Hi Everyone,
This is a quick part 2.5 to the best bathroom vanities + mirror + sconce + wallpaper post.
First of all, I did it!
I made it to 70!
The only pics I have so far are one from Cale (coming up in a bit) and one selfie (below) I posted to Instagram.
The little photos on the lower left are top, me at 41 with 2-year-old baby Aaron, and bottom, me at 34 with 6-month-old baby Cale.
All of the other photos are in my guests’ phones. I’m sure they will be sending some soon.
The party was absolutely perfect.
The hardest part about giving a party is making (or heating up) a crapload of food while simultaneously making it look like no one lives there. 😂 🤣
And then, cleaning up afterward. However, in total, it ended up being 11 souls, which was a fantastic number for this extroverted introvert. As I said, perfect!
However, at 11:00 PM, I had a surprise visitor who came very briefly to wish me happy birthday.
No, I’m not joking. It’s time to bring out the heavy artillery!!!
Otherwise, my day was perfect.
The gluten-free chocolate cake came out wonderfully. I will be sharing the recipe shortly, which has some notes because gluten-free baking requires some mods that regular gluten flour doesn’t require. However, the cake tastes exactly like my delectable chocolate cake. It might be slightly more dense, but it was not in any way gummy or dry; two issues one encounters with gluten-free.
Here I am with my friend Trish around the 60″ round table. (There’s the cake!)
Bonus points if you can guess the topic of conversation. haha!
This is why women have to be over 50 to be in the Chestnuts. ;]
I can’t tell you how glad I am that I got the 60″ round dining table.My Englishman’s Georgian-Style Dining Table is Here, For Real!
Okay, you can click the part 2 link, (please scroll down) and then you’ll find the last several mini widgets with more beautiful vanity combos. However, I also wrote some more information at the beginning of part 2. If you haven’t been here before, please begin reading from the top.
Wednesday February 4, 2026 (preamble to part 2)
Hi Everyone,
Well………. I don’t know. I don’t know what possessed me to say I would put together some things for you. First, I had to find the things. So, being that it’s me, I found 50 beautiful wallpapers which could be a separate post, then mirrors, faucets and vanity lighting. All of that took many hours, but it’s fun, too.
I decided to make mini widgets. Many of the items can be interchanged. In fact, most of it can.
The wallpaper is something extra; you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to. However, I thought it would add an interesting dimension. In the process, I also discovered some new sources, so that’s pretty cool.
Okay, if you’ve read part 1 and would like to skip to part 2, please click the link below. Otherwise, if you are here for the first time or wish to review, please start from the top of the page.
Part 2 Begins Here
(part 1 from February 1, 2026)
Dear Laurel,
I hope you can do a post about bathroom vanities— Sorry, not the console kind as you have. Don’t get me wrong, it’s incredibly beautiful, but my husband and I have a lot of stuff, and we need as much storage as we can get.
Anyway, we’re also redoing our kitchen, and boy, is the built-in cabinetry bloody expensive. We should’ve done Crown Point as you did, in your beautiful kitchen, but I was nervous about working with a company several hundred miles away. (We’re in Atlanta.) So, we worked with a local designer, who charged a design fee of $1,000 towards the price of the vanity. If they create and install it, they’ll reimburse us, and if not, we’re out $1,000.
I bet you know what’s coming.
We got the quote and for the vanity alone, and I nearly passed out when I saw that it was nearly $16,000, and Laurel, that’s without the top, sinks and faucets. By the time we’re done, it will be $20,000 or more! Is that normal? Please tell me we don’t have to spend that much for a high-end looking bathroom vanity!
Our budget for the double bathroom vanity is $10,000 max, including two undermount sinks and two polished nickel faucets. I adore the ones on your console vanity and also on your Bed & Bath Hot Sales page by Perrin & Rowe. That’s probably pushing it.
One thing I don’t want is you know, where the seams, rails and stiles on the doors and drawers are highly visible and going vertically and horizontally instead of mitered diagonally.
I think it’s awfully ugly and looks cheap. It’s almost like the doors were molded into that shape. And what’s the plastic-like finish? It’s like the finish on IKEA cabinetry.
We have a couple of other bathrooms we’ll be working on, so not everything has to be 72″. The smaller vanities with one faucet, sink, mirror and sconces, we have a budget for $7,000 max for each bathroom.
To sum up, we want interesting bathroom vanities that are in our budget.
But tell us if it’s unrealistic to do a nice bathroom vanity with sinks, faucets, tops and mirrors for $10,000.
Bathsheba Dritz
***
Hi Everyone,
Sorry about the name. It’s late. Yes, this is a made-up character with a very real problem.
She wants a custom high-end look, but prices have gone through the roof. I’m incredulous when I see club chairs that are $5,000 or more, and they aren’t anything special.
Now, about the doors, Bathsheba is on the right track.
The reason they look like that is that the doors are actually one piece, and those “seams” are routed out to imitate seams. Although seams are not supposed to be visible, so I think it would look better without the fake seams.
Why are there no actual seams?
It’s much more expensive to construct a door in five pieces that fits perfectly together and then has the ability to expand and contract as wood does, depending on the humidity.
The thing I don’t understand is why they have to make such obvious valleys.
Below is an excellent example of fake seams on a Shaker-style bathroom vanity.
Here ya go. This is what Bathsheba is talking about. The doors are actually particleboard, and that weird plastic-looking finish isn’t paint. I believe it’s a product called Thermofoil. It’s a flexible vinyl material that is heated and molded over the surface, usually in a satin finish. It adheres well and is easy to clean. But, yes, it looks like plastic because it kind of is!*
*Please check out Kimberly’s fantastic comment for some updated info about this manufacturing process which is not always Thermofoil.
The worst is that the piece above isn’t even cheap.
It’s retailing for 3,000 bucks!
The inspiration for this post came recently, when I came across a new company on Etsy, Rail and Stile Vintage, which manufactures these gorgeous vanities.
The vanities come in three sizes and three or four colors. And they are all in Bathsheba’s budget.
To be clear, I would not do the same style in all three bathrooms.
However, I’ve also come across dozens of other wonderful vanities from various vendors. A few of them do have a bit of the faux seams, but they make up for it with other elements that make the piece look high-end.
Some of the vanities are a bit more expensive; however, they look it and are still less than 100% custom.
The captions have more information about the pieces, and if you click on any of the images, you’ll be taken to where they are sold for even more information. Many of these are sold at multiple vendors. If so, I tried to find the lowest price.
Here it is!
Okay, so if any of you are interested, please pick one to three of your favorites and let us know in the comments, not email.
The three most popular, I’ll select mirrors, faucets and lighting to coordinate.
xo,
*********************************************************
Part 2 Begins Here
Hi Everyone,
Welcome to part 2. As I said at the top of the page, I’ve created small widgets which are muuuch easier, but they don’t allow for captions. So, I’ll say a few words after each design.
Thank you so much for your terrific comments.
It seems that almost everyone loved the Chinoiserie vanities with the faux bamboo trim. So smart.
For today, I did six of the vanities but there will be more for Sunday’s post and then we’ll probably be done with this topic. Each one has at least one mirror, one sconce and one wallpaper, but some have two of those items. In case it isn’t clear, if there are two wallpapers, only one would be used.
Before we get into it, would you believe in the wee hours on Wednesday morning?
It is phenomenally upsetting. Fortunately, the exterminator errr, pest control technician, was able to come today for the FOURTH time. Get this. He found four holes that were missed before. That’s probably because they didn’t actually look in those spots? It was different guys each time. All have been very nice.
I am thinking perhaps it would be better if one of them just moved in for a few weeks. ;]
He’d save a lot of money on parking. ;]
Okay, it’s time to get serious, so let’s check out the beautiful vanities now styled with possibilities for wallcovering, lighting, faucet and a mirror or mirrors if a double vanity.
Please note that some of the mirrors might be too big for the vanity shown. The mirror should not be wider than the vanity unless it’s covering the entire wall, but that’s a different animal.
Laurel, how big should the vanity mirror or mirrors be in relation to the vanity?
That is a separate post because it depends on the size of the wall, and if there needs to be space for sconces and the width of the sconces. Doing an elevation is especially helpful when deciding what will work and what won’t.
Below is my bathroom sink wall elevation, the summer before the installation of what it ended up being.
As you can see, there’s some leeway with sizes, but in the case of the confinement of the 48″ niche, not a lot.
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5
6
Below is the final grouping of seven
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The first one features a 36″ vivid Kelly green vanity from Rail and Stile Vintage. Sorry the image is so small. I can’t control that. I am lucky if I can get it to be the correct color. The gold mirror is by Erin Gates. Not only is it terribly chic, it’s also a medicine cabinet!
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Oh, I love them all! Many of the smaller vanities would be fantastic in my upstairs bathroom. The only thing I need to be mindful of is the clawfoot tub.
You can only see a tiny rounded corner of it.
I hope you enjoyed all the widgets and news! Thank you again for the wonderful birthday wishes!
xo,
***Please check out the recently updated HOT SALES
Some wonderful sales are happening right now as the retailers are gearing up for the big Presidents’ Day Weekend.
Also, if you’re doing some shopping on Amazon, please click this Amazon affiliate link or the graphic below.
Thank you so much!
I very much appreciate your help and support!
Related Posts
Having Trouble with A Kitchen & Living Room Makeover
The Elusive White Marble Countertops Are Difficult to Find!
My Extensive Renovation. Here’s Why I Did It.
Best Windows – Size, Type + Is It OK To Do Black Frames?
Classical Interior Architecture – The Most Important Element
Decorating on a Budget Without It Looking Cheap
What Happens When You Mix Chinoiserie Decor With Gustavian?
33 Responses
Looking forward to your gluten version of your famous chocolate cake! I kept the recipe you provided earlier, but never actually made it because we are gluten free and wasn’t sure about converting the recipe.
Thank you for the great selection of these varieties. They are so pretty and I really appreciate the variety of styles.
I have a back problem and find it difficult to clean underneath a low piece of furniture. The vanities that extend to the floor always seem to look like what you find in the big box stores. Are there any suggestions for a nice vanity that would be easier to maintain?
I vote first prize for the ambella vanity. I also love the double James Martin and the Schaffer Navy! Although reasonable, they are still out of reach for my budget! We will have 4 bathrooms to finish with our remodel/addition so I will be on the hunt as we get closer. I was fortunate to find a beautiful kohler vanity with the faucet and hand painted sink bowl for our old house at a showroom on close out, otherwise I blew our budget for the other 3 bathrooms in our new build…and ended up with a cheap looking vanity, an ugly non functional vanity in the powder room and a really pretty one in the master bath that I couldn’t enjoy knowing how much it cost and not able to fit it with a proper top or faucet 🤓I love this blog post.
So glad I get another chance to wish you a happy birthday on the 7th! Love all of your choices, and especially linked to the sources. Could you refresh us on how much lighting is needed in a bathroom. I have a good sized room with a cathedral ceiling and 2 windows, spa tub and toilet with recessed lights above, double sinks, and marquee lighting above them with 7 bulbs! You could do surgery in there. I’d like to replace it, but wonder how much is enough? Any thoughts greatly appreciated.
I’m in Raleigh as well and Riley and Stile are very well known, but a little pricey for my budget unfortunately. Speaking of pricey, that blue Kingsley Grass Cloth Wallpaer by Scalamandre is breathtaking, just like its price!
Nancy
I am currently under master bath construction, and my contractor is building the vanity and a tall built-in cabinet with glass doors. She’s making inset drawers & doors out of MDO & Maple. Not sure if it’s any less expensive in the end. I’m concerned about how it will be painted. I’ll send a photo when it’s done. I did spend way too much time flipping through thousands of vanities online, you have definitely selected many that I saved as well in my search. My advice to Bathsheba would be to spend the money & get exactly what you want, I know I’ll never do this bath again. Many thanks to you for your design inspiration, invaluable!
I am already drooling over the two green vanities, and the blue Capri! I am planning to schedule in some design time in February so I can “Laurelise” our master bedroom & bath in our 100yo house. I may send you some floor plans for funsies!
Happy birthday! I am catching up – in turn 50 in March – just hitting my stride 🥂🎂
Happy Birthday, Laurel!! I hope you feel all the love and have a fun celebration! I love so many of these vanities, it’s hard to choose. I think the Home Decorators Collection one is really nice for such a reasonable price. I also like the Sonoma from Willow Bath and Vanity. But my absolute favorite, by far, is the Rail and Stile Vintage Bamboo (and I love all the colors)! I’m looking forward to seeing your mirror and styling suggestions! Sending birthday hugs to you :]
Quite frankly, you gave us great choices. The green bamboo is lovely and practical for everyone.
Also, please address accessorizing kitchen counters especially the dead corners that occur. I’ve looked at numerous sources online and they usually put a plant or flowers in those spots. Not really an option. I can’t be buying fresh flowers all the time and most plants won’t thrive in the deep corner. Thanks for your help!
Hi Susan,
I was raised in Evansville, IN. My son and I visited in the spring of 2022. I did a post about E’ville here.
Happy Birthday! The Rail & Style vanities are lovely. The Johann is also elegant along with the Cerise vanity. The Home Decorators Collection Terryn 72″ Double Sink White Bath Vanity with White Engineered Stone Top was surprisingly impressive for a tight budget or a rental home.
Favorite Vanity: RailandStileVintage – the image in light blue w/Chinoiserie wallpaper. I am ready to order it!
I enjoyed this post and noticed that all your vanity choices have legs. Do you prefer free-standing rather than built-in? I am looking forward to reading your next post, especially about lighting above vanities. (Makeup, you know, as well as styling.)
Hi Ann,
Many vanities with legs can be built in. The ones that work the best are like the one I showed with the straight legs and then a customized top that doesn’t extend past the sides of the cabinet.
Hi Laurel. Great post. I had long coveted a Jean Stoffer vanity but it was a bit over my budget, so I showed a local finish carpenter a photo and he made it for me for roughly half the price. But in either case, even her beautiful 72″ double vanities in all types of finishes are under $5,000. I love how plain and “English” her lines are. So it would seem that with a $10k budget, you could get two faucets, mirrors and sinks and one of her lovely vanities OR try what I did?
Hi Kim,
I need to look those vanities up! As for price, it depends where one lives. In Boston with a marble top, a 72″ custom vanity could easily be $20,000.
Late birthday wishes, but I hope you keep the party going with my sincere ones! I found 70 liberating – enjoy them all.
After reading this post about fake rails and stiles, I looked at my Cherry cabinets, and they have real ones with no separations. But, the ones you highlighted are much more stylish. Of course they are – you chose them!
Hi Candy,
My birthday’s the 7th, so you’re early!
OMG, I never knew I liked bathroom vanities so much – they’re all gorgeous ❤️ I especially like how they look like a vintage stand-alone cabinet that’s been repurposed as a bathroom vanity.
I recently used the Bilroy in 36″ (same green color) on a project for a powder bath. I was very happy with it… great color and style!
Hi Laurel, Thanks for your fantastic content! I’m a kitchen & bath designer and thought it would be helpful to clarify something about cabinet construction. Sometimes those deep seams are fake, constructed as you described (a solid MDF door coated in thermafoil), but sometimes they’re real. All the American manufacturers I’m aware of have phased out thermafoil (presumably for its tendency to separate from its substrate over time) and have adopted a different, thinner plastic. The name it goes by is probably proprietary to each company, but I know it as Purestyle. Instead of coating a solid door, each of the 5 pieces is coated separately, then joined together to make the 5-piece door. This thickness of the Purestyle coating between the pieces is what makes the seams so large and visible. Time will tell if Purestyle has more longevity than Thermafoil. It might be an easy clean solution, but my concern is that once the thin layer of plastic is scratched through, there is no way to touch up.
Thanks so much, Kimberly. I didn’t know and did some research, but that’s not always 100% accurate, so thanks for setting that straight.
Hi Laurel. Like Mary, my favorite vanities in your post are also the ones from Rail and Stile. I live in Raleigh and have been to their showroom and met the owners. In addition to making custom furniture, they also repurpose existing pieces. It’s amazing what a coat of lacquer can do to bring a tired old piece back to life. Rail and Stile is well known to the local design community. I didn’t realize they have an Etsy shop. I hope at least one of their vanities ends up in your list of favorites so we can see how you style them.
Hi Anne,
Small world, it is!
I vote for any of the rail and style faux bamboo cabinets. They are truly gorgeous and I love the Navy and the green. So pretty with marble. I am curious though, through your years of renovation photos, you have never shown us your second bathroom upstairs. Did you renovate it at all? I’m curious about how that whole suite turned out, your den and hallway and bath.
Hi Rachel,
I have shown it a few times with the Marilyn’s Dress walls. I’ll try to remember to link to it in the follow-up post.
Hi Laurel,
Happy Birthday! I hope you make your famous chocolate cake for yourself. And welcome to the 70’s club.
My favorite vanities are the ones from Rail & Style Vintage. They had me with the bamboo design.
Another designer in Boston, @KatieRosenfeld started her own custom vanity company. Her IG account can lead you to it.
My current bathroom vanity is a raw pine chest that I bought off of Facebook marketplace for $35. I sanded it, sealed it & retro fitted the drawers to accommodate the plumbing. I helped my daughter do the same with a mid-century modern cabinet.
Thanks so much for that info, Mary! I’ll check it out.
Just want you to know how much I love this particular post! I can’t wait until the top 3 are styled by YOU and I’ll be glued to my laptop! Thank you for your always appreciated information.
I bought a fixer-upper to which the master bath has been ignored and has the original 1984 vanity. Yeah. The house is on the small side and master bath storage is premium when trying to keep things out of sight. The linen closet is in the guest bath. Hence my pick is Sonoma 48 in W x 22 in D Free Standing Reeded Single Sink Bathroom Vanity in Dark Forest Green – wow, just wow. Good looking and designed for storage. Please include this one in your follow up post. By the way, I’m in North Georgia so they’re a hop skip and a jump from me.
Happy birthday! My mom just turned 70 and she is fabulous like you! We just built our home and in the master bath we used two of the 48” single Paris vanities you featured, they’re stunning in black. We furnished 4 other bathrooms, and every vanity you’ve selected is gorgeous and has me wishing I could do four more! I want them all! Now I’m thinking about my laundry room which isn’t yet finished, instead of a freestanding cast iron sink, maybe one of those 36” vanities would work. Ver difficult to pick only 3, but here are mine:
Johan – Kathy K
Hugo – Pottery Barn
Paris – Willow
When these are shipped, do they usually arrive in perfect condition? Especially the marble countertops?
Hi Lisa,
Hopefully they do!