Good bathroom design is founded on three key areas (shower, vanity, and light). French Philosopher Blaise Pascal has been quoted as saying “Vanity is but the surface”. But a Frenchman should know better than to ignore the importance of a well-designed surface. And his wife probably disagreed with him anyway.

When you start to build a new home, you start looking at vanity units in a different way because you have to make a decision and there was no “how to choose the best vanity for the bathroom” class at school. In fact, some people don’t even connect the word “vanity” with the unit that holds the basin in their bathroom (Pascal might be one of those people). But the vanity unit is more than just a basin to wash your hands. The best vanity design becomes a stylish piece of furniture that goes far beyond the traditional basin pedestal – creating additional storage as well a sense of style.

The White Sierra basin brings a touch of class to the main bathroom in Esprit Construction’s new display home. At the basin outside the main toilet, it’s baby brother, the Mini Sierra keeps the stylish theme.

Even the basics of holding up a washbasin can be achieved in lots of ways. The basin can be fully recessed, partly recessed or not recessed at all – just sitting on the countertop, which is popular in 2020. Sometimes, the basin can cover the top of the entire vanity unit.

The main bathroom in Esprit Construction’s new display creates a spacious feel with neutral colours and white free-standing bath and white Sierra basin.

6 top vanity trends for 2020

The single biggest trend for vanities in 2020 in minimalist. But minimalism is a trend that has been with us a long time – it just varies in extent. Then there are some material trends and, again, they are trends that never seem to go away. Marble and wood come and go. But even when they are not the hottest thing in town, they are still popular and hold their style. Marble, perhaps because of the expense and statement of luxury never seems to date – in the vanity or in the kitchen. Wood, on the other hand, is more a matter of taste and highly dependent on the rest of the new home’s interior design.

Minimalist
Floating
Open shelf
Marble
Wood
Industrial

Tips for choosing the right vanity

Below are some tips to help you choose the right vanity for your new home – a few points to consider.

Neutral colours

Neutral colours, such as white, ebony and grey, ensure your vanity will go with all bathroom styles. Neutral also opens the door to more potential buyers if you ever want to sell your new home. White is the most common colour because it makes the space look bigger. If you are working with a small bathroom area, and most of us do, then you want to make good use of mirrors and the colour white. If you don’t want to go down the path of basic white, then cool colours like silver and grey can add a sense of style while beige and gold can add a warmer feel to the bathroom.

Mackay’s climate suits open shelving

Mackay’s tropical climate means we constantly have to be aware of the dreaded heat/moisture combination. Getting anything to dry out during the wet season is a challenge – especially in a bathroom where we regularly flood the air with steam. Open-style shelving eases that pressure as well as making the bathroom look more open and more like a day spa. It’s more friendly and inviting – “like a towel – just take one”. If you do want to keep doors closed to keep clutter from view, one popular solution is to put an open shelf at the bottom of the vanity. This also makes it easier to see and to access.

Esprit’s Panama 275 display home adds style to the ensuite with the Arlo vessel basin mixer.

Open bottom and floating vanities

Create the feel of a more open bathroom with a vanity that is open at the bottom or floating. It not only makes the space look larger but also makes the room feel less cluttered and adds to a “minimalist” style. Floating vanities can have their height adjusted and what was once a popular trend in restaurants is now starting to find its way into new homes.

Making the most of natural light in the bathroom has always been a challenge when building a new home in Mackay. Bathrooms, ensuites, and wet areas are commonly dark so getting natural light and ventilation is difficult. Most of us who live in the Mackay or anywhere in a tropical climate would know, from experience, what happens to dark rooms where there are lots of moisture.

The Design Challenge for the Bathroom

Two of the big hurdles to overcome in the bathroom design are lack of space to put a window and privacy. An easy solution to the second problem is to use frosted glass, which still lets a lot of light into the bathroom but still affords privacy. Overcoming the first hurdle is not as easy because while bathrooms tend to be small (no one wants to devote a lot of their under-roof space in the bathroom), there is a lot to pack in there. Bathrooms need to have a shower and that can take up a lot of wall space. There also needs to be vanity and today’s homes often include a double vanity because married couples want to stay married. There also needs to be some cupboard space and a large mirror. To compound the wall space even further, the wet towels have to go somewhere because, as the men in those married couples are often cold, wet towels don’t belong on the floor. They need to be spread out to allow them to dry. And don’t forget there needs to a door in one of those walls!

Bathroom Design Solution

Esprit Constructions has solved these hurdles with an innovative bathroom design that has proven to be a hit with visitors during the first week of opening at their new Mackay display home at Richmond Hills. Their Panama home design incorporates a “vanity window”, which runs horizontally between the vanity and the chrome framed mirror. This window allows the natural light in and, with the simple addition of a screen from the local nursery and some small succulent plants, it also affords privacy. As a bonus, your garden design gets a head start with your very own private vertical garden greeting you every morning.

The vanity in Esprit’s new Mackay display home, the Panama 275, has a Smartstone stone benchtop (part of Esprit’s Luxury inclusions list). The vanity bowl is a 600mm offset Positano. Adding to the bathroom design is the offset pendant light, which was sourced from Beacon Lights. And finishing the look is the timber-patterned Laminex door fronts, which are popular with interior design at the moment.

Innovative home design

With this new bathroom design feature, Esprit Constructions have proven, once again, they are the innovators, not the imitators. The new Mackay display home features a number of innovative home designs that are best seen in person, so call to book an inspection time. The display is open from 10am to 4pm daily in Grangewood Avenue, Richmond Hills.

Best Bathroom Vanity Trends for 2020