A fabulous vanity design requires careful planning and attention to detail. There are plenty of decisions to be made, from the layout and style to the types of sinks and countertops. This six-step process gives you a game plan to follow as you create your new vanity space.

Settle on a Layout

Before you decide on colors, finishes and fixtures, you have to know where your vanity is going and how big it’s going to be.

A galley layout includes two vanity spaces separated by a pass-through. Each of these spaces can include sinks, or you can use one space to wash up and the other for seating.

Many bathrooms feature horizontal vanities with one section of cabinetry. These vanities are efficient and take full advantage of available storage and counter space. They also ensure clean lines and a streamlined bathroom design.

Homeowners also may choose L-shaped vanities, particularly in master bathrooms. While they don’t always maximize space, corners are seldom efficient, they offer ample leg and arm room, as well as distinct vanity spaces, in bigger bathrooms. Unless they are used in small bathrooms, L-shaped vanities rarely feel cramped.

Determine the Number of Sinks

You’ll need to find a vanity style that can accommodate the number of sinks you want.

If they had their choice, many homeowners would prefer double sinks. Unfortunately, there are often space restrictions.

Vanities smaller than 60 inches wide usually have only one sink. The sink can be in the center, to the right or to the left. Your sink cabinet can have drawers or standard cabinet doors.

Vanities more than 60 inches wide can comfortably accommodate two sinks. However, if one sink is enough, you can use the extra room for additional counter space.

Choose the Style

Once you find the layout that best suits your bathroom and determine how many sinks you want, the next step is to decide on the vanity design. Do you prefer cabinets? An antique furniture piece? A pedestal sink?

If you want traditional vanity cabinets, there are several factors to consider:

◦  Do you want a paint or stain?

◦  What color do you prefer?

◦  What type of door style do you want?

◦  Do you want drawers, doors or pullouts?

Vanity cabinets don’t have to be built-ins. Freestanding vanities aren’t attached to any walls and can have open shelving in lieu of closed cabinets. They also can feature furniture-style details.

Another style is a floating vanity, which is mounted to the wall and has open space below.

Repurposing a family heirloom, such as an antique dresser or table stand, can add time-tested character to your vanity.

If you don’t need storage space and are seeking a minimalist design, you can forgo cabinetry and simply install a wall-mounted countertop.

Find the Right Countertop

If you’re buying a pedestal sink or restoring an old piece of furniture, you might be able to skip this step. Most other designs, including cabinets and repurposed furniture pieces without a top, will require some type of countertop.

There are a number of materials available, including quartz, granite, marble, laminate, concrete, wood and solid surface.

Quartz and granite are popular choices for bathroom countertops. Both are durable, high-quality materials with designer patterns. Granite needs to be sealed every one or two years because it’s a porous stone.

Softer stones like marble scratch more easily than granite and quartz and have less tolerance for moisture. Wood and laminate don’t always mix well with moisture either, but they may be more budget-friendly than stone.

Keep in mind that repurposed furniture pieces aren’t always able to bear the weight of stone countertops like quartz and granite. Consult a remodeling expert to get specific recommendations for your furniture piece.

Pick the Type of Sink

The next step is to determine the type of sink, such as undermount, drop-in, vessel or wall-mount. After that, choose the color and material for your sink, whether it’s porcelain, natural stone or something else.

Undermount sinks are mounted below your countertop with supporting brackets, providing a seamless look. They’re harder to install and usually require a professional.

Vessel sinks sit above your counter. A hole for the drain is cut out from your countertop. There’s more to clean, but vessel sinks give you the option to choose a sink with patterns, designs and custom shapes.

Drop-in sinks are installed inside a cutout in your countertop. These sinks have lips that rest on top of your counter.

Fixtures, Fixtures and More Fixtures

It’s time to wrap up your design with fixtures. You may focus most of your attention on your layout and cabinet finishes, but you still need to select your cabinet hardware, faucets, lighting and mirror. Most important, these should be coordinated with the rest of your design and color scheme.

Specifically, you need to make the following decisions:

◦  Do you want sconce lights, wall-mounted lighting or recessed lighting?

◦  Do you want a built-in mirror or a decorative mirror that you can easily replace?

◦  What kind of cabinet knobs and pulls do you want?

◦  Do you want a detailed faucet design or something more simple and modern?

There is no shortage of options for cabinet hardware and fixtures. Settle on a finish (oil- rubbed bronze, brushed nickel, chrome, stainless steel) and then choose a style (traditional, contemporary, modern).

Whether you’re designing a new bathroom or updating an existing space, it’s important to think carefully about where you’re going to keep everything. Before you choose cabinets, drawers or shelves, take time to consider these key questions to ensure your storage is practical for your needs, stays useful and looks stylish too.

Do I Know What I Need to Store?

The best way to begin any storage planning is by assessing the items you need to keep. Allocate some time to declutter — recycle any empty bottles, use up almost-empty toiletries and donate towels, jars and accessories you don’t need anymore.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll be left only with the essentials, and these will dictate the storage you plan. It’s so much easier to organize a space with only necessary items, and the storage you plan will then be useful for a long time and hopefully ensure you continue to keep just the things you need.

Have I Grouped My Items?

Your essential bathroom kit can now be organized into groups, which will help you assess where to locate everything.

How you group your items will depend on your own needs and lifestyle, but it makes sense to position things near where you’ll use them. Makeup, for instance, should be kept near the best-lit mirror in the room.

It’s a good idea to create an everyday drawer, shelf or basket where you keep all those items you need each day. This will be helpful when you’re traveling too, as you can grab them all at once to throw into your suitcase.

Could I Divide and Conquer?

Have you ever tidied your drawers and cupboards, only to find they become a disorganized mess a few weeks later? The answer is to separate them into sections, and use jars, pots and baskets within each cabinet.

A drawer can be fitted with dividers to ensure everything has its own space and items won’t fall onto each other.

If you’re storing items in a cabinet, use shelf inserts, baskets and small decanters to create a mini organization system within the cupboard.

Have I Maximized the Space?

If you think you’ve used every inch of space in your bathroom, it’s worth having another scan. It’s surprising how many areas we overlook when it comes to planning storage. Have a chat with a bathroom designer or cabinet maker to see if they can help you find some clever storage solutions.

Could I Store Anything Elsewhere?

If your bathroom is small, you might not have room to store everything. Towels, in particular, can take up a lot of room. Instead, look around your home to see if there’s anywhere you can create overflow storage for those items you don’t use frequently.

A hallway cupboard can be used to house towels and cleaning products, which frees up space in the bathroom. If you can’t spare a whole cupboard, you could use a section of your wardrobe or some under-bed drawers or boxes.

Is My Storage Easy on the Eyes?

While cabinets and drawers are ideal for neatly stowing items out of sight, some open shelving will add a little character to your bathroom.

The key to stylish success when your storage is on display is to think carefully about the baskets and boxes you choose. Opt for storage items that have a similar look. By creating a cohesive display, your bathroom will look streamlined and attractive, rather than cluttered.

Whether it’s individualized storage spaces or clever details that will speed up your family’s morning routine, here are five features that pros say will help you get more from a shared bathroom. If you’re planning to remodel a family bathroom, read on.

Generous Storage

With a busy family and everyone having different bathroom products and needs, clever and abundant storage solutions in your bathroom are the key to functionality. Plus, they will also beautify your bathroom.

Being able to store and hide your everyday items is a must when multiple people use one space. Consider large mirrored cabinets that run right to the ceiling. There are many styles today that can be inset into the walls for a slimline look. Many also have finger-pull or push-to-close doors, meaning you don’t have bulky handles overcrowding the space.

A good top-mount vanity cabinet will help you organize your bathroom and everyone can have designated shelves within the cupboard.

Under-sink storage is also essential. Be wary of floating vanities that may only give you half the storage capacity of a design that goes right to the floor.

And don’t forget that the sink plumbing will take up a good portion of your vanity. For this reason, get the largest vanity possible for the space, with adjustable shelves so you can customize the interior.

You can also find storage systems that will keep your storage organized. For example, mini stacking shelves, acrylic containers and small storage-compartment units that fit inside cupboards and drawers to keep bathroom products and beauty items organized. These will help the kids find what they need and assist in the overall tidiness of your cupboards. 

Bathroom storage can extend to standalone items too, such as over-the-toilet shelving systems and beautiful hampers for storing laundry or used towels.

Also consider what is on your bathroom vanity. Seek out pretty yet functional decor accessories such as canisters to hold cotton balls and nice vessels for toothbrushes. Grouping like items together on small trays is a good way to reduce visual clutter.

Double Sinks

Whether you’re a large family of five or six or a small family, a double-style sink set-up is essential. It allows two people to use a basin at once, saving you time and streamlining the flow of your bathroom. On busy mornings when everyone is in a rush, this can be a lifesaver.

Heating

As we settle into the colder months, a well-heated bathroom will be appreciated by the whole family. There are three main options.

Underfloor Heating 

If your budget allows, investing in underfloor heating is a luxury worth having, especially if you live in a cooler climate. For bathrooms, an electric underfloor heating system is recommended as it goes above the waterproofing in your floor but below the tiles. Therefore, it can fairly easily be retrofitted. Being close to the surface, it means your bathroom floor will heat up quite quickly.

Three-In-One Heaters

These provide an exhaust fan, lighting and heating in a single unit. They’re a simple and affordable way to keep your bathroom toasty and warm.

Heated Towel Rack 

Ideal for keeping your towels warm and fluffy and reducing the need for constant washing. They can be plugged in or wired.

Considered Lighting

Good lighting in a bathroom doesn’t just improve the functionality of the space, but can set the right mood too. Harsh artificial lights in the bathroom are not as good as natural light in the day. At night, soft LED lights cast a warm, diffused glow. Think about having LED lighting under the basin, in the shower recess and above the bath.

A shower recess is another must-have feature in a family bathroom as it allows you to keep shampoos nicely displayed and not cluttered on shelves or on the floor of the shower.

Sliding glass shower doors are far easier to clean than hinged styles.

Vanity drawers are preferable to cupboards as they provide more user-friendly and accessible storage — and often up to 30% more storage, according to some cabinet makers.

Using boxes inside your drawers is a great way to divide items internally so everything has its place. If you have multiple people in the family using the drawers, give everybody their own box — you can even try labeling them to separate items and prevent arguments.

Overhead mirrored shaving cabinets are a great way to store lots of products. With their shallow shelves, items are easy to see and access.

Include electrical outlets in your shelving cabinets is a smart upgrade as it allows you to keep your electric toothbrush off your vanity top, and it will always be fully charged.

If space in the bathroom permits, another great option is the inclusion of a tall storage cabinet, which you can use to store spare towels and toilet rolls.

The biggest color trends for 2022 include an autumn bouquet, pretty pastels and a step back into the ’70s

Blood Red

As if to perfectly illustrate the theme, the most prominent colors on the stands composed a natural autumn bouquet. This palette appears on furniture, accessories and finishes with hues running from red to yellow by way of burnt orange and terra cotta. These individual shades bring a lot of warmth into an interior, with a few pleasant surprises, like blood red.

Terra Cotta

The autumnal composition begins with a shade that has been talked a lot about for the last few years: terra cotta. The shade is still very much present in international collections, appreciated for its direct connection to the earth, bringing us back to nature.

Burnt Orange

New this year, burnt orange completes this spectrum of warm colors, bringing with it a dose of nostalgia and a return to the decor of the ’70s.

Elizabeth Leriche, director of the eponymous style agency, says, “The lifestyle of this era is well loved, doubtlessly because the young generations are nostalgic for these happy years when everything was permitted. There is a desire for a less formal, more relaxed and more convivial lifestyle”.

Brown

Brown fits naturally in this ode to autumn, as it is a pleasant, neutral and relaxing shade. It is also expressed in the choice of materials, with natural fibers, leather, and darker woods than we have gotten used to in the last few years.

Warming Yellow

Pantone selected it as the Color of the Year 2021: hopeful, optimistic and joyful, yellow is by no means an afterthought. It made its appearance on the autumnal palette with softer, warmer and more muted shades than Pantone’s Illuminating, with tones like mustard or pastel yellow.

Klein Blue

Yellow is combined, in moderation, with another color that had a big comeback this year: Klein blue which is another hint of the return to the ’70s.

Mauve

Another surprise is that mauve and violet have returned to the forefront in decor. Unexpected, but seductive in daring combinations with the other bold shades, like Klein blue or yellow.

Moss Green

What would reconnecting with nature be without a notable presence of green, the best representative of the plant world?

In the coming season, the trend is moving slightly away from pine green and sage and turning rather toward moss and lichen shades. In other words, tones reminiscent of the interiors of the ’70s, which are combined with burnt orange to really commit to the period.

Brown to Beige

Balancing all of these striking colors is a very natural and natural palette composed of ecru, beige, stone grey, taupe and brown. In other words, very organic shades, related at once to the earth and the mineral world, which can be used to create a soft and relaxing atmosphere.

Pastels

Likewise responding to this need for softness in interiors, once again pastel tones are on the forefront, particularly pale pinks. They are part of a more general tendency towards less saturated colors than the ones we’ve seen over the past few years.

Color Blocking

More than the colors themselves, the real novelty is the way they are combined in a big revival of color blocking, which is so representative of decor from the ’80s and ’90s. Colors no longer match, but clash as contrasting solid colors within the decor.

Although hardwood flooring is an investment, it’s one worth considering, new hardwood flooring more than pays for itself at selling time. What’s the best way to clean and care for this popular flooring and keep that natural beauty and value shining through? Here’s how to clean hardwood floors.

It’s not the material — oak, maple, mesquite, bamboo, engineered hardwood or something more exotic — that determines how hardwood floors should be cleaned, but rather the finish.

Surface finishes, often referred to as urethanes or polyurethanes, are among the most popular treatments today and are usually applied to hardwood floors after installation to protect them and make them more durable and water resistant. These finishes create a protective barrier. There are four types of surface finishes: water based, oil based, acid cured and moisture cured.

Homes built before 1970, including historic residences, may have original wood floors that were sealed with varnish, wax or shellac. These require a different approach to cleaning. These types of finishes work by penetrating the wood to color the planks and form a protective shield. Using a wax coating after staining provides a barrier against wear and tear and gives the floor a beautiful low-gloss satin sheen. The classic look requires a little extra TLC, however, since water-based products and mopping can damage the finish.

Before Cleaning: Determine Your Finish

Before scrubbing hardwood floors, figure out whether they are finished with a polyurethane, shellac, wax or varnish. Maybe they have a finish that has worn away and is no longer providing coverage. To determine the finish try these tests:

◦ Run your hand over the wood. If you can feel the texture of the grain, the floor has a “penetrating” finish, usually a combination of a natural oil, such as linseed or tung oil, mixed with additives for drying topped with wax.

◦ In an out-of-the-way spot, dab on a little paint remover. If the finish bubbles up, it is a surface finish, like polyurethane, which coats the floor in a protective layer.

◦ In an out-of-the-way area, place a few drops of water. If the water beads up and does not soak into the hardwood, the finish on the floor is intact. If the water is absorbed into the floor or leaves a dark spot, the wood is unfinished or the protective layer has worn away.

◦ If you sprinkle on a few drops of water and white spots form beneath the droplets after about 10 to 15 minutes, the floors are sealed with wax. To remove the white spots, use a piece of fine steel wool lightly dampened with wax and rub gently.

◦ If you suspect a varnish or shellac, take a coin and scratch the surface of the floor in an inconspicuous corner. If the floor has been sealed with one of the older finishing methods, it will flake off.

Preventing Dirty Wood Floors

Not wearing shoes in the house is one of the best ways to keep hardwood floors clean. It will significantly reduce dirt, scuffs and daily wear and tear, and lessen cleaning time.

Don’t walk on wood floors with cleats, sports shoes or high heels. For example: A 125-pound woman walking in high heels has an impact of 2,000 pounds per square inch. Furthermore, an exposed heel nail can exert up to 8,000 pounds of force per square inch.

Whether you got out your calculator or not, the possibility of impact and denting appears to be undeniable. However, while you can’t always ask guests to shed shoes at the door, it might be a policy worth considering for family members.

What Not to Do

No matter what type of wood flooring you have, do not using cleaning products meant for vinyl or tile flooring. Self-polishing acrylic waxes are not recommended for cleaning hardwood floors, as the wood will become slippery and appear cloudy quickly.

Another no-no: wet-mopping wood floors, since standing water can dull the finish, damage the wood and leave a discoloring residue. Along the same lines, avoid overwaxing unfinished wood floors in an attempt to restore luster. If a waxed floor has become dull, try buffing the surface instead.

Best Way to Clean Hardwood Floors

Cleaning polyurethane finished hardwood floors, for floors installed after 1970, starts with vacuuming, sweeping or dust-mopping the surface.

Vacuuming

Vacuum wood floors daily, or at least once a week with a vacuum fitted with an attachment for wood floors. For regular machines, turn off interior rotating brushes or beater bars if possible.

Regular vacuuming helps remove dust and dirt particles that play a leading role in scratching and dulling the surface of the floor.

Sweeping

Choose a broom with “exploded tips,” also known as synthetic fiber ends, is step one.

Damp Mopping

If you want to clean your hardwood floors naturally, damp mopping should be done with a simple solution of pH-neutral soap, like dishwashing soap and water; or one capful of a mild cleanser such as Murphy Oil Soap in a bucket of water; or a solution using products specially formulated for wood floors, such as Eco Mist Colloid W, Dr. Bonner’s or Method.

In conscientious cleaning circles, controversy swirls around whether it’s recommended to clean hardwood floors with vinegar and water. Ultimately, everyone has to do what works best; however, within the past 10 years this method has lost favor, and popular belief now holds that the solution causes floors to dull more quickly and is not as effective as simple soap and water.

To begin mopping, dampen the mop in the prepared solution, wring it out completely, and mop in the direction of the wood grain. Repeat as necessary. As the water in the bucket becomes dirty, dump it out and refill. Many experts believe scrubbing hardwood floors with a damp cloth by hand is the ultimate cleaning strategy — unless abundant square footage or protesting knees prove problematic.

But avoid cloths or mops dripping with water. If your floors do get wet or worse, dry them immediately to avoid streaks!

Another technique: After the floor has been swept or vacuumed, put your cleaning solution of choice in a spray bottle and mist the floor, then use a dry microfiber mop or cloth and mop in direction of the wood grain.

It’s important to note that just because a floor is clean doesn’t necessarily mean it will be shiny. If the floor has lost its luster, it may be time to have it refinished. Whatever you do, don’t wax a polyurethaned finish.

How to Clean Old and Unsealed Hardwood Floors

Unfinished or waxed floors, like those in older and historic homes, as well as floors in which the protective seal has worn away, should never be treated with water or liquid cleansers, which may penetrate, stain or warp the wood. Instead, sweep with a soft-bristled broom and vacuuming should be done as the primary line of defense. Never damp-mop a waxed floor.

Beyond basic care, buffing and waxing the hardwood floors once or twice a year should keep them shiny.

Old-fashioned shellacked floors are not common in most homes. However, if you find yourself the proud owner of this vintage flooring, regular care should include sweeping and vacuuming often. Avoid water and liquid cleansers.

How to Clean Engineered Hardwood Floors

Engineered wood flooring is created with a thin veneer of hardwood fused on top of a plywood base. The material is stronger and more durable than regular hardwoods, and as a result has become a popular choice.

The cleaning procedure for this type of wood is the same as for hardwood floors with urethane finishes. Keep clean on a daily basis by sweeping and vacuuming and use a slightly damp mop as needed.

How to Clean Painted Hardwood Floors

Painted wood floors make a strong style statement and are a clever way to disguise wood flooring in less than perfect shape. To clean a painted wood floor, sweep, vacuum or dust-mop regularly. Avoid scratching or damaging the painted surface by staying away from abrasive cleansers and opting for a simple soap and water solution for damp mopping. Experts suggest drying the surface immediately by hand to avoid streaking and unnecessary moisture.