Marquis Camden Vanities Buying Guide
The Marquis Camden is a shaker vanity with gently curved corners, wall hung or floor standing on a kickboard, in widths from 600mm to 1800mm. It comes with an above counter or semi-inset basin included, a choice of Symphony solid surface or Caesarstone, Vasari or Dekton tops, and it is made in Australia. It is part of the Marquis vanities range. This guide covers the front, the drawer and door layouts, the cabinet finish, the top, the tap hole options, and the fitting and care steps for a wall hung or kickboard cabinet.
The shaker front
The Camden is a shaker design with clean, traditional proportions, softened by gently curved corners. A shaker door is the profile most often chosen for a Hamptons bathroom, where a panelled front is a defining feature, with smooth doors as the contemporary alternative. The curved corners keep the shaker proportion while softening the edge, so the Camden sits between the two: it reads as classic from across the room and as modern up close. See Hamptons vanities for other vanities in that style.
Where the Camden suits
The Camden suits a room that wants a traditional front without a heavy period feel. It works in a Hamptons or coastal bathroom with white tiles and chrome or brushed nickel tapware, in a transitional room with a mix of old and new, and in a modern room where one softly shaped cabinet warms a plain scheme. It does not suit a room built on flat, handleless slabs, where a shaker front can look busy, so for that look choose a flat front from the same maker.
Drawers and doors
The Camden comes as all drawer, all door, or a combination of doors and drawers, with a choice of handle style. The floor standing version carries more drawers per size, and the larger widths take two banks of drawers or a door beside a bank of drawers. Read the layout on the product page for the width you choose. A door suits bulky items and tall bottles, and a drawer suits small items and lets you see what is at the back.
Wall hung or floor standing on a kickboard
The wall hung version leaves the floor clear underneath, which makes cleaning easier, and it needs studs or reinforcement behind the wall to carry the cabinet and the top. The kickboard version gives a classic floor standing look and added stability. A kickboard also covers pipes that come up through the floor. Wall hung is easier to plan at framing stage, and floor standing is often more practical when the walls are already tiled. See wall hung vanities and freestanding vanities.
A kickboard cabinet looks like a piece of furniture and fits a room with a traditional feel. A wall hung cabinet looks lighter and suits a small room where you want to see as much floor as you can. If you are unsure, ask what the floor is made of: a tiled floor with a good finish suits either, and a floor with a fall or a step suits a kickboard that hides the gap.
The cabinet finish and handles
The Camden comes in three cabinet finishes: White Gloss, White Matte and Tranquil Retreat Matte. A White Matte cabinet suits a Polished Brass bell knob, and a Tranquil Retreat Matte cabinet suits black timber knobs. White Gloss reflects light and brightens a small room, but it shows fingerprints. White Matte hides marks and gives a softer, calmer face. Tranquil Retreat Matte is the coloured option, and it gives the shaker front some character in a coastal or Hamptons scheme. Check the swatch in your room, because the colour changes with the light.
Marquis offers a sample box, and a sample cut from a sheet can look slightly different from the finished cabinet, so order a sample if the colour matters. Painted colours can vary slightly between batches, and on-screen colours are only an indication. For a white cabinet, see white bathroom vanities.
Choosing a handle
The handle changes the character of a shaker front more than any other detail. A bell knob in polished brass suits a traditional or Hamptons room. A black timber knob gives a quieter, more modern look. A flat bar or a finger pull makes the cabinet cleaner and more contemporary. Choose a handle that matches the tapware, so brass knobs sit with brass taps and black knobs with black taps. On a wide cabinet with several drawers, choose one handle for the whole front.
Choose the top
The Camden comes with a Symphony solid surface top, or with a Caesarstone, Vasari or Dekton top as a separate option. The Symphony top is 20mm. Wipe solid surface and stone tops with a soft damp cloth and mild detergent, avoid abrasive pads, and do not place hot items directly on the surface, because prolonged or extreme heat can cause permanent damage.
Basin, waste and tap holes
The basin is included, above counter or semi-inset. A semi-inset basin sits partly into the bench, which lowers the rim a little and leaves you more usable bench, and an above counter basin sits on top and shows its full shape. Check the basin against the depth of the cabinet and keep it back from the front edge so there is room to use it. See above counter basins.
The Camden comes with 0, 1 or 3 tap holes. Choose the tap before you order the top, because the tap hole position is set when the top is made. A wall-mounted tap has its rough-in set before the wall is lined and tiled. A plug and waste is not supplied with Marquis vanities, so add one to the order or confirm it with the plumber. Tighten the waste by hand only, because overtightening stresses the basin, and look for debris or an unlocked plug if it will not hold water. See taps and mixers.
Choose the width and bowl layout
The Camden comes in 600mm, 750mm, 900mm, 1200mm, 1500mm and 1800mm. Check the cabinet depth and the kickboard height on the spec sheet in the product downloads before you fix the plumbing positions. The larger sizes have offset bowl options.
A 600mm Camden suits a small ensuite or a powder room. A 750mm suits a small main or guest bathroom with a single basin. A 900mm suits a main or family bathroom with one basin, and it is not wide enough for two. A 1200mm suits a large single basin or a tight double, so confirm the bowl layout on the product page. A double basin needs about 1500mm in practice, and 1800mm gives two users real separation. Mark the width and depth on the floor with masking tape, and if you have to turn sideways to pass, the vanity is too wide, too deep or both.
The size pages list each width: 600mm, 750mm, 900mm, 1200mm, 1500mm and 1800mm. For two basins see double vanities.
Fit and walkway
Allow about 700mm to 750mm clear in front of the vanity to stand and move, and keep at least 450mm from the centre of the toilet pan to the side of the vanity. Measure depth from the finished wall to the front of the top or basin, not only to the cabinet face. A wall hung vanity is set on site, about 800mm to 900mm to the top, by the installer from the users, the basin and the wall. For a kickboard cabinet, the top height is set by the cabinet, so check it against the people who will use it, and remember an above counter basin adds to it.
Fixing the cabinet
The wall carries the whole load on a wall hung cabinet, so fix it into solid framing or reinforced backing. Fix a wall hung cabinet to support nogs fitted between the studs, added before the wall is sheeted, and make the nog wider than the vanity. Fix the cabinet through the back into at least two supports, with horizontal fixings no more than 300mm apart, and make sure the fixings clear water and electrical services. The wall must be plumb and straight and the floor level, and the cabinet is packed out if not, because a bowed wall twists the cabinet when it is fixed. A kickboard cabinet must sit level and true, and still needs fixing to the wall.
Use a qualified tradesperson, and a licensed plumber for the plumbing. Check the plumbing positions against the cabinet's interior layout and note the clearance behind the drawers. Check the vanity for damage when it arrives and do not install one that is damaged. A Marquis vanity arrives fully assembled, so measure the route from the delivery point to the bathroom before you order.
Sealing and after fitting
Run a continuous bead of non-acidic silicone on every edge where the cabinet or top meets the wall or floor, and extend the tiles behind and beneath the furniture. Bathroom furniture should sit at least 300mm from wet areas. The materials resist moisture but are not waterproof, and the room needs ventilation. Doors and drawers can move during transport and installation, so adjust them once the cabinet is fixed. A drawer that will not close usually has an obstruction such as a pipe or a tap hose, or the cabinet is not level and plumb. Wipe excess silicone off as you go.
Mirror and care
A mirror looks best slightly narrower than the vanity, about 50mm to 100mm in from each side, hung about 100mm to 200mm above the bench or basin rim so it clears the tap handles. A framed mirror in a woodgrain finish suits a shaker front. See mirrors.
Wipe the cabinet with a soft cloth and a weak solution of non-abrasive detergent, and dry any spill. Wipe away pooled water around the basin, and avoid strong chemical cleaners and abrasive pads. Matte finishes suit a soft damp cloth, and gloss finishes show smears, so buff them dry. Check the silicone each month and reseal any that has lifted.
More sizes and styles
Every size and style is in the bathroom vanity guide.
