How to Choose a Vessel Sink Vanity

Bathroom builders vessel sink vanities are so popular now that you can buy one at Walmart. In fact, you can buy eight different vessel sink vanities from Walmart online, though there are better places to shop. Here are some things to consider before you actually buy one.

These vanities usually have a stone top and glass, marble, stone, copper, bronze or other metal for the vessel sink. The vessel sink itself can be high and deep, almost like a cup shape, or much shallower and wider. Copper vessel sinks look nice with stone, but if you have one of the more ornately designed sinks (the ones that look more country-kitchen than ultra modern), tile is a workable choice. Black marble looks especially nice with the more modern design copper vessel sinks. Glass, even cloudy green glass, sounds great, but the final result looks weird — it is too easy to see glue, or some other telltale sign of construction through the glass. If you are totally in love with the glass-look, make the most of it in glass tiles for the wall. Copper and green glass do look good, but the finished effect should not show anything unsightly.

For practical use, you want the rim of the vessel sink to go up at least six inches to prevent too much splashing, and the bowl part of the vessel should be at least 15 inches wide. There are also vessel sinks that are square, and are set more deeply into the vanities, which makes them feel a bit more like standard sinks and may make some users more comfortable with them.

Finally, do not install the faucet for the sink too high, or you will get water splashing over the vessel, on to the vanity and then on to the floor. That’s a little bit more of a fountain effect than any of us wanted, I think.

You can get vessel sink vanities as small as two feet wide. Walmart’s cute Pegasus 24” Cherry Round Vanity with Deck Renovation Brisbane Vitreous China Vessel Sink is $431 right now. Shipping will cost you an extra $120. For extremely small spaces, the design rule is to have any “furniture” (your vanity qualifies as furniture) be see through. In other words, no enclosed drawers. That may be the rule, but in practical terms, you need a place to store toilet paper and other bathroom essentials, and it is neater to close them in behind cabinet drawers. Consider your space either way — both with an enclosed cabinet below the sink platform, or open and without the doors.

I have not found anything smaller than 24 inches for a vessel sink vanity. If your space can not handle even 24 inches, consider a sink stand or even a hanging sink. Vessel sink stands are usually metal. They look a bit like glorified plant stands, but some designs are interesting. Hanging sinks are attached to the wall, and have nothing below them at all… kind of like public bathrooms, but much, much nicer. They are ideal for really tiny bathrooms that make people feel like they can barely turn around.

Most vanities are 30 to 36 inches wide. Some double units are 60 inches across. Check out Signature Hardware (lots of rustic looks, good for country houses) and Home Decorators Collection (23 choices, more modern looking… suitable for a city apartment). Lowes has a good selection too, and you should take a trip there or to some other local retailer before you buy one of these sinks online… it is always best to “meet” an item like this in person before you buy it.