Bathroom Vanity Swap — Replacing a Console Sink to Add Storage and Function

Console sinks look sharp — chrome legs, exposed hardware, that clean vintage look. But they're a practical tradeoff most homeowners eventually regret. No storage, no counter space, and the S-trap and supply lines are fully on display. Fine in a powder room. Less fine in a bathroom where two people are getting ready every morning with nowhere to put anything.

In this job at a home in Cedar, MI, the client had a well-appointed console sink that had been in the bathroom for years — chrome legs, quality faucet, nice tile floor. It looked good. But they wanted drawers. They wanted cabinet space. They wanted a marble top and somewhere to actually set things down. The bathroom had the footprint for it, and the layout worked. Total time on-site: just under a half-day.

Once the console was out, we had a good look at the wall. There was a section near the top that had been previously patched — a reminder that walls in older bathrooms hold history. We addressed it before anything new went in. The supply shutoff valves were also updated while everything was open and accessible. That's the advantage of doing this work right: you don't get another shot at the wall once the vanity is in front of it.

New vanity went in level, shimmed, secured to studs. Carrara marble top, undermount sink, brushed nickel hardware. Plumbed back up, drain tested, every penetration caulked. The result is a bathroom that looks better and works the way a bathroom is supposed to — with four drawers and a cabinet where the chrome legs used to be.