When you think of your ensuite vanity — wait, you probably don’t think too much of your ensuite vanity. This functional piece of furniture in your personal bathroom might simply be a place to put your toothbrush, but it can be so much more. Outside of possibly your spectacular shower, your vanity is truly the focal point of the room, and as such, it can be much more than a surface for your toiletries. Using your ensuite vanity can be the best part of your day if done correctly.

Dual Sinks

Let’s face it: today’s new homes should really have two sinks in the ensuite. Most households are two-income families now, and that means two people are getting ready for work in the morning at the same time. Anyone who has shared a single sink will know this is virtually impossible to handle with grace and poise, and a stressful fight for bathroom space is not a positive way to start the day.

Cabinetry

The cabinetry that serves as your vanity holds incredible potential to be so many things. Does your home have a more modern design? Consider using two separate units altogether to host each sink. Another modern look idea is floating cabinets with no legs, as though suspended mid-wall.

If your home has a more traditional, or even Victorian look to it, considering using an antique chest of drawers customized to act as your vanity cabinet. This look is greatly elegant and warming to the space. Replace the top with glass, granite, or even marble to complete the look and to increase the durability of the piece against water splashes.

Your vanity cabinet can also be one vast, built-in custom feature that you might replicate from your kitchen design. Varying drawers and cabinet doors, capped by a gorgeous slab of granite, with framed-in tall cabinets on either side or between the dual sinks, and a stunning crown at the ceiling can complete the built-in look.

Lighting

Wall sconces surrounding your mirrors can be the right amount of light in the right place in your ensuite. Wall sconces are generally a classic or traditional design, but today’s lighting designs can be crafted to a modern scheme.

Eyeball or pot lights can be incorporated into your vanity design as well. If you have a built-in cabinet feature, a bulkhead over your mirrors can be a beautiful added feature containing well-placed eyeball lights for additional brightness if needed.

Storage

To keep your ensuite looking like a show home, you’ll need to find neat, tucked away places for all of your everyday items. The last thing you want in your beautiful bathroom is for dozens of bottles to be standing on the counter next to hairbrushes, curling irons, and other grooming tools. When designing your vanity, consider how much and what type of storage space you’ll need.

Do you prefer to keep your bottles standing up, but would like them at a comfortable height? Build a cabinet on top of your vanity countertop or alongside your vanity with high shelves to accommodate convenient storage for hairsprays and such.

What about keeping your makeup organized? Build in plenty of shallow drawers with custom dividers to make finding that one colour of eyeshadow a simple task. Grooming tool drawers can also be a very functional option to add in a handy location.

Layout

Most often we see vanities as one general space in your ensuite, but what if you created separate spaces for two? If your ensuite has enough space, why not create a back-to-back design with cabinetry, mirrors, sinks, and lighting each on opposite sides of a wall, maybe perhaps with a walk-in closet in between. This ensures each person has plenty of elbow room, a bit of privacy, and no one is stepping over one another.

When you customize your ensuite vanity, there are no limits to how you can create the ideal morning or nightly routine. Think about your current struggles within your ensuite — let’s see what we can create to elevate this part of your day.

For more ensuite inspiration, check out the design ideas in our post Creative Customization: Ensuites.