Marquis Vanities Buying Guide
Marquis has been building vanities since 1979, and every cabinet is made in Taylors Beach, NSW. Each vanity is built to your specification, arrives fully assembled and is not flat-packed. The range is one of the widest on this site, with coastal shiplap styles, shaker styles, fluted and curved fronts, compact units and custom lengths, so the choice is mostly about picking the right family before the right size. This guide sorts the ranges by style, then explains the tops, finishes, tap holes and ordering rules, and the installation points that apply to Marquis vanities. The ranges with their own pages here are Marlo, Shore, Camden and Reef.
Choosing by style
Marquis vanities fall into a Coastal Collection and a wider vanity range. The style of the front is the quickest way to tell them apart, so start there.
Coastal shiplap and fluted fronts include Lake and Anna, which have wrap-around shiplap panels and a multi-drawer layout, with Anna wall hung and Lake available wall hung or floor standing. Valencia has a shiplap design that wraps the entire vanity. Tide has an 80mm top and a shiplap design, a coastal vanity designed by Marquis with The Blue Space. Bay and Cove are thermolaminated in a fluted timber-grain design. Merewether is thermolaminated and fluted, with both drawer and open shelf storage. Shore is a gracefully curved cabinet with a choice of fluted designs.
Shaker fronts include Pier, which is a five-panel shaker cabinet. Hamilton has a shaker profile. Camden combines shaker proportions with gently curved corners. Provincial has a shaker profile for a modern Hamptons room, in Gloss White, Matte White or Tranquil Retreat matte. The Hamptons vanities page shows this style across brands.
Flat and contemporary fronts include Marlo, which has a flat, unbroken front with inverted shark fin fingerpulls. Gold has a recessed fingerpull, and can be ordered all drawer, all door or door and drawer. Riviera has reverse fingerpulls and a recessed frieze, and has the largest selection of tops in the collection. Arco has a v-groove front with an arched detail and soft-close doors and drawers. Avion has curved display shelves with drawers. Shortland has a minimalist design with an open shelf, in 900mm to 1500mm. Reef is wall hung with generous cabinet storage. Palm has protruding edges and a Pinta wooden handle. Salamander and Peak have a saw-tooth profile. Port has a distinctive door and drawer profile with a timber-grain look. Chifley is a modern design that suits a contemporary or retro bathroom.
For the same shapes across brands, see fluted vanities and curved vanities.
Which Marquis suits which room
Pick the style from the room, not the other way round. A coastal or Hamptons house takes a shiplap or shaker front: Lake, Anna, Valencia, Pier, Hamilton or Provincial. A modern house with flat tiles and straight lines takes a flat front such as Marlo, Gold or Riviera, where the only detail is a fingerpull. A room that wants texture without colour takes a fluted front such as Bay, Cove, Merewether or Shore, because the vertical grooves catch the light and add depth to a plain wall. A room that wants a softer outline takes the curved corners of the Camden or the curve of the Shore.
Drawers, doors and open shelves
Marquis builds a range of storage layouts, and the layout matters as much as the front. Gold can be ordered all drawer, all door or door and drawer, which makes it the most flexible. Salamander is offered in an all-drawer configuration. Avion has curved display shelves on one side or both, with drawers, and Shortland has an open shelf that holds a folded towel. Merewether combines drawers with an open shelf. Marq and Oxford Ensuite use an open shelf, and Caleta is door only.
Sizes
Most Marquis ranges run from 600mm to 1800mm, with a few narrower or more limited. Avion, Arco, Port and Shortland stop at 1500mm. Match the width to the use. A 750mm vanity suits a small main or guest bathroom with one basin. A 900mm vanity is the main and family bathroom size for one basin and is not wide enough for two. A 1200mm vanity is a large single or a tight double. A 1500mm vanity is the comfortable double, and 1800mm gives two users separation. The size pages list what is available at each width: 600mm and smaller, 750mm, 900mm, 1200mm, 1500mm and 1800mm. For a wall that falls between sizes, the route is a standard vanity with filler panels, and only certain tops suit that. Custom lengths, from an exact fit between walls to a fully custom design, are also available.
Tops, and what each one asks of you
Marquis offers its own Symphony top, Caesarstone, Dekton and Vasari, plus the Casa ceramic moulded top and polymarble tops on the compact units. Symphony and Caesarstone are 20mm, and Dekton and Vasari are 12mm, so the top you choose also sets how thick the bench looks.
Many vanities include a basin, so check the product page for whether a basin is included and whether it is above counter or undermount. You may supply your own basin and Marquis will customise the vanity to suit, and a cabinet only or a top only can be ordered. Browse above-counter and undermount basins, or the full basin range.
Tap holes and the waste
The tap hole count is set when the top is made. Marquis tops can be drilled with none, one or three holes, and basins accept tap holes at 10, 12 or 2 o'clock, or none for wall-mounted taps. The Marlo, Camden and Reef offer none, one or three, Provincial offers none or one, and the Bacino basin on the Marq is available only with one hole at 12 o'clock. A plug and waste is not supplied with Marquis vanities, so add one to the order or confirm it with the plumber. Overflow rings are a cosmetic 30mm ring that conceals the overflow and can match the tap finish, where the product offers one. Bathroom taps and mixers lists the mixers to match.
Finishes and colour
Marquis cabinet paint is a two-pack polyurethane, colour matched to specification, in a gloss or matte finish. The Duragrain range is timber grains and solid colours, in five groups. Woodmatt includes Prime Oak, Coastal Oak, Florentine Walnut, Tasmanian Oak and Angora Oak. Chalk includes Rural Oak. Smooth includes Amaro, Gossamer White and Blossom White. Natural has earth-toned names such as Gumnut, Daintree and Bluestone. Matt includes Oyster Grey and Polar White. Thermolaminated finishes are a separate group used on the shiplap, fluted and v-groove fronts, and ranges vary in which finishes they take. Colours on screen are representative only, swatches show a small area, and exact matches across ranges are not promised. Darker laminates show marks more readily and need more frequent care. The drawer hand, left or right, is chosen when you order. Ask for samples before choosing a dark colour or a woodgrain.
Single bowl or double bowl
A single bowl on a 900mm or 1200mm cabinet leaves a long run of bench for products, and it keeps the plumbing simple. A double bowl needs 1500mm at the least, and 1800mm gives each user room to spread out. Most Marquis ranges offer a centre bowl and a double bowl at the larger widths, and the Gold, Riviera and Anna also offer an above-counter basin for each user. If one person uses the bathroom most of the time, a single bowl on the same width gives you the better bench. If two people use it together each morning, the second basin is worth the extra plumbing. Decide before the walls are lined, because a double bowl changes the rough-in.
Wall hung or floor standing
Most Marquis vanities are wall hung, and the floor standing versions are made in several ranges, including Lake, Shore, Marq, Marlo, Camden, Hamilton, Palm and Provincial. A wall hung cabinet leaves the floor clear and needs solid backing behind the wall lining. A floor standing cabinet on legs or a kickboard covers pipes that come up through the floor. See wall hung vanities and freestanding vanities for the comparison across brands.
Installing a Marquis vanity
Marquis vanities are not fully waterproof. They use moisture-resistant board with sealed edges, so spills and splashes should be wiped off promptly. Mounting brackets are not supplied: the tradesperson locates the wall studs and screws bolts through the solid back of the cabinet. A licensed tradesperson experienced in bathroom construction should do the work, and DIY installation is not recommended. For wall hung installation, fit support noggins between the studs, wider than the vanity. The wall must be plumb and flat, with the vanity packed out where it is not. Run the tiles behind the vanity, and seal the edges with non-acidic silicone. Plumbing belongs to a licensed plumber, and a double bowl needs two wastes, two mixers and two traps.
Care
Wipe spills and water off the cabinet with a cloth promptly, so they do not absorb into the timber. Standard cabinets take warm soapy water or a spray-and-wipe cleaner used sparingly on a soft cloth, then dried immediately. Thermolaminated doors and panels should not be exposed to high or continuous moisture, steam or humidity. They should not be cleaned with commercial or abrasive cleaners, scouring pads, acids, alkalis, solvents, thinners, turpentine, ammonia, bleach or acetone, and sharp implements should be kept away from them. Darker finishes need more frequent cleaning to keep their appearance.
Designing your own
The TBS Vanity Visualiser takes you through the build in three steps: configuration, finishes, then accessories, with a style quiz at the start. If you need a size outside the standard range, the custom vanities page covers made-to-size options. A mirror hangs best slightly narrower than the vanity, in about 50mm to 100mm from each side, and 100mm to 200mm above the bench or basin rim, and mirrors come in a range of widths. The bathroom vanities page sets out the decisions that apply to every vanity.
