fact that it prevents water from sloshing unto the floor. Also, unusually for this size of sink, there is an overflow which helps water in the sink to drain faster.

Please note:
1)  You will need to cut out part of the bottom of this unit to fit over skirting boards and pipes.
2)  It doesn’t come with a tap. You need to buy that separately.

Anthracite Square Basin Bathroom Furniture Cloakroom Compact Vanity Unit

This gleaming, dark charcoal grey, narrow unit with modern D-bar chrome handles looks exceedingly stylish. It extends a little under 10 inches from the wall, and is topped with an up-to-date white rectangular sink. Although the sink is not ceramic, it feels silky like ceramic; it’s made with thick resin which is a dense, compact, resilient plastic. It feels like a polished stone-effect kitchen work surface. With this unit, you can fit the sink either way, so your tap can sit on the left or the right of the unit. The 2 doors are fitted with a soft close mechanism so they shut quietly and are safe for pets and human fingers.

Please note:
1)  This does come with a tap – the York Mini Basin Mixer Tap Including Click Clack UnSlotted Waste. The tap knob pivots to turn on and off, and change the temperature of the water.       
2)  Click Clack is a plug system which you press to open and shut, so there’s no need for a chain or an untethered plug that can travel around and eventually get lost.

Clickbasin Solid Wenge Vanities for Small Bathrooms

This Clickbasin vanity unit combines striking dark espresso looks with functionality.
It is described as Solid Wenge, but it is actually solid oak stained to look like rich African wenge wood. If it were solid wenge, the price would be significantly more. However, the staining has been well done – the unit is eye-catching, and the cabinet contrasts with the white ceramic sink in a dramatic and thoroughly contemporary way.

Standing a shade over 19½ inches from the wall, this is the deepest unit we’ve examined here. It is about 23½ inches wide, so you need to factor that in.

Things to note:
1)  This vanity comes already assembled - great news for those, like me, who find flat pack furniture, at best, challenging.
2)  You have more choice when deciding where to fit this unit because the cabinet gets to you undrilled. So this unit can be tailored to fit your taps and pipes in the specific way you need it to.
3)  The vessel sink is ceramic – it feels and looks lush.
4)  It comes with an elegant tap.

Trapani Glass Sinks with Wooden Pedestal Stands for Bijou Bathrooms

Talk about WOW factor. This would look perfectly at home in a modern, up-to-the-minute room. You know, it would not look out of place on a Star Trek set (for me personally, that is a mega huge tick). This Trapani vanity unit extends just over 19½ inches from the wall. The sink is made from 12mm (about ½inch) thick toughened safety glass and comes with a tall mixer tap which is attached to the wooden surface. Its spout points at a slight angle so the water is not directed straight down. This reduces a lot of splashing.

Some things to think about:
1)  The safety glass the sink is made from is about five times stronger than ordinary glass of the same thickness, which would make it as rugged as a ceramic sink, if not more so.
2)  Also, should something catastrophic happen to cause the sink to break, it will crumble into small smooth-edged chunks instead of splintering into jagged shards. These smooth-edged pieces of glass are much less likely to cause injury.
3)  Cleaning. Because the sink is glass, fingerprints and waterspots will show. There is a simple solution – microfibre cloths. They are now inexpensive and come in lovely colours. You could have a nicely folded stack on one the shelves, and give the sink a quick wipe as needed.

Banjado  Bathroom Under-Sink Cabinet – With Fish Design

Now for something completely different. Striking and beautiful, this Banjado cabinet gives extra storage if you don’t have the space for a stand-alone unit. It’s a cabinet with a piece taken out of the top and back so that you can slide it in to fit under a sink. Once fitted, it extends just over 13½inches away from the wall. The picture on the doors is very high quality and feels like it has a satin finish, not glossy, and so it easy to wipe clean.

Please note:
1)  Because of the way it is shaped, it is designed for basin sinks with pipes that come out of the wall. If your pipes come out of the ground (pedestal), you would have to cut a piece out of the bottom to make it fit.
2)  If you don’t already have a sink, you’ll need to buy one.

Emperor Bathroom Combination Vanity Units with Toilet

Here is another way to maximise space in a small bathroom or toilet – with a combination vanity and WC unit. As it conceals  the cistern and pipework, this all-in-one toilet, sink and storage unit provides the furniture needed while looking sleek and surprisingly un-squashed. When you have sharp corners in small spaces, people are likely to bump into the corners and hurt themselves. Therefore, the rounded cupboard is a well thought out  and good-looking design element. The rounded cupboard extends just over 18 inches from the wall. The toilet extends 33½ inches.

Please note:
1)  The flush can be fitted on either side.
2)   Cleaning. Because the sink is black glass, fingerprints, dust and waterspots will show. You can use microfibre cloths to give the sink a quick wipe as needed. A wipe really is all you need - these cloths are pretty stunning, but you do need to keep on top of it.
3)  I would have expected an easy way to access the pipes. There isn’t one. So carrying out repairs would be less than straightforward.
4) It does not come with a tap – you need to get one.

I hope you have found this helpful in comparing the smallest vanity units. I found it very helpful to cut pieces of paper to the sizes of the units I was considering, and placing them on the floor to get a sense of how they would fit in my home. You might find that helpful too. Please click on any images to find out more. Happy hunting.