A few months ago I shared my plan for the master bathroom. I really like the aesthetic of a simple floating sink area in the bathroom. This is my favorite modern rustic bathroom by far…
I had this grand idea {for Handy Hubby} to DIY a wooden vanity top similar to the one above. But over the past few weeks, HH has hinted around to me that he’d prefer a bathroom vanity with a little more closed storage. He’s a smart guy. He’s knows better than to tell a pregger entering her third trimester that he outright doesn’t like her ideas. Other hubbies with prego wives should take notice.
A first I shrugged off his suggestion. I had an image of my dream bathroom in mind and nobody was going to touch it. Then I started thinking logistically and took a mental inventory of the bathroom toiletries in our apartment bathroom. While we don’t keep a ton of toiletries hidden under the sink and in drawers, it’s probably more than a small shelf or medicine cabinet could hold. Reality set in. My dream floating bathroom sink wasn’t practical.
Or was it?
On a recent browsing trip to IKEA, I passed by the bathroom section on my way to the lighting area. I decided to take a quick peek at the sink I planned on using in the master bathroom.
And whatd’ya know? One display had my sink installed on top of a floating vanity with drawers.
The GODMORGON sink cabinet is available in a width less than 24″ which should be petite enough to fit in our tiny master bathroom. {HH says it’ll fit; I still need to measure to make sure.} It can be mounted to the wall for a floating effect {yippee!} or placed on legs sold separately. It includes two drawers to hide toiletries. The high gloss gray option is just screaming to be placed alongside the grayish penny floor tile and shimmery white shower tile surround that I’ve already chosen for the bathroom. And at $149 we won’t go broke.
Basically, it’s the perfect compromise between my desire for a floating vanity and HH’s need for bathroom storage. We both win. For good measure, I rounded up a bunch of images of floating IKEA vanities.
I’m also digging the fact that the floating drawers cover up the plumbing to the sink. My dream vanity would have left the plumbing exposed. Not that I would have minded but the vanity will be directly visible from the master bedroom.
That’ll be the view from our bed someday. The vanity will be centered right through the doorway in the bathroom.
Since the vanity has a much sleeker, slicker feel than I had originally planned for, I’d like to tone it down a bit with some rustic touches. Perhaps a mirror with a wooden frame, a woven stool/basket/trash can, natural wood shelving above the toilet or a natural fiber rug? As you can see, the mood board I started with in the beginning is getting tweaked. But that’s exactly why I make mood boards. They give me an overall aesthetic to strive for. They’re not meant to be followed to a T. When one of the elements changes {here, the vanity} I have a good idea of how that effects the rest of the room {in this case it takes away that natural feel I like} and can make changes accordingly {like switching the mirror for one that has more rustic qualities}.
So, it looks like I’ll be making a quick trip to IKEA this weekend to pick up a bathroom sink and vanity…as long as everything measures up okay. At least it will be a nice break from installing those darn floors. Those darn floors that I love more and more with each passing day.
images: 1) Polyvore collage by Dana Miller 2) Rate My Space 3-10) IKEA 11) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
Dana, will you be ditching the medicine cabinet, now that you will have drawer storage, or keeping it? I notice from your mood board it is similarly sleek and modern.
We are also going to use Ikea floating cabinet in our bathroom! Once we enter that phase of the renovations … in a decade or so
That is really cool! I would love to redo my bathroom. Can’t wait to see how it looks all in place.
Love this! My neighbor just installed a floating vanity in their basement bathroom and they Had low lights installed on the bottom of the vanity, so you can see where your going in the dark. Maybe not appropriate for a master bedroom however since a lights would be slightly annoying, but great idea I thought for a guest bathroom or for a kids bathroom
Love the vanity, great choice!
Love it!! I am a huge fan of hidden storage and I have so much bathroom stuff, I agree with HH that the more storage, the better!
though i still love the original floating vanity better, i understand that compromise is part of any renovation. i don’t love the look of the IKEA floating vanity. to me they look like a filing cabinet with a sink on top. but i also don’t have a modern aesthetic going on in my house, so perhaps once it’s in the room it will all go together.
The first time I saw these at IKEA, my heart went pitter-pat. Such a practical but beautiful use of space. And drawers are SO much better than bending down to look for something in the way back of a floor-level cabinet. Can’t wait to see the finished product!
We installed the Godmorgon vanity you speak of in March of this past year when we renovated our bathroom. Ours is the glossy white, and the “double wide” version, but I LOVE it. Like really really love it. All of our stuff fits in the drawers, the top of our vanity is always clear…it’s kind of dreamy. We used Ikea taps as well because the plumbing setup is a little tricky and we weren’t sure if we could swap in just any fixtures, and I’m happy to report that they’re very high quality. Very sturdy, turn on and off nicely, etc. Huge thumbs up. The only thing I’ll say is that our sink is a bit shallow, which took some getting used to, but no complaints. Enjoy the new vanity!
I also had dreams of a floating vanity, in the kid’s bathroom though…so the stupid, ubiquitous, Ikea step stool could be pushed under it. I’m not remembering what you had in mind for the kids’ bathroom at your place, but if HH is still on the storage kick, and you don’t want 2 of the same Ikea floaters, maybe consider doing what I did to make a typical vanity more kid-friendly: http://tiny.cc/yo7wo
Best of luck! (I cannot believe how much you get done while pregnant!)
Great minds think alike. Same vanity as we bought (ours is the 30″) for our suite’s modern bathroom gut-reno we’re in the midst of. Just finished the tiling so it will be installed next week. Square white vessel sink on top. Unsure yet whether to do a concrete counter (used to be our business) or dark-stained butcherblock………
I’m sure you know this, but check the ‘AS IS’ room before you buy anything — I’ve noticed especially after Christmas there can be great stuff in there, including floor models.
I really like the sink.
On an odd tangent, I think IKEA should have rethought that first staged bathroom picture. I had to look at it twice before I realized the girl sitting on the floor is NOT picking her feet. Gross.
I love that you found a compromise that still fits your style/plans! Looking forward to seeing the progress!
We renovated our main bathroom with this ikea sink and drawer cabinet. The double faucet, single bowl sink also works great for bathing new babies we found out.
Sounds like a good plan! Extra storage can’t hurt for sure. Sidenote: Do you have a Pinterest? I am trying to find you so I can follow you.
I never thought about floating vanities until I/we had to deal with a small bathroom. I read that in order to expand the space it’s best to free up as much floor space as possible. I fell in love with the IKEA drawer unit, but at the time the drawers weren’t in stock, so we opted for doors. Either way the effect is still the same: a floating vanity (and hides the plumbing somewhat – different from the states). We also have a medicine cabinet, but the whole scheme doesn’t look cluttered. Both have given us plenty of space to store stuff without cluttering. You really can’t go wrong. Btw, your home is coming along beautifully. One day at a time, and before you know it everything will be complete.
PS – God Morgon means good morning in Swedish.
I’m not into floating vanities, they remind me of hotel bathrooms/handi-capped bathrooms, but I appreciate that your home doesn’t look like every other remodel in the blogosphere. Also, just a tip, I had a very pricey woven waste basket in my master bath & in a matter of months it began to rot/mold. Wet anything (cotton balls, kleenex, etc.) makes them gross-quick!
We used the godmorgan in our bathroom re-do last year. I love it! We have the biggest one and were able to fit double sinks on it. Luxury, I tell you! Also, we only have one bathroom, so two sinks plus huge drawers with lots of room for storage is fantastic. Enjoy!
Hi D, love your style of home decorating on a budget! We also chose the 2 drawer vanity from ikea for our tiny bathroom reno (last spring). The theme for the new bath was “minimalist”, with shiny white wall tile, all white fixtures, pale blue walls, and dark black-brown large floor tiles. I love that the vanity is significantly smaller than the old vanity, plus the floating look (though we did put two feet under the front corners to give it support, the overall weight seemed too much to depend on the wall mounting alone). The drawers are great, filled them with various size square baskets to keep everything out of sight. I had originally wanted the simple floating shelf vanity with vessel sink, but v. pleased with our ‘compromise’, hope you will be too!
We have the GODMORGON vanity with the BRÅVIKEN sink in our master bathroom and LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! Our bathroom is TINY and the drawers really offer so much more storage than any other vanity we’ve had. Plus it’s awesome that they are actually fully functional while looking awesome. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to a regular vanity with doors again. It makes getting everything you need in the bathroom so much easier. We have the GODMORGON black-brown with white front drawers and we actually got the BRÅVIKEN sink that has a trough sink (1 drain) but has 2 faucet holes. Totally recommend it!
We had some space on both sides since our vanity fit in a little nook so we built it in further with some wood on each side so it looks like the base is larger than the sink, which we like (it looks more like your first photo). Good luck!!
Your husband is right to ask for more hidden storage, although I also love your other version! As I have to make over our bathroom this year, I have also thought about Ikea Godmorgon, and last year (when I already had this in mind) they sold a couple of Godmorgons (the version with two drawers) in the as-is section for only 20 Euros, because their packages were broken (but the inside wasn’t damaged). I didn’t have to think twice and bought one, which is now in our attic waiting to be installed. I thought if I changed my mind (and wanted the bigger version with 4 drawers) I could always resell it.
Jule
Dana, we just installed the 2-drawer 38″ Godmorgon black-brown vanity last month in our lower level bath. We love it! It keeps the bathroom clutter hidden away in a sleek package. I can’t wait to see how you accessorize your space!
Loove what you have planned for the master bath. There is always a little compromise with remodeling.
YES!!! We also have two teeny tiny bathrooms, and I have been looking for something sleek and functional just like this! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! Now I don’t have to figure out how to work extra storage into the bathroom with a pedestal sink, I don’t have to worry about seeing exposed plumbing, and it’ll be just that much easier to mop! Now if only I can convince my hubby to gut the bathroom for a wall-mounted toilet….
Jule – I scoped out the as-is section in hopes of finding a bathroom vanity at IKEA but no luck. Great find for you!
Marcy – I didn’t know that’s what ‘god morgan’ meant. Thanks! I’ll think of it every morning I wash my face…once we move in.
Sarah – Hehe. Well, I guess if someone were to pick their feet the bathroom would be a good place for it!
Holiday – Your DIY’d pull-out kid step in the bathroom vanity is simply genius!!!! So great. Thanks for sharing.
Bunny – We haven’t purchased the medicine cabinet and with the extra vanity storage, I think we’ll hold off until we’re moved in to see if it’s necessary. I’d really like to add some rustic/wooden elements to keep the room from feeling too sterile. We’ll see!
you are HOT!! I saw your pic and i was like..WHOA! Wish I was your handy hubby…
I love it when both people win. Great solution!
Very nice work! Love it!
Oh how I wish we had an Ikea store in New Zealand – doesn’t matter where – the North or the South Island would be great .. on and while I’m on the subject, wouldn’t a West Elm and an Anthropologie also be great? Ah well, dreams are free. Loving the floating shelf idea – looks great! x
That’ll be a great compromise! It’s definitely worth all the day-to-day function you’ll get out of that storage!
Love it!!! Ikea always seems to come through in the end. I can’t wait to see this room come together for you. Lots of luck!
Steve – Um, why thank you.
I have one of these vanities and LOVE IT. Great storage, very sleek. Even hubby commented on how well made and sturdy it actually is. And I love the high gloss finish. Mine is white and I die over it every time I go into the bathroom. Great choice
We picked up the same vanity for our Main Bath remodel a few months ago. Now that the holidays are over, it’s finally time to start getting after that project! I can’t wait.
I fell in love with the godmorgon series last year on a trip to ikea, and whenever we get around to doing the bathroom, probably not for a few years, we plan on using it. I love the added storage with the drawers, and the fact that its isn’t quite as deep as what we currently have, because we have a narrow but long bathroom and every extra inch counts! Can’t wait to see your review of the vanity… good to hear all the positive reviews of the bathroom line from your readers! I think the sleek gray paired with some rustic touches is going to be beautiful- that unexpected tension is what makes a room amazing!