Sources for creative cabinet plans?

[rudy de haas]

I have the new bathroom area stripped out, the plumbers are hacking up the floor to lay new pipe, and I have plans ready to mess up for everything except
the vanity. The attached ( I hope) image shows (very) roughly what the measurements (in inches) and constraints are. This will end up with either a one or
two piece granite top (two pieces would leave either a seam or a hardwood block (like a cutting board embedded in a kitchen counter) in the neck area but using one
piece is high risk for the install process because the neck is so narrow.)

She who must be obeyed wants draweers and storage - enough for a small hotel, I believe...

Does anyone know of a good source for plans (preferably of the shop drawing kind) that would help build something here? Anyone have any good ideas
for turning the odd shape into a plus? Anyone have pictures of a successful design?

[Bill White]

Using 3 cm granite (1 3/8") will be fine for the smaller edge. A qualified (read that QUALIFIED) fabricator and installer can make the seam almost disappear. Use undermount sinks.

Bill

[Jim Dwight]

If I was to make this I would start with a sketch and go from there. Another constraint is hardware for drawers. Bottom mounted is popular these days and requires different drawer dimensions than side slides. Both can be supported at the front and back and hung in space but I prefer to screw side supported to side walls of a cabinet. Another constraint you will have is the waste and supply plumbing. A tip out compartment can be on the top and is handy for little stuff but otherwise there is a dead area where the sink is (unless they are basin). If you really want to maximize drawers, you would need to complete the design after the sinks are in. You can put a simple frame in place to support the vanity top.

I don't think you'll find plans that fit this area. I think best you will do is to find cabinet plans you can adapt to your space. Bathroom vanities are similar to kitchen cabinets except for the need to work around plumbing.

[rudy de haas]

3cm? yes. Qualifed installer? Difficult to find here. We have an extremely good fabricator here, but he hires day labor for install work...

[Ethan Melad]

My first thought is why does the counter make a right angle when the wall does not? You'd end up with more floor space, standing space, and a more pleasing aesthetic if the cabinets follow the wall.

And why can't the sinks be next to each other?

I'd make the cabinets parallel to the wall, run them 5-6' long to fit both sinks and then make the turn to the shower. use the return end for open shelving or short drawers. make the vanity run of cabinets shallower than standard (maybe 20") to allow more space between counter and shower wall.

That said, while my advice might be useful and sites like this can be very helpful, questions like yours are the reason why interior designers and space planners exist!

[scott vroom]

Personally, I don't care for the sink on the return. I'd lose the return and go with an 86" base run parallel to the back wall. Plenty of room for 2 sinks and some storage. Were you going to have mirrors on the load bearing wall? Counter should be parallel to mirror. With that much counter depth you could install shallow mirrored wall cabs on that rear wall. Sounds like you might have a She Who Must Be Convinced sitiation on your hands.

[Kent A Bathurst]

......... Counter should be parallel to mirror.

yeah.......agree...that would be strange, otherwise............



Sounds like you might have a She Who Must Be Convinced sitiation on your hands.

:p I like it. The odds in one of those situations is never 100%, though.......

[Brian W Smith]

From a plumbing perspective(which I aren't),there is an old adage that goes something like............

He who uses the least number of fittings(bends).....wins.So,just because a designer or architect can "draw" something,doesn't necessarily mean that it makes a lick of sense from an engineering standpoint.When you mix water,as in baths and kitchens into what is basically a wooden world(typical building methods),your "designs" need to lean the balance more twds engineering than style if,longterm performance is on the menu.

Won't get into the SWMBO thing other than to suggest folks that subscribe to this nonsense,go back through history and find the timeline when this happened in architecture and building design.Good luck with your build.

[rudy de haas]

re: "She Who Must Be Convinced". Yep: but it's more like a "she who must be obeyed" on this particular issue.

[mark mcfarlane]

FWIW, I've seen some interesting under-sink cabinets with U-shaped drawers, where there is a cutout in the drawer to go around the drain. A thought if you prefer drawers to doors under the sink.

Regarding under-counter mount sinks, definitely easier to keep clean, just wipe that nose hair trimming into the sink, but may or may not match your aesthetics.

[rudy de haas]

Ethan:

Yes, that's plan B - makes life a lot simpler while reducing cost.

[rudy de haas]

Mark:

Yes, the sinks will be under mounted. As for the drawers - SWMBO wants (and I agree) to have a small shelf under each sink with a power bar mounted on it for things like recharging the electric toothbrush. The power cabling hangs loose around the tubes, and the shelf is shallow enougfh to sit in front of them. with normal 18" slides mounted to let the whole shelf pull out.

[David Linnabary]

I see that corner as dead space (storage wise) and you give up so much standing room plus constrict the walk flow of a space designed to be used by 2 people at the same time. Not to mention what those kinds of functional obsolescence a do to the sell ability of a home, perspective buyers see it and scratch their heads meanwhile ignoring other good features of the home.

I guess I'm speaking the way I would to my wife. We'd argue :).


David

[scott vroom]

:p I like it. The odds in one of those situations is never 100%, though.......

It's all in how you pitch in. Conviction is everything; if you negotiate from surrender then don't even bother.

[rudy de haas]

Scott et al:

1) yes, I was planning on making the medicine cabinets triangular so their fronts would be paralell to the counter.

2) I agree about making things simpler - lose the "L". But.. I've gone through lang et al on greene and greene and don't see workable plans
in either book. Where do I get usable plans for either imaginative or unimaginative cabinets?

[Jim Dwight]

If you eliminate the L shape, you only have 27 inches in front of the counter. That would probably be usable but would be a bit tight. With the L shape, it may be a bit hard to use both sinks, however. A person standing in front of each will be very close to a person standing in front of the other.

My wife and I use sinks in different parts of our bathroom but we are rarely at the sink at the same time. If you are like that, this probably works. If you will definitely have to use both at the same time a lot, this is going to be tight. You could stand in the space and try it out.

[rudy de haas]

Jim:

Agreed.

The rough plumbing got finished today, concrete over it Monday. After that I'm going to make a plywood prototype and have her stand at the "sinks".

[scott vroom]

If you eliminate the L shape, you only have 27 inches in front of the counter.

Jim, that's an assumption not confirmed by the OP's drawing.

Rudy, you stated that side A is "parallel to the shower". Not very descriptive really. It would be helpful if you could add to your sketch exactly where the shower is situated, as well as any other obstructions relative to the vanity wall.

[scott vroom]

1) yes, I was planning on making the medicine cabinets triangular so their fronts would be paralell to the counter.


That to me is an awkward design and would leave me scratching my head wondering why the designer didn't simply eliminate the L and make the counter front parallel with the back wall.



2) I agree about making things simpler - lose the "L". But.. I've gone through lang et al on greene and greene and don't see workable plans in either book.

That statement confuses me, Rudy. Are you saying you'll lose the L and do a straight cabinet run but can't find plans to build a 2 sink vanity on a straight run? Should be a simple, straight forward design right out of the Kraftmade playbook. And why are you looking at Green and Green? Are you planning an Arts & Craft style vanity? Their style and work is usually associated with furniture for rooms other than the bathroom.

Getting rid of that L and straightlining the vanity would have minimal impact on storage....it might actually improve drawer space. How much drawer space do you really expect to get in a 27" vanity with a recessed sink?

My suggestion is to put the shop drawing books down and use your imagination to envision what you want to build...then design and build it.