#Inspiration
A Guide to Freestanding Bathroom Furniture
Standalone furniture in the bathroom refers to fixtures and fittings that don’t rely on wall brackets, cementing or caulking to hold them in place. In other words, they are self-supporting or freestanding.
Standalone furniture in the bathroom refers to fixtures and fittings that don’t rely on wall brackets, cementing or caulking to hold them in place. In other words, they are self-supporting or freestanding.
The history of such furniture goes back to the beginning of the indoor home bathroom—when bathtubs and vanity units first entered people’s homes, they did so as freestanding furniture. Nowadays, it’s far more common to find recessed or built-in bathroom furniture in everyday homes, which is perhaps why freestanding furniture has developed a reputation for symbolising the height of luxury in the bathroom.
There’s a whole host of high-end freestanding washroom cabinetry, bathtubs, washbasins, vanities and toilets on the market today. Let’s explore the world of detached bathroom furniture and take a closer look.
Reasons to consider freestanding furniture
There are many benefits to choosing standalone bathroom furniture over built-in alternatives. First of all, it’s a traditional signifier of opulence—a freestanding tub, for instance, tells people that you have taste, style and the time to luxuriate. It also feels incredibly indulgent in comparison to the everydayness of recessed furniture.
Another reason to choose freestanding bathroom furniture is that it’s incredibly easy to install in comparison to wall-mounted and built-in products, which tend to demand greater effort on the part of your fitter or plumber. When you want to refresh your bathroom, you can simply replace the furniture, leaving the overall look and feel of the space as it is. You can even take it with you to a new home without too much fuss.
Detached furniture also makes designing your luxury bathroom much more exciting as it empowers you to place furniture wherever you like—not necessarily pushed up against the wall. This is particularly advantageous if you have a larger bathroom space. What’s more, it comes in all shapes and sizes, so—even if you don’t have a larger bathroom—you can make the space feel every bit as luxurious by incorporating smaller freestanding items.
One more clear reason to choose freestanding over built-in furniture is that there’s very little discernible difference in price. Whilst it offers far greater aesthetic value to a home, freestanding bathroom furniture is generally comparable in price to its built-in counterpart—though, admittedly, a stunning standalone marble bathtub will set you back more than a run-of-the-mill acrylic recessed tub.
FREESTANDING WASHBASINS
A standalone washbasin is a great compromise between a traditional pedestal washbasin and a modern wall-mounted basin. It’s familiar enough not to feel out of place and, yet, idiosyncratic enough to really stand out and make a statement. That will help to give your remodelled bathroom a timeless quality. A freestanding washbasin also works brilliantly in a smaller space where you might not have space for a vanity unit.
There are two main styles of freestanding washbasin available on the market today:
- Standalone column basins – one-piece basins, which tend to be incredibly slimline and simplistic in their shape—take the Blush Solid Surface Washbasin for example. Thanks to the shape of these washbasins, they can be installed anywhere in the room, so long as your plumbing enables it—even in the centre of the room with a freestanding tap.
- Modern re-imaginings of traditional pedestal basins – two-piece basins like the Tamara Nero Marquina Marble Freestanding Washbasin, which take their inspiration from the classic pedestal washbasin, but with all the originality and inventiveness of the 21st These basins can also be located anywhere within the bathroom, thanks to their cylindrical or rectangular shapes—not just against the wall.
Whichever style you choose, you’ll be pleased to learn that you won’t necessarily pay more for a freestanding basin than you would for a wall-mounted bathroom sink—you might even pay less.
FREESTANDING BATHTUBS
If there’s one type of bathroom product that symbolises luxury, it’s a freestanding bathtub. There are many styles of freestanding tub available on the market today, so do your research before you decide on which style you’d like to invest in.
You might choose from one of these popular materials:
- Corian® bathtubs—made from the original DuPont solid surface and the height of modern luxury.
- Solid surface bathtubs—Corian® isn’t the only brand of solid surface and there are some stunning examples on the market by other brands, such as the lovely Milano.
- Marble bathtubs—hand carved and polished bathtubs from the world’s most sumptuous and highly sought-after rock.
- Acrylic bathtubs—for luxury on a lower budget, giving you all the aesthetic splendour of a freestanding tub without the price tag of marble or solid surface.
Once you’ve decided which material you’d like, you’ll need to think about what kind of shape you want. Will you want an oval tub (the most popular style), an angled tub that’s higher at the head end to enable you to fully luxuriate, or even a rectangular tub to emphasise your minimalistic love of clean lines in the bathroom.
Of course, let’s not forget the classic clawfoot bathtub, either, which is the first piece of furniture many people will think of when they consider a luxury bathroom. That’s because it’s reminiscent of the old Victorian slipper baths, which were some of the first bathtubs ever to be taken out of the public bathhouses and incorporated into aristocratic homes.
FREESTANDING CABINETS AND VANITIES
Choosing detached cabinetry for a luxury bathroom is a great idea because it gives a real sense of personality and identity to the space. Detached vanity units and cabinets are more portable than their built-in counterparts, which means they can be repurposed in the future—ideal if you’re looking to install a sustainable bathroom.
You can find freestanding cabinetry in all manner of luxurious materials—from Corian® to wood to opulent marble. Drawer units like the Gaia Solid Oak 2-Drawer Cabinet and vanities like the Riga Freestanding Pietra Grey Marble Vanity Unit bear beautiful design, top-of-the-line materials and exceptional build quality as their hallmarks—and these are the qualities you should be looking out for.
A freestanding unit has to be able to support itself without being bracketed to the wall, so it’s important that it delivers on quality. Look for signs of handmade craftsmanship and elements that will help to prolong the life of a cabinet, such as soft-close drawers or high-quality wood stain.
If in any doubt about the quality of a piece of freestanding furniture before buying—especially if you’re buying your bathroom online—make sure you contact the retailer to get a fully detailed product spec.
