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7 ways to transform a bathroom vanity

RobP
News and Features Writer
News and Features Writer

Bathroom reno with timber benchtop and VJ panelling.jpg

 

Vanity units provide important bathroom storage and typically accommodate your sink and tapware. While functional, a vanity can be the centrepiece of your bathroom and showcase your individual style.

 

Bunnings Workshop members have many clever and creative bathroom vanity projects for inspiration for your bathroom makeover. Here are seven ways to transform your vanity.

 

1. Use recycled timber

 

Recycled timber can add warmth and personality to what is often a plain white environment. With his bathroom renovation, Bunnings Workshop member @Codey combined a reclaimed Redgum slab with a stone basin. 

 

Bathroom reno with Redgum vanity.jpg

 

Community member @RCRISP also created a feature in their bathroom reno with timber benchtop and VJ panelling.

 

2. Upcycle a cabinet

 

An upcycled cabinet can make a big statement as a bathroom vanity. Winner of best upcycling project in our 2023 search for Australia's best D.I.Y. projects, a large cabinet was stripped, sanded, bleached and repurposed as a bathroom vanity with new quartz stone top and dual basins by @Renowayoflife.

 

Upcycled cabinet into bathroom vanity.JPG

 

Community member @RachelD also created a distinctive bathroom vanity using an upcycled sideboard split into two pieces, while @sallie24 utilised an old TV cabinet for her farmhouse-style bathroom refresh with upcycled timber vanity.

 

3. Install above-counter sinks

 

By installing the sink above the benchtop, you can create a stylish effect. For example, member @tom_builds combined a round ceramic countertop sink with black tapware in his bathroom refresh with large timber benchtop.

 

Bathroom refresh with large timber benchtop.jpg

 

Community members @Dons-Glenno used a raised black sink in their bathroom and toilet makeover, while experienced renovators @homeinmelbourne made great use of limited space in their luxury D.I.Y. bathroom renovation with bathtub.

4. Make a splash using tiling

 

A tiled splashback can add style and colour to a bathroom. Bunnings Workshop member @DIYMum utilised sheets of mosaic tiles for her splashback in an ensuite makeover with upcycled vanity.

 

Ensuite makeover with upcycled vanity.jpg

 

5. Install a floating vanity

 

A wall-mounted vanity can look stunning, create the illusion of space and ensure your floor is easier to clean. Community member @tamaraharringd added a floating vanity made by a tradesperson in her coastal bathroom reno with VJ panelling.

 

Coastal bathroom reno with VJ panelling.jpeg

 

@Banyoabode saved money with their D.I.Y. floating Tasmanian Oak bathroom vanity featuring large, soft-closing drawers.  

 

6. Use your imagination

 

Even the most unlikely piece of furniture can be transformed into a vanity. Workshop member @Cyclist took an old Singer treadle sewing machine and reinvented it as two pieces for an upcycled Singer sowing machine as vanity project.

 

Upcycled Singer sewing machine as vanity.jpg

 

7. Add lighting

 

Lighting can dramatically transform the look and feel of your bathroom, including your vanity. Community member @Shirld installed undermount LED strip lighting to her vanity as part of a complete bathroom reno.

 

Complete bathroom reno with LED strip lighting.jpeg

 

Help and inspiration for your bathroom makeover

 

For more help and inspiration for your bathroom makeover project, check out our comprehensive guide How to plan a bathroom renovation and our Top 10 most popular bathroom projects.

 

Why join the Bunnings Workshop community?

Workshop is a friendly place to learn, get ideas and find inspiration for your home improvement projects