NMMR: Decor help

hoffse · October 2014

H and I have re-worked the order of priority for house projects after living in our new house for a couple of months now. The next item on our agenda is a MM-update to the hall bath. We are planning on re-grouting the the floor tile, re-caulking the bathtub, and then replacing the vanity, mirror, light fixture, and toilet.

The previous owners shoved a 36" vanity and mirror in a space that's really too small, and it's making the entire room look cramped. Plus the vanity is falling apart. We are probably going to replace it with either a very narrow vanity (24" or less) or else a pedestal sink to open the space up visually.

We've come up with short list for the vanity, but I'm stumped on the mirror. What size mirror should we go with? The current mirror is the same width as the vanity and also looks far too big. Do you typically have the vanity/sink be the same size as the mirror or wider? Or can the mirror be slightly wider?

Ideally I would like to go with something that has a bit of a decorative edge, but if we need to stay within the dimensions of the sink/vanity that might make the actual mirror too narrow to be particularly useful. Our favorite pedestal sink is only 21" wide.

TIA

formerlyGDaisy09 · October 2014

our Master bathroom sinks have mirrors that are narrower than the counter...I believe they're actually just as wide as the sink...the counter isn't that much bigger, so the mirror probably has 2-3" on each side.

in our guest bath we have a pedistal sink, the mirror in there is decorative and slightly wider than the sink.

both work. neither mirror is huge. I'll see if I edit with some pics later.

brij2006 · October 2014

Both our double sink vanity and pedestal sink have mirrors that are the width of the sink itself or a tad bit wider. However, they both have decorative frames around them to help tie it into the rest of the room.

I wouldn't do anything much wider than the pedestal sink. You want to tie it in and let them compliment each other, rather than having the mirror dwarf the sink.

Sisugal · October 2014

about the same width of the vanity - but not wider unlelss you are going to extend the mirror across that whole wall.

hoffse · October 2014

Thanks, all - that's what I was thinking.

Now to talk myself out of the $600 mirror options.... sigh.

blondie42107 · October 2014

Our hall bathroom has a pedestal sink. The mirror that hangs above is oval shaped. The widest part of the mirror is about the same width as the sink.

strickland8052 · October 2014

We have a pedestal sink and its mirror is narrower than the sink.

BTW- As someone who deals with a pedestal sink on a day-to-day basis, I'd much rather have a small vanity sink. The pedestal sink is pretty, especially in a small space, but it is just annoying in terms of not having much "counter space".

hoffse · October 2014

strickland8052 said:

We have a pedestal sink and its mirror is narrower than the sink.

BTW- As someone who deals with a pedestal sink on a day-to-day basis, I'd much rather have a small vanity sink. The pedestal sink is pretty, especially in a small space, but it is just annoying in terms of not having much "counter space".

Thanks, we've been debating pedestal vs. small vanity. I'm in favor of vanity, H is in favor of pedestal. It's our guest/hall bath so it won't be used a ton. But I would like to have the additional storage, just in case.

uncreatedsnow · October 2014

I think as long as the mirror itself(without frame) is about the same width of the vanity, then the frame or decorative edge can be a bit wider.

I prefer a pedestal over a vanity, personally, but it really depends on the space and if you need storage.

ETA: In a guest bath, I always prefer a pedestal.

brij2006 · October 2014

If it will be a sink guests would use if they stayed for a night or 2, then I would go with the vanity. If it's just a bathroom to use the toilet in and wash your hands, then I would do pedestal.

als1982 · October 2014

Ugh, I hate our pedestal sink. In addition to the lack of storage, they also get clogged way more quickly than a vanity. We typically have to call a plumber every 2 years - and I have short hair and H is bald!

JoanE2012 · October 2014

als1982 said:

Ugh, I hate our pedestal sink. In addition to the lack of storage, they also get clogged way more quickly than a vanity. We typically have to call a plumber every 2 years - and I have short hair and H is bald!

Is there a reason why a pedestal sink would be more prone to cloggings?

We have a small half bath on the first floor. Previous owners put in a small vanity, however I hate it.....I think the room is too small and feel it would look much better with a pedestal sink. We'll probably hold off on replacing though since we have quite a few other things that are higher up on the list!

als1982 · October 2014

JoanE2012 said:

als1982 said:

Ugh, I hate our pedestal sink. In addition to the lack of storage, they also get clogged way more quickly than a vanity. We typically have to call a plumber every 2 years - and I have short hair and H is bald!

Is there a reason why a pedestal sink would be more prone to cloggings?

We have a small half bath on the first floor. Previous owners put in a small vanity, however I hate it.....I think the room is too small and feel it would look much better with a pedestal sink. We'll probably hold off on replacing though since we have quite a few other things that are higher up on the list!

Yes. They clog more quickly because of the bend of the pipe and how its bent tighter to be more compact and hidden behind the porcelain stand. I'm not articulating that well (or even using the right terminology, I'm sure!), but if you take a look, you can see a significant difference.

CuriousKiddosMama · October 2014

Keep it the same size or smaller then the pedestal.
Also joining club I hate pedestal sinks. Especially in a guest bathroom- there is no space for a guest to keep a toothbrush, or to keep towels for a guest. Just my 2 cents!

Xstatic3333 · October 2014

We have a pedestal sink in our one bathroom, sort of. It's very strange and retro; I really wish I could figure out how to post pictures! Most would probably gut it but we've come to really like it. The sink has already clogged once but we were able to fix it without a plumber.

Anyway, yes, I'd definitely go vanity if you can. We're lucky to at least have a huge bathroom closet, and just enough room for our toothbrushes, but vanity is a must if there is no closet for a powder room. Our mirror is much wider than our sink, and is the cover the medicine cabinet, and I actually think that looks fine.

hoffse · October 2014

This is interesting - pedestal vs. not!

H and I went to home depot last night and ran into a pedestal we both LOVED. It's the basin shape that really caught our attention.

This morning I was shopping around for it and noticed that the manufacturer makes a vanity that fits the basin. It has a basket under the sink (sounds odd when I type it, but looks nice). Then some open air and a drawer on the bottom. So it's kind of like the best of both worlds.

It's more than I wanted to spend on a vanity, but I'm seriously considering it. We've saved a ton on all the other parts of this project, so there's room to do it but it will probably be half the cost of the entire project. Still, it would give us the sink bowl we love but a base that's more functional than just a pedestal (but still nice and airy for the small space).

Now I have to talk H into the price tag. That's going to be a challenge.

Xstatic3333 · October 2014

That sounds really cute!

JoanE2012 · October 2014

vikingsfan711 said:

Keep it the same size or smaller then the pedestal. Also joining club I hate pedestal sinks. Especially in a guest bathroom- there is no space for a guest to keep a toothbrush, or to keep towels for a guest. Just my 2 cents!

And see, our half bath downstairs is just used for the toilet. We have another hall bath for guests upstairs near the bedrooms. So that's why I didn't care about the lack of space for towels and such and was leaning towards a pedestal. But @als1982 makes me rethink....I don't want to call in a plumber every couple years!

JoanE2012 · October 2014

hoffse said:

This is interesting - pedestal vs. not!

H and I went to home depot last night and ran into a pedestal we both LOVED. It's the basin shape that really caught our attention.

This morning I was shopping around for it and noticed that the manufacturer makes a vanity that fits the basin. It has a basket under the sink (sounds odd when I type it, but looks nice). Then some open air and a drawer on the bottom. So it's kind of like the best of both worlds.

It's more than I wanted to spend on a vanity, but I'm seriously considering it. We've saved a ton on all the other parts of this project, so there's room to do it but it will probably be half the cost of the entire project. Still, it would give us the sink bowl we love but a base that's more functional than just a pedestal (but still nice and airy for the small space).

Now I have to talk H into the price tag. That's going to be a challenge.

Care to share a link?

hoffse · October 2014

JoanE2012 said:

hoffse said:

This is interesting - pedestal vs. not!

H and I went to home depot last night and ran into a pedestal we both LOVED. It's the basin shape that really caught our attention.

This morning I was shopping around for it and noticed that the manufacturer makes a vanity that fits the basin. It has a basket under the sink (sounds odd when I type it, but looks nice). Then some open air and a drawer on the bottom. So it's kind of like the best of both worlds.

It's more than I wanted to spend on a vanity, but I'm seriously considering it. We've saved a ton on all the other parts of this project, so there's room to do it but it will probably be half the cost of the entire project. Still, it would give us the sink bowl we love but a base that's more functional than just a pedestal (but still nice and airy for the small space).

Now I have to talk H into the price tag. That's going to be a challenge.

Care to share a link?

Here's the vanity portion:

http://www.amazon.com/KOHLER-K-2449-F2-Archer-Petite-Vanity/dp/B0018T64A2/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1412855609&sr=8-17&keywords=kohler+archer+sink

H isn't sure it will work with the location of our plumbing. We're going to have to measure it. Either way, we will probably go with that particular sink, whether on a pedestal or on this vanity. We really like it, and this is a bathroom that is used as a powder room 98% of the time. It's also literally across the hall from the linen closet, so there really isn't a tremendous need for extra storage in the bathroom itself. This vanity would really take care of everything we might possibly need.

I haven't heard about plumbing issues with pedestals. I know a lot of people with smaller bathrooms who have them. Maybe when it's used as a primary sink?

brij2006 · October 2014

We've had our pedestal for 5 years now and have never had a clog. However, it's used mostly just as a powder room even though there's a shower in there. I think the shower has been used a whopping 6-7 times since we built it in.

Do you have space in there to be able to put a small shelving unit or mount shelves to put baskets on? Then you could put a few towels in there as the guest bath and they're in there when needed.

To give you an idea, this is how ours is set up. Inside the mirror/medicine cabinet we keep Tylenol and toiletries for guests. This bathroom is right off our kitchen and the only 1st floor bathroom. So we keep a few things in there. Then behind the door to the right is a small space that I put a little 3 shelf unit in and have a basket on it to keep toilet paper in and have the guest towels rolled up and placed on it as decoration. The key is to make every bit of space functional.

hoffse · October 2014

Thanks Brij! That's exactly the arrangement of our bathroom. We're thinking of installing some narrow glass shelves above the toilet if we end up going pedestal.

I like how much larger the bathroom looks with a pedestal sink. They really do open up small spaces.

The shower in our bathroom was used the first week we moved in because the floor guys were installing hardwoods in the master (which cut off our access to the master bath). But it hasn't been used since. I figure it might be used 6-7 times a year, tops. This is really a powder room for us.

ToastieSimons · October 2014

our old hall bath was a half bath. it had a toilet and this huge vanity in it. you literally could touch the vanity while sitting on the toilet.

we changed it out to a pedestal sink and added a fancy mirror from home goods above it. I went with oval and it was about 24" wide.

JoanE2012 · October 2014

@hoffse - I like that vanity, very different.

@brij2006 - I like your pedestal. I'm back on the pedestal bandwagon. Our powder room is tiny, and any size vanity just makes it feel smaller.

BlueBirdMB · October 2014

I HATE pedestal sinks because I want a place to at least put extra toilet paper!

brij2006 · October 2014

If your bathroom is about the same size as ours, then I would definitely recommend going with a pedestal. Ours had a full vanity in it before and you would have to squeeze sideways to get through once the door was open. I hit my hip on the corner of it so many times!

As long as you can improvise with extra TP and towel storage, then you will be fine. We just make ours part of the decor with having the towels rolled up nicely and putting the TP in a basket. There's also the TP holders you can buy and put on the floor that hold a few extra rolls too.

The only part we don't care for is when guests are there it doesn't have space for a straightener or makeup to go on the sink. However, the spare bedroom is on the 2nd floor where our bathroom with a double sink vanity is in. So usually when guests stay, the guest will shower and get dressed in the guest bath, then her and I will do hair and makeup in the main bathroom since it's big enough. It really isn't inconvenient at all.

hoffse · October 2014

brij2006 said:

If your bathroom is about the same size as ours, then I would definitely recommend going with a pedestal. Ours had a full vanity in it before and you would have to squeeze sideways to get through once the door was open. I hit my hip on the corner of it so many times!

As long as you can improvise with extra TP and towel storage, then you will be fine. We just make ours part of the decor with having the towels rolled up nicely and putting the TP in a basket. There's also the TP holders you can buy and put on the floor that hold a few extra rolls too.

The only part we don't care for is when guests are there it doesn't have space for a straightener or makeup to go on the sink. However, the spare bedroom is on the 2nd floor where our bathroom with a double sink vanity is in. So usually when guests stay, the guest will shower and get dressed in the guest bath, then her and I will do hair and makeup in the main bathroom since it's big enough. It really isn't inconvenient at all.

Yeah our vanity is literally less than a inch from the edge of the toilet. It's so cramped.

I think we'll probably go with pedestal, even though it's the less popular option. The sink bowl we bought actually has a pretty generous (flat) rimmed top which could hold soap, toothbrushes, a hair straightener, etc. It's just as big as we would get with a vanity that size, so all we are losing is the under-sink storage.

We will just get creative with TP and towels. There is plenty of vertical space in that room, just not a lot of floor space.

NMMR: Decor help

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