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

In an effort to come up with finishes and an overall aesthetic for our master bathroom, I’ve been pouring over bathroom images online for weeks.  Originally, I liked the idea of hunting for a petite antique table or dresser, adding a sink to the top and converting it into a bathroom vanity.

Unfortunately, my antiquing and secondhand shopping haven’t turned up a suitable option.  The dressers I find are too large…too deep and too wide.  The tables that look like they’ll work are too ornate for our simple style.  Boo.

It just wasn’t working.  I wasn’t getting anywhere and I finally came to the conclusion that maybe it wasn’t supposed to work.  So, I dropped the salvaged dresser/table idea and moved on.  I still like the idea of incorporating antique furniture into our home, but I don’t think our small bathroom is going to be the place to do it.

Lately, I’ve been thinking that a floating vanity might work well in our small master bathroom.

They take up less space visually and physically.  They’re simple, usually with clean lines.

The options are endless, too.  An open wooden rectangular box with open storage in plain sight, two chunky concrete shelves hung parallel with textured baskets for hidden storage, or even a sink with a closed floating cabinet just beneath it are all variations of the floating vanity that could work.

Even a floating chunky wood countertop with a simple sink installed on top would provide space underneath for open or closed storage in the form of baskets or ottomans.  When I mentioned the floating vanity idea to Handy Hubby we was all ears.  He says it would be relatively easy to DIY. Plus, it would cost a whole heck of a lot less than the $400 sink/vanity combos I’ve seen at the home improvement stores.  And if we DIY a floating vanity, we have the freedom to customize it to our bathroom and its dimensions.  Just check out this DIY’d plywood floating vanity I came across and nearly fainted over…

Seriously?!  Isn’t that amazing?

The contrast of the sleek metal sink bowls against the warm plywood is spot on.  And by DIYing the project themselves, these homeowners created a totally custom piece that fits their bathroom and aesthetic to a T.

I like it.  I think we should do it.  Now, I just have to come up with a design.  I plan on adding hidden and concealed storage elsewhere in the bathroom to house toiletries.  It will also give us a good excuse to edit our already small arsenal of bathroom things.  But I think we can make it work.

What do you think?  Do you like the idea of a floating vanity in a small bathroom?  Maybe you have one yourself.  Or possibly you think it’s a horrible idea and I should ditch it right away.  I’d love to hear what you think.

images:  1) Rate My Space  2) Mirrors Mirrorsss  3) Bohemian Stoneworks  4) Rate My Space  5 & 6) Dwelement