As part of our multi-vanity renovation in Waiheke Island, BoxMakers chose a stunningly simple yet wholly elegant design for the girls’ vanity. Purpose-built with ease of operation and minimalism in mind, this unit is designed for sleek adaptability.
Smooth, pure, and chic, the benchtop is made from Caesarstone’s Organic White. This thin-profile, speckled mineral top is perfect for delivering a strong surface without the bulkiness of thicker benches. Within, it effortlessly accommodates the circular basin, chosen by the homeowner. Likewise, the faucet fixtures are in matching aged brass with the master vanity.
Below, the cabinetry features 16mm Prime MDF finished and edged with VidaSpace’s Desert Oak Veneer. Of note is the opening mechanism for the drawers, which carefully incorporates a 25mm finger-pull gap to allow for handleless operation, making the entire face fully uniform. The internals feature Häfele’s Alto soft-close system, which makes opening and closing smooth and silent – perfect even for nighttime.
We also included a cabinet-side power outlet, which means your electric toothbrush or hairdryer can operate comfortably within hand’s reach.
BoxMakers were also in charge of the mirror: a centre-open unit that reveals dual internal shelves, plus more power outlets. Kitted with Häfele’s soft-close hinges, mirror-side beauty lights, and an internal demister pad to chase away fog, it’s clearer than ever to wash, do makeup, or simply admire oneself. Opening and closing is handleless as well, with drop-down finger-pulls comfortably situated at the bottom.
This girls’ vanity is an excellent example of BoxMakers’ attention to use case. We design joinery that fits – not just physically and aesthetically, but practically. Whether it’s a featureful modern kitchen, practical man-cave bathroom, or a trendy minimalist vanity, we know the assignment and can tailor to your needs perfectly.
Looking for new cabinetry or thinking about a kitchen renovation? Call us on 09 827 1177, or chuck us an email at [email protected]
Often neglected, yet nonetheless an essential part of any home, the bathroom serves as an important litmus test when hosting guests. Even if you have a state-of-the-art kitchen with perfect, premium cabinetry, neglecting your bathroom can speak volumes about the rest of the home. Thankfully, bathroom vanities have seen just as much innovation in material diversity. Here are some of the top contemporary choices when it comes to the base:
Solid Wood: Traditional, rustic, and positively dripping with style, solid wood is the timeless choice that offers top-notch toughness and durability, often growing more refined with age. These can handle bulky countertops and tough loads such as multi-basin layouts. Capable of being refinished, solid wood is a material that can evolve with you well into the future. One of the major downsides is the high cost and vulnerability to humidity. Even its use in kitchens requires good sealing, and that’s doubly true when it comes to bathrooms. Water seeping in can cause bloating, rot, and structural weakness.
MDF: A popular contemporary choice for bathrooms, MDF is a versatile platform whose strength lies in its affordability and aesthetic malleability. Able to play host to a wide range of finish products such as melamine, veneer, laminate, paint, and polyurethane. You can have full black matte vanities, glistening bold laminate vanities, or traditional shaker-style faces – the possibilities are endless. Its waterproofing largely depends on the finish used. Polyurethane, for example, is excellent for resisting moisture, but can also be costly. In contrast, paint can chip, and DIY applications may leave room for gaps. Without proper sealing, MDF can swell and warp.
Frame Vanity: Often composed of a rigid metal or steel structure, these barebones bodies are stronger than they look. While they may resemble the skeleton of vanities past, these bar-based bathroom frames often tout the best price-durability ratio. Their metal construction can handle even the toughest of countertops with strength to spare while also being practically waterproof. Owing to their barebones structure, however, means they often don’t come with many storage compartments. Perhaps the most visible downside is the lack of aesthetic compatibility. Their direct and essential nature appeals best to commercial spaces, but can still work well in homes, so long as the rest of the bathroom doesn’t clash.
Particleboard: Affordable, lightweight, and sporting a diverse finish-set, particleboard is a common budget option for cost-sensitive bathrooms. While structurally weaker and more pliable than MDF, particleboard is just as capable of accessing the broad range of finishes made for engineered wood. If you’re going for particleboard, however, odds are you’re looking at melamine, laminate, or thermofoil rather than polyurethane. A good finish application can provide waterproofing that’s just as good vs an MDF substrate, but where particleboard’s weakness comes in is via its structural hold. You’ll have fewer options when it comes to choosing your benchtop and basin. Those will have to be lightweight so that the board’s vulnerabilities aren’t exploited.
Natural Stone: Often serving as a high-end, all-in-one option that comprises both the base and the countertop, a solid piece of natural stone is the ultimate expression of bathroom luxury. Sometimes, even the basin is carved into the very surface. Commonly seen in premium hotels, malls, and resorts, these absolute units tout no equal when it comes to lavish presentation. Despite their looks, these stone vanities still come with some notable cons. Foremost is their gargantuan price tag, especially if you’ve suddenly developed a taste for Roman mountains. Second, natural stone’s porous nature means they need sealing just like any other moisture-vulnerable material. For stone, penetrating sealers work to fill the pours, while topical sealers form a protective surface film. Natural stone also offers few opportunities to incorporate cabinetry and storage.
When it comes to the vanity’s body, wood or engineered wood often tout the most diversity in aesthetics and storage compatibility. Steel/metal frames give great waterproofing and durability at the cost of appearances and features, while natural stone invests all its points into simply looking stunning.
For this recently bought Glenfield house, the owner conducted a thorough home renovation. Having finished a beautiful modern kitchen for this family, our work also extended to a custom TV cabinet and a bathroom vanity, which combined to firmly cement this home as a full modern package.
Coming with the original home, the owner’s living space inherited an old fireplace. As they wished to opt for indoor heating, this fixture would have served as nothing more than a decorative relic. In place of it, BoxMakers were called upon to deliver a floor to ceiling TV cabinet, with a broad enough space to accommodate TVs up to 75”.
Beautiful Panels
Our precision cut cabinetry used a 16mm MDF substrate with a finish that came in Bleached Maple Woodgrain by Prime Panels. This mirrored the look of the brand-new kitchen while also fitting perfectly with the hardwood floor. As far as storage is concerned, the cabinet offers four large shelves with backlit LEDs, dual vertical cabinets with ample shelving, and bottom drawers featuring Häfele’s runner systems.
The wall-facing corner was carefully cut to accommodate the room’s crown moulding, ensuring a seamless fit and perfectly integrating it with the living room. Multiple power points were also thoughtfully installed with the family’s uses in mind. In addition to enjoying shows on a very large TV, the household are also big fans of gaming and karaoke. These power outlets allow for convenient powering of consoles and accessories while being excellent at hiding cables.
Complementing the Bathroom
Downstairs saw a significant structural makeover, and BoxMakers’ role was to deliver a new bathroom vanity to provide additional storage and a convenient basin. It features the same Calacatta Bianco countertop as the kitchen, partnered with a new cabinet finish of white melamine, yet complementing it just as well. The handles were chosen to be Mardeco’s Arezzo series, a rounded rectangular bar handle in black. This quaint little corner vanity adds cohesion and function to the new ground floor.
