Bathroom Vanity vs Cabinet: What’s the Difference?

Phoenix Cabinet Wholesaler

Between old plumbing, worn wiring, and outdated fixtures, your bathroom requires frequent updates to keep it functional and stylish. Sometimes, that means changing your preexisting layout for the newest trends that’ll also keep your house’s market value high and appearance pleasing. However, how can you tell which designs will work for your bathroom type?  The answer is often simple: modernize your bathroom cabinet design.

At Cardinal Wholesale Cabinets, LLC, in Phoenix, AZ, we’ve spent over 30 years helping residents determine the right look for their bathroom cabinets, from standing door styles, finishes, and even the hardware that complements the overall cabinet designs. Trust our family-owned and operated business to relay your options and create a unique and breathtaking change.

Many modern bathroom cabinet styles combine furniture and fixtures to ensure more compact features contribute to larger available space. A bathroom vanity is one example of this, incorporating a basin or sink over cabinets so they function as one piece. Although the attached cabinet is sometimes hollow to make room for the sink’s plumbing underneath, it other times has shelves for added bathroom storage space.

A bathroom cabinet setup differs as a standalone piece separate from the basin. Its sole purpose is to create more shelving areas for toilet paper, towels, and other bathroom necessities so they’re available yet hidden behind designer styles. Although different, vanities and cabinets come in vast styles, sizes, and materials, meaning you can even match the two if your bathroom or home has both.

The Best Choice According to the Following Factors

Bathroom Size

If you have a standing sink with no storage beneath, that floor space goes to waste, proving problematic in smaller bathrooms. For instance, half bathrooms have only two of the four main components of a full bathroom (a sink and toilet), meaning these powder rooms usually only comprise 50% of a regular bathroom. 

Make the most of vertical space when floor space is limited by installing a vanity proportionate to the room. Vanities allow you to stack a sink over the cabinets and a mirror or vanity lighting over the basin. Fortunately, you can still opt for cabinets if you don’t want to replace your existing sink by choosing wall-mounted cabinets that’ll allow the storage to hang over the basin, sometimes doubling as a mirror. 

Larger or full bathrooms provide a lot more leeway if you’re considering a bathroom vanity vs. cabinet setup. Not only can you choose to have your sink and cabinets separate yet still match, but you can have both in one bathroom. For those with bigger families who share a bathroom, storage becomes an issue, so installing a sizeable vanity and accompanying cabinets better help organize and store items.

Usability and Cost

What if it's the complete opposite for your situation? If you don’t share a bathroom or require little storage capacity, a vanity may provide more space than you need while taking up a large portion of your bathroom’s square footage. Instead, Cardinal’s bathroom cabinets in Phoenix may be your answer to the bathroom vanity vs. cabinet debate. 

Bathroom cabinets are not only smaller and easier to install, but they provide more flexibility in awkward bathroom spaces or layouts that would otherwise require a more high-costing custom vanity. For instance, if your washroom’s open space is divided by unmoveable products and fixtures, a standard vanity won’t fit in that area. 

They’re also cheaper than regular and custom vanities with their built-in sinks. Installing a series of cabinets would help you save on funds while keeping your space organized. That’s because they don’t require intricate installations where you would have to run plumbing fixtures through it or attach it to the wall like with vanities unless you hang it above your bathroom sink.

Surface Space

Storage is not only about what you can put away on shelves, like toiletries, but what you leave out for more accessibility, like toothbrushes, face cleansers, and combs. A vanity table gives you slightly over two feet of surface space. If you have a double vanity incorporated for you and your partner, at least five feet of countertop space is necessary for each person to have enough room. 

Vanities are also popular for bathrooms used by children since it gives them enough space to sit on the counter, especially if the standard vanity height of 32 to 36 inches is too tall for them. It also holds their bath toys and houses the many products that make brushing fun for them, from different colored toothpaste to a radio, mini television, or tablet.

Nowadays, you can create a unique bathroom vanity to suit your children, especially if there’s a bathroom dedicated solely to the kids in your house. This new layout makes everything more accessible, so they require less assistance from you.

Are Bathroom Cabinets the Same as Kitchen Cabinets?

Many believe kitchen and bathroom cabinets are the same, but bathroom designers create the latter to fit in the smaller areas of your lavatory. The shallower bathroom cabinets are about three inches thinner than 24-inch thick kitchen cabinets and about four to six inches shorter than kitchen cabinets that have a standard 36-inch height. 

Luckily, you can make any existing kitchen design you like fit your bathroom by replicating them and customizing them to your own dimensions.

Long-Lasting Quality in the Valley!

The cabinets in your bathroom are like the furniture in your living room; they make up the space and depict aesthetics that could affect anything from your mood to your property value. Rather than leave your design choice and materials to the whims of a lesser company, trust our five-star company with over three decades of experience. 

Cardinal Wholesale Cabinets, LLC, can not only help you decide between a bathroom vanity vs. cabinet layout but bathroom vanity colors, sizes, and styles. If you require custom products, we’ll take measurements of your space and bring your dream units to life. Call 602-296-5648 to receive a free estimate in Phoenix, AZ, and the surrounding areas today!

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