Custom Bathroom Vanities
The two things that make a bathroom vanity work are the width fitting the wall and the drawers clearing the trap. Neither is available off the shelf.
Where the standard option runs out
Bathrooms are where standard cabinetry sizing fails most obviously. A 1,220-millimetre alcove gets a 1,200-millimetre vanity and a gap. A powder room 150 millimetres too narrow for the next size down gets a vanity that is too small. Building to the measured opening removes the problem entirely.
The second thing custom solves is storage. Most stock vanities use doors because a door does not care where the drain pipe is. Drawers hold far more and are far easier to use, and with the drain position known in advance the drawer boxes can be notched around it — which is the difference between a vanity with two useful drawers and one with a cupboard you have to kneel in front of.
Powder rooms are the most frequent case. They are usually narrow, often oddly proportioned, and highly visible to guests, so a vanity that visibly does not fit stands out.
Primary ensuites are the second: double-sink runs where the two basins, the drawer bank between them and the wall clearances rarely divide neatly into standard cabinet widths.
Condo bathrooms are the third. The vanity is frequently the only storage in the room, the plumbing position is fixed by the building, and there is often a bulkhead or an offset wall that a stock unit cannot accommodate.
What this usually looks like
Most projects settle into one of these. They are starting points for the conversation rather than a menu.
- 01
Floating and wall-hung vanities
Mounted clear of the floor, which makes a small bathroom feel larger and makes the floor easy to clean. Requires solid blocking in the wall, so it is confirmed against the wall construction before it is drawn.
- 02
Floor-standing vanities
The straightforward and usually less expensive route, with a toe kick or plinth base. Preferred where wall fixing is limited, which is common in older houses and in some concrete condo walls.
- 03
Double-sink vanities
Two basins with a shared or divided drawer bank. The critical dimension is the space between basin centres, which determines whether two people can actually use it at once.
- 04
Powder-room vanities
Compact units, sometimes as narrow as a single drawer front, where the design carries visual weight because the room is small and the vanity is the main object in it.
- 05
Vanity with linen tower
A full-height tower at one end of the run, matched to the vanity, that absorbs the towel and toiletry storage a bathroom otherwise has nowhere to put.
- 06
Accessible vanities
Roll-under clearances, shallower depth and lever-friendly hardware where the bathroom needs to work for a wheelchair user or someone who will be aging in place.
What is included, and what is optional
The written scope on your project lists this specifically. Nothing here is implied — if it is not on the document, it is not in the price.
Included as standard
- Site measurement including plumbing rough-in positions
- Vanity layout and drawer planning around the trap
- Basin and tap compatibility check
- Moisture-appropriate material specification
- Manufacturing coordination and finishing
- Cabinet delivery, installation and levelling
- Wall fixing appropriate to the construction
Available as options
- Countertop and integrated basin coordination
- Removal and disposal of the existing vanity
- Matching linen tower or mirror cabinet
- Integrated lighting and outlet inside a drawer
- Drawer organisers and hair-tool storage
- Backsplash tile supply and installation
The choices that matter for this work
Material choice matters more in a bathroom than anywhere else in the house. Standard MDF swells permanently if water reaches an unsealed edge, so we specify moisture-resistant substrates, sealed edges and appropriate finishes for wet areas. This is a specification decision, not an upsell.
Painted MDF is the workhorse of custom cabinetry because it is dimensionally stable and holds a flat, even colour that timber cannot. These are the families most projects choose from.
Warm white
Reads soft rather than clinical under Toronto's low winter light, which cool whites do not.
Bone
A step warmer again. Forgiving on older houses with existing cream trim.
Greige
Neutral enough to sit with both warm and cool countertops, which is why it is so widely used.
Mushroom
A mid-tone that hides daily marks noticeably better than a pale finish.
Deep clay
Warm and grounded. Works well on a lower run with lighter uppers above.
Forest
A strong colour that behaves like a neutral once it is on a whole run.
Charcoal
Warm rather than blue-black. Reliable on islands and media walls.
Off-black
Dramatic, and it shows dust. Best in matte and best in a room with good natural light.
What we would tell you
- Look at any colour in the actual room, at the times of day you use it. North-facing GTA kitchens make cool greys read blue, and the same sample will look like a different colour in a west-facing room at five o'clock.
- Matte finishes hide substrate imperfections and show fingerprints less than gloss. Gloss photographs beautifully and needs more upkeep than most households expect.
- A two-tone kitchen usually works best with the darker colour below, which grounds the room. The reverse can be done deliberately but rarely happens by accident.
These are representative of the directions we work in, not a stocked catalogue. Colours shown on a screen are approximations — we confirm what is actually available for your project and put a physical sample in your hands before you commit to anything.
Things worth settling early
Each of these is straightforward at drawing stage and expensive or impossible afterwards. We raise them; you decide.
- 01
Choose the basin before the vanity is drawn
Undermount, drop-in, vessel and integrated basins each imply a different cabinet top and a different drawer arrangement. A vessel basin in particular sits high and usually means the vanity height has to come down.
- 02
Plumbing position sets the drawer layout
A centred drain leaves room for U-shaped drawers either side. An offset drain is often better because it frees a full-depth drawer on one side. We take the rough-in positions on the measurement visit.
- 03
Standard vanity height suits a standard person
The conventional 800 to 900 millimetre range is a convention, not a requirement. If the household is notably tall or short, or if children are the primary users, that height is worth revisiting.
- 04
The door has to open
In small bathrooms the entry door swing frequently conflicts with the vanity, particularly with a projecting countertop edge. It is a five-minute check on site and an expensive discovery afterwards.
- 05
Ventilation protects the finish
A bathroom without a working exhaust fan will damage any cabinetry eventually. If the fan is undersized or vents into the ceiling void rather than outside, fixing that is a better investment than any finish upgrade.
- 06
Floating vanities need real support
A wall-hung vanity with a stone top and a full basin carries significant load. Timber blocking or a steel bracket system has to be in the wall before the drywall closes, so this is decided early.
The same five stages, every project
- 01
Initial conversation
Tell us about the space. We tell you what is involved and what it depends on.
A phone call or a video call, usually 20 to 30 minutes
- 02
Site consultation and measurements
We measure the room properly — including everything that is out of square.
Typically 45 to 90 minutes on site
- 03
Design and material selection
Drawings you can read, and a written scope listing every cabinet.
Usually one to three weeks, depending on how many revisions you want
- 04
Production and scheduling
Manufacturing runs while we lock in dates, access and the other trades.
Typically four to eight weeks, depending on scope and finish
- 05
Installation and final review
Installed, adjusted, and walked through together — with anything outstanding in writing.
One to four days on site for most residential projects
Vanities: what people ask
Can you build a vanity to an unusual width?
Yes — that is the main reason people come to us for one. We build to the measured opening, so a 1,143-millimetre alcove gets a vanity that fills it properly rather than a standard unit with a filler strip beside it.
Are drawers really better than doors in a vanity?
For most people, clearly yes. Drawers bring the contents to you instead of requiring you to reach into a dark cupboard, and they use the full depth of the cabinet. The plumbing is the only complication, and it is solved by notching the drawer box around the trap — which is straightforward when the drain position is known before manufacturing.
What finish holds up best in a bathroom?
A well-applied factory finish on a moisture-resistant substrate, with every edge sealed. The failure point is almost never the face of the door; it is an unsealed bottom edge sitting where water pools, or a cut-out made on site and left raw. We specify accordingly.
Do you supply the countertop, sink and taps?
We coordinate countertops through surface suppliers, and we make sure the cabinet is correct for the basin and tap you have chosen. Sinks and taps are usually supplied by you or your plumber. We need the specifications early because they affect the cabinet, not the other way round.
Can you match a vanity to kitchen cabinetry elsewhere in the house?
Often, yes, particularly if the kitchen is a painted finish and we know the colour. Bear in mind that the same colour reads differently under bathroom lighting, and that the substrate for a bathroom should be moisture-resistant even when the kitchen's is not.
Where this often goes next
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Vanities across the GTA
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Ready to talk about vanities?
Send us the room, a rough idea, or a few photographs. We will tell you what is involved and what it depends on — before anyone talks about price.