Ensuite Vanities Buying Guide
An ensuite vanity (also written en suite) sits next to a shower and often a toilet, and it serves one or two people. That changes three decisions: how much depth the room can spare, how much of the cabinet should be drawers, and how well the cabinet is protected from steam and splashes. Below, each one is taken in turn, with the ranges that fit and a recommendation on which to choose and why.
Choose the depth first
A standard vanity is about 450mm to 500mm deep. Our ensuite ranges are shallower. The Marquis Oxford Ensuite is about 340mm deep. The Timberline Florida Ensuite and Billie project 360mm from the wall. The ADP Mabel Ensuite and Clifton Ensuite are about 390mm, and the Eli Ensuite and Glacier Lite Ensuite are about 395mm. That is 55mm to 160mm less than a standard cabinet.
Do the walkway sum before you pick a width. You need about 700mm to 750mm clear in front of the vanity to stand and move. In an ensuite 1,200mm deep, a 500mm standard cabinet leaves 700mm, and a 360mm cabinet leaves 840mm. Keep at least 450mm from the centre of the toilet pan to the side of the vanity, and check that drawers and doors open fully without hitting the shower screen or the door. If the standard-depth sum comes in under 700mm, choose the shallower unit and accept slightly less storage.
Then choose the width
A small ensuite takes about 500mm to 750mm and a larger one 900mm or more. For daily use by one person, 600mm is the practical minimum, and 750mm is more comfortable where the wall allows. The Mabel, Clifton and ADP Eli Ensuite ranges run from 600mm to 1800mm, and the Timberline Florida Ensuite comes in 600mm, 800mm and 1000mm.
Nothing in the ensuite range is exactly 700mm, so a 700mm gap sits between 600mm and 750mm. A 600mm vanity leaves about 50mm each side in a 700mm gap, which is inside the 50mm to 100mm that size guides allow for doors and drawers to open. A 750mm vanity does not fit that gap.
A second basin changes the question. A double basin needs two wastes, two mixers and two traps, and a double starts to work at 1200mm as a tight double, with comfortable doubles at 1500mm. Our recommendation: choose a double only if two people really use the ensuite at the same time, and then go to 1500mm where the wall allows. Otherwise a single basin with clear bench either side is the better use of the width. See 1200mm vanities, 1500mm vanities and double vanities.
Drawers, doors or an open shelf
Each ensuite range makes a different storage call, so match it to what you keep there. The ADP Eli Ensuite is all drawers in every size, which keeps storage generous in a shallow cabinet. The Mabel Ensuite is door and drawer, except the 600mm, which is all doors. The Glacier Lite Ensuite door and drawer slim vanity comes in 750mm and 900mm with a single centre bowl. The Marquis Oxford Ensuite has an open shelf that holds a folded towel in view, and the Anna Ensuite has shiplap panels in a coastal style. The Timberline Billie is an all-drawer unit.
Drawers show everything at once and can be cut around the waste, so they are the better default for skincare and grooming tools. A drawer cut around the waste holds less than its width suggests, so look at the interior on the product page. Choose the open shelf only if you will keep it tidy, because everything on it shows.
Wall hung or floor standing
Choose wall hung when the walls are open or about to be retiled, and floor standing when they are finished. A wall hung vanity leaves the floor visible and makes cleaning underneath simple. It needs solid backing. Wall hung furniture needs fixing to a support beam fitted between the studs. Extra noggins are added before the wall is sheeted if the cabinet height calls for it, and the noggin must be wider than the vanity. If the wall is already tiled, the support has to sit behind the tiles and the wall may need opening. A floor standing vanity needs no wall work beyond fixing and covers pipes that come through the floor. Several ensuite ranges come in both, including the Timberline Florida Ensuite and the ADP Mabel Ensuite. See wall hung vanities and freestanding vanities.
Top, basin and tap holes
Settle the tap before the vanity, because the tap hole is set when the top is made. The ADP Glacier Lite Ensuite top comes with a choice of no tap hole, one, or three, which lets you use a wall-mounted tap or a bench-mounted tap or mixer. A wall tap means the plumbing has to be planned into the wall before it is lined. The Timberline Florida Ensuite comes with a ceramic top and integrated basin in one or three tap holes. The Clifton and Eli Ensuite ranges are sold with the basin chosen separately, with the benchtop chosen in solid surface or engineered stone.
Ceramic tops can differ in size by about 5mm because of the kiln firing, so allow a little tolerance when you plan a tight fit between walls.
Treat the cabinet as a wet-zone product
An ensuite vanity usually sits close to a shower, so wet-zone rules apply directly. Cabinets are water resistant, not waterproof. The cabinet should sit at least 300mm from a shower or bath. The room needs ventilation, because high humidity leads to permanent dampness and mould. Every edge where the cabinet or top meets the wall or floor should be sealed with neutral cure silicone. Tiles should run behind and beneath the furniture. The sealing and the ventilation protect the cabinet.
Plumbing
Find out if your waste comes through the wall or the floor before you choose. The installer measures the plumbing positions and cuts holes for the pipes in the back panel, the base or both, and checks the clearance behind the drawers. A licensed plumber must connect the plumbing, and the vanity must be installed to its instructions. Check what comes in the box. Many vanities are sold as a cabinet and top together, with the option to buy them separately, and mixers, tapware and waste plugs are usually bought separately. The Marquis Oxford Ensuite does not include the plug and waste, and it needs a 35mm waste, so the waste has to match the top.
Storage inside the cabinet
The inside of a shallow cabinet decides how useful it is. The ADP Mabel and Eli Ensuite ranges have a graphite interior with soft close drawers. The Eli comes with one Como Small and one Como Large drawer organiser in grey, and the Mabel comes with a Como Small organiser. The Mabel drawer models also carry an in-drawer power point with one USB-C and one USB-A port, which suits a shaver or toothbrush charger. That power point needs an electrical rough-in before the cabinet goes in, so give the electrician the cabinet position while the wall is open. The wall hung Mabel comes with a 3L bin supplied loose.
The ADP Glacier Lite has a white interior with white pressed metal drawers, and the Pro model has a graphite interior. The Timberline Florida Ensuite has steel runners with soft close fittings and a white interior. The Otti Mini Ensuite carries Hettich drawer runners and soft closing doors.
Benchtop materials
Choose the top by how you want the basin to sit. A ceramic top with an integrated basin is the simplest to wipe down and has no join between bowl and bench. The Timberline Florida, ADP Glacier Lite, Marquis Caleta and Marquis Marq Compact all come with a ceramic top. A separate basin on a solid surface or stone top gives more choice of bowl shape. The ADP Mabel has a 40mm Durasein solid surface top, or the Cherry Pie Premium Solid Surface, with a 150mm splashback in matching colour included. The ADP Eli comes with a 12mm Durasein top or a 20mm Caesarstone Mineral top. The Marquis Oxford has a 20mm Symphony top, with Dekton or Vasari 12mm and Caesarstone 20mm as alternatives.
The Marquis Asti Baby has a white gloss polymarble top with one tap hole, and the Ingrain Round Fluted Powder Room Vanity has a 12mm Pure White porcelain top. Browse above counter basins if you are pairing a separate bowl with a solid surface or stone top.
Compact units for the smallest rooms
Some ensuites and powder rooms take less than 600mm. The Otti Mini Ensuite is 400mm wide. Its overall size is 410mm wide, 540mm high and 260mm deep, and the cabinet is 390mm wide, 500mm high and 250mm deep. It is made from high moisture resistant plywood, wall hung, with a reversible ceramic top so the tap hole can sit on the left or the right. It comes in Sable Walnut, Matte White and Woodland Oak, and tapware and pop-up wastes are sold separately.
The Marquis Asti Baby is 400mm and the Marquis Caleta Compact is 430mm, and both hang on the wall or sit on a kick. The Caleta is door only with a Cadiz white gloss ceramic top, one tap hole and an overflow. The Ingrain Round Fluted Powder Room Vanity is 400mm with a 410mm top diameter. It has no tap hole, so it suits a wall mounted tap. A wall spout between 180mm and 210mm suits a vanity that sits tight against the wall, and a freestanding spout is the alternative. The space saver plumbing kit takes the pipework to the back of the cabinet and keeps more of the internal shelf free.
Finishes and handles
The ADP Mabel has double shaker 40 style fronts in matte polyurethane finishes, with a bevel-grip finger pull or a choice of handles, including premium handles at no extra charge. The ADP Eli has an integrated handle across each drawer front, and its cabinet comes in the ADP Woodgrain and Silk ranges. The Timberline Florida is shown in navy blue satin and white satin, with chrome T bar or gold lip handles. A finger pull keeps the front clean and avoids a handle catching on a shower screen or a towel in a narrow room.
Wall tap or bench tap
Settle this early, because the top is made to suit it. The ADP Glacier Lite top comes with no tap hole, one or three. The ADP Eli comes with none or one, the Timberline Florida with one or three, and the Marquis Caleta, Marq and Asti Baby with one. A wall tap keeps the bench clear and makes wiping easier. The spout must reach past the front of the basin, so measure from the wall to the centre of the waste and choose a spout at least that long. A bench tap needs no wall work, which suits a wall that is already lined and tiled.
What comes in the box
Waste sizes differ between ranges, so check before you buy a plug and waste. The ADP Mabel and ADP Glacier Lite include a chrome universal plug and waste. The Marquis Oxford, Marq Compact and Asti Baby need a 35mm waste and do not include it, and the Marquis Caleta needs a 32mm waste that is not included. The Marquis Anna includes the above counter basin and the handles, and a plug and waste can be added at the time of order. The ADP Glacier Lite includes a fixing kit and three overflow cover rings in chrome, white and black.
Warranty
- ADP Eli Ensuite: 10 years on the cabinet and 10 years on the benchtop.
- Otti Mini Ensuite: 10 years on the cabinet and 5 years on the ceramic top.
- Timberline Florida Ensuite: lifetime warranty.
- Marquis Marq Compact: lifetime warranty.
The warranty applies to a vanity that is installed to its instructions, so keep the installation sheet and the plumber's details with your records.
Which range suits which room
- A room 1,200mm deep or less: the Marquis Oxford Ensuite at 340mm, or the Timberline Florida Ensuite at 360mm.
- A family ensuite with plenty to store: the ADP Eli, which is all drawers in every size, or the ADP Mabel with door and drawer storage.
- A narrow room with a ceramic top: the ADP Glacier Lite at 750mm or 900mm.
- A coastal bathroom: the Marquis Anna Ensuite with shiplap panels, in Gloss White, Matte White or Tranquil Retreat Matte.
- A powder room or cloakroom: the Ingrain Round Fluted Vanity or the Otti Mini Ensuite.
For a mid-size room, 750mm vanities and 900mm vanities show every maker at those widths.
Order of work
- Measure the room depth and the walkway in front of the vanity.
- Mark where the waste and the water supply come out of the wall or floor.
- Choose the tap type and the tap hole count.
- Choose the range, the width and the top.
- Fit the support beam or noggins before the wall is lined, and run any power for a drawer outlet.
- Have the plumber connect the waste and supply once the cabinet is fixed.
- Seal every edge with neutral cure silicone and fit the mirror last.
Looking after it
Wipe the cabinet with a soft cloth and a weak solution of non-abrasive detergent and dry any spill. Ceramic tops and basins clean the same way, but a scratch in the glaze cannot be repaired. Solid surface and engineered stone tops wipe clean with a damp cloth and mild detergent, and hot items should not sit directly on them. Check the silicone around the basin and the bench regularly and redo it where it is cracked or lifting, because that is how water reaches the cabinet.
Mirror
Choose a mirror slightly narrower than the vanity, about 50mm to 100mm in from each side, and hang it about 100mm to 200mm above the bench or basin rim. A double vanity takes either one mirror over each basin or one wide mirror. Our mirrors, basins and taps and mixers are listed by type.
Questions about ensuite vanities
How deep is an ensuite vanity?
Our ensuite vanities are about 340mm to 395mm deep, against about 450mm to 500mm for a standard vanity. The Marquis Oxford is the shallowest at 340mm, and the ADP Eli is 395mm.
Can I customise an ensuite vanity?
Yes. Many ADP, Marquis and Timberline ranges can be configured online with the Visual Shopper, where you choose size, finish, top and handles. Many are made to order, so confirm the lead time at checkout.
What is the smallest ensuite vanity?
The smallest are the 400mm units: the Otti Mini Ensuite, the Marquis Asti Baby and the Ingrain Round Fluted Powder Room Vanity. The Marquis Caleta Compact follows at 430mm.
Does an ensuite vanity need a mirror?
A mirror is part of how the room reads, and it adds light to a small ensuite. A mirror with its own lighting saves a separate light fitting over the vanity. See LED mirrors.
If an ensuite vanity is not quite right
A tighter room: small vanities or slimline vanities. A feature finish: fluted, curved or solid timber vanities. An awkward wall: custom vanities. Every size: the bathroom vanity guide.
Shop by brand
Ensuite vanities here come from ADP, Timberline, Marquis, Otti and Ingrain.
