Breaking Down Bathroom Vanities

Vanities are an essential part of the bathroom. Their utility with the sink and the storage solutions they provide make them a mainstay in bathroom design. Alison Gibson, interior designer, ProSource member and owner of AMG Interiors, joins the podcast to discuss the importance of vanities within the interior design of bathrooms. They discuss vanity and countertop trends and how durability against moisture is vital in choosing the right vanity.

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Welcome back to the ProSource podcast.

Today's episode is all about

breaking down bathroom vanities.

We are super excited

because we have one of our own

very own trade pro members,

Alison Gibson.

She is the talented

owner and interior designer

behind AMG Interiors.

Alison graduated

with her interior design degree in 2015

and after working in the design world

a little bit,

she decided to launch her own design

company in 2018 called AMG

Interiors, and it's based in

Virginia Beach.

They specialize in both residential

and commercial projects,

including homes, hotel

lobbies, storefronts, and restaurants.

She has very high expertise

in the interior design world.

She offers everything

from floor plan

suggestions to 3D renderings,

furniture selections.

She collaborates a lot with Prosource

to help her clients

fulfill their dream space.

She's also proficient in CAD

and she certifications

in staging and green design.

She's a very passionate individual

and I had a great time

talking with her today.

So enjoy the episode and come with us

as we break down the vanities.

Alison, thank you so much

for joining us today.

Yeah, thank you for having me.

Awesome.

If you don't mind,

maybe just share a little bit of history

about yourself.

How did you get into interior design

and what made you want to start

your own business with it? Sure.

So I started going to school

for physical therapy assistant and,

you know,

I ended up just not really loving it.

It didn't feel right.

So, the college

I was at

had a green design class,

which really took my interest.

So I started taking some interior design

classes, and I immediately knew

this is exactly what I want to do.

I loved every facet of it.

And so after I graduate,

I'd had multiple jobs in the industry

and realized that I can kind of

take all my knowledge

and, you know, build

something for myself.

So I started my business

about seven years ago,

and, I've been loving it ever since.

That's awesome.

Yeah.

So today's episode,

we're talking all about bathroom vanities

and really looking forward

to talking about this topic with you.

It's something that

I think

is initially overlooked,

probably in the design process.

You can you can chime in there.

But I feel like for me, it's

not something I would first think about.

I bet homeowners are probably thinking

first about maybe the countertops

or the flooring or the walls.

When homeowners

are looking into a bathroom remodel

and they're evaluating

storage and function

and your experience,

what have you seen in the bathrooms

of previous clients

that might lead them to replacing their

vanities during that remodel?

So as you mentioned,

a lot of people

focus on tile and things like that.

So typically once all of those are

in, people

tend to go to anything that's new.

People tend to gravitate towards

what's not new.

So I would say the main thing

is to just kind of update the space,

have it all feel fresh and new.

Would be the main thing

kind of catering to the new esthetic

that they're gravitating towards.

But another, another big reason is better

functional needs.

You know,

whether it's more storage, more specified

functional storage,

things of that nature,

those tend to be the two main reasons for

for sure. Yeah.

I feel like every space in the house

people are looking just for more storage.

Have anywhere they can fit more stuff.

Yeah.

What about having a new vanity?

What does that mean to a homeowner?

You mentioned the storage, dude.

Do you see a lot of people

gravitating more towards,

function and storage or more for esthetic

or maybe somewhere in between?

I definitely think there's

somewhere in between.

And it also depends on the space.

So typically for primary

bathrooms, I think function and storage

is the main thing.

When you're having kind of the hall

bathrooms or guest bathrooms,

I think it tends to be more esthetic.

But as far as what it was a new vanity

mean to somebody.

I mean,

every morning and every night,

you know, you're brushing your teeth.

You're right there.

And I feel like design.

Sometimes the beauty is in the mundane.

You know,

we can make those things more, pleasant.

I mean, we all know what it's like

to see something

that you don't like all the time

and how that can kind of affect you.

So I think having the space,

especially when you're kind of waking up

and going to bed, be peaceful

and something that you really enjoy

is a huge psychological edge, really.

Yeah.

And that's,

you know,

I didn't really think about that

until I started working at ProSource.

And I learned a little bit

more about home remodeling.

But yeah, the space you have around

you does affect you.

Yeah.

And I don't think people realize

that asthma. Definitely.

Measurements

do play an important role

in the new vanity

that a homeowner selects.

And I'm sure that you go in

or someone you're working with

will go in and take measurements.

For the space to decide

what kind of vanity

they can put in there.

What are some common misconceptions

about measuring

for a new vanity

that you might be able to clear up

for any homeowners listening?

Sure, yeah.

Typically, I am the one going in there

taking measurements

so I can do floor

plans, things like that.

And I know that even for me,

for starting out, it's kind of scary.

Like,

you don't want to mess up

the measurement, you know?

And of course,

being as accurate as possible

never hurts.

But, you know,

I think some people get

a little intimidated too with that.

You know, we have fillers.

So typically it's not as daunting,

I think, as people, as

people take it to be.

And also sometimes

the scale,

you know,

they're not sure on

if it's too small or too big.

So those are some things

that are a little bit easier.

And especially, you know,

whether working with a designer

or ProSource consultant. Yeah.

They can kind of help

give some guidance on that.

On just how it'll fit in the space.

But yeah,

I think measuring,

as always scares people.

And it's not as scary as it seems.

Yeah.

What are the fillers you were mentioning?

What is that?

Basically

on the end of the cabinets,

let's say, you know,

whether it's even if it's open

or if it's in a nook,

those things

kind of help

give a little bit of space

to, if there are like,

no wall really

is ever perfectly straight.

So it kind of helps with those details

and making sure

the finished product

is really clean, fresh.

Okay, cool. I didn't know that.

How do

organizational features

within the vanity play factor

in the selection process?

We already kind of touched about that

a little bit.

Are you seeing.

So when I think of a vanity,

I think of just your typical,

like, mirror, and then, you know,

you have the sink

in the drawers underneath.

Are you saying that there is popularity

more in, like,

the mirror that pulls out,

and then there's storage

behind the mirror?

Or are you seeing the typical like,

traditional type of vanities

come back to the style?

I definitely see more

of the traditional vanities,

and style

and just kind of having a place

for everything.

So really being intentional,

and that really does help

dictate the design too.

And that's

when you can really kind

of cater to the individual,

which is kind of exciting.

There's always a new,

different challenge.

And again on the space as well.

So you may have a client

who has a lot of makeup

and they need a lot of, you know, just

small drawer storage versus full doors.

Those things kind of help,

when you get to the inside,

like components in the on court

items, you can kind of add.

That's when you can kind of

get really specific,

which with each individual client,

and you may have somebody

that's like, no, I just want full doors,

but I want pull out, you know,

so you can really cater,

individually, which is kind of cool.

Talking about countertops,

that's a huge part of a vanity

is it's typically separate

from the vanity itself.

Or are you seeing them all in one piece?

Yeah.

Typically I always go separate.

I know

some people can like, order

online, things like that,

but you never know

exactly what you're going to get.

You never know the quality.

You know, you may see a photo,

but it comes out different.

And so I always try and just,

you know, remodeling is not easy.

It's hard to go through.

And you want to eliminate as many,

unknowns as possible.

So typically the process is once

the vanity is installed,

the fabricator will come out,

they'll take measurements of the cabinet

and create a template.

And from the template

you basically get a full layout

and you know exactly

what you're going to get.

And then the install comes

and it's a really smooth process.

What I like about it

is whether you're going,

you know, putting on the scale,

you may need a full slab

or what

have you,

or even a remnant piece,

which can end up saving money

sometimes too.

But you know exactly

what you're going to get.

So it's just smooth sailing from there.

Absolutely. Yeah.

It's probably way more customizable,

doing it all separately

so you can

really get what you're wanting.

I mean,

and sometimes you can find, you know,

there may be a beautiful stone piece,

you know, that's a remnant

that's just left over

that you get a steel for.

That has so much character and beauty.

So you can really kind of get lucky

sometimes with that too.

Yeah, absolutely.

When it comes to planning,

that has a whole list

of areas to watch for,

I'm sure that's

just probably as intimidating as,

the measurements, right?

Is, is the plumbing a lot of. Yeah.

I want to mess with that part of it.

Why is it

vital to choose a vanity

that can stand up against water

and moisture?

For that, the bathroom creates?

I mean, kind of for,

you know, the most obvious reasons.

Any, heaven forbid

there is a leak, but you know that

it happens and stuff happens.

And so, you know,

if you have a MDF or a particleboard

or anything, even,

like a plywood interior

water gets in there, it's

going to get waterlogged

and it's really going

to deteriorate cause mildew, mold.

So you really want to choose something

that has a good barrier

and good protection

from the water elements

because it is in a water area.

And I mean, even on the outside,

you know, we're talking

kind of on the inside right now,

but on the exterior,

do you know,

you shake your hands with water,

all of those things

you want a good,

like a veneer or even a good solid paint

to kind of help give some barrier so

you don't have to be scared.

Yeah. For sure.

What are some of your go

to, like,

brands products that you suggest

to clients and work with to,

I guess, combat against,

some of those problems that could rise.

So I, I really like Yorktown cabinetry.

They're one of the tops that,

you know vendor that I use a lot.

So typically

I kind of start with quality cabinets

because they kind of

take care of that all for me really.

So I think investing in quality

is the best way

to kind of combat those issues for sure.

Yeah, Yorktown looks super sharp too.

Yeah, there is a good one.

Yeah, there was a good one too.

Yeah.

So those are kind of my main

go to brands.

So that's pretty much

how I try and combat

that is just going with quality.

Yeah.

And you know,

probably from trial and error

what brands to stick with

definitely makes a difference.

So in your experience,

how have you seen ProSource

assist your clients

in choosing the vanity,

right, for their bathroom?

What kind of

speaking on Yorktown

and Dura in particular?

Of course

they have multiple

great brands at ProSource,

so I would say the biggest assist

has been

being able to find

whatever it is

that I'm envisioning for this client.

You know, I have so many different styles

that people like,

so many different functional needs.

Whether it's a slab door

that's a glossy finish

or something really traditional,

you know, you really get a wide variety.

So I think having

anything that I can think of

and come up with, I can find it.

So that's been a huge assist to not,

you know,

make it a difficult process

to get something, you know,

like a nice vanity.

This thing. Yeah.

Great selection,

having as many, options to choose from.

And I know

even having like an account manager

that can do some of that work

and finding specific pieces

to that you're looking for. Absolutely.

Or and even just the,

the process of it all

to like having the renderings to kind of,

you know,

I do my own but having this specific,

you know, with the fillers

and all those little details that,

you know,

they can kind of show

and give an idea of exactly

the cabinetry plans. That's huge too.

Sending this off to my contractor,

it just really makes everything

a lot easier for sure.

In your

experience, what are

homeowners looking for?

And new countertops

as part of their new vanity?

What are some like

current recent trends or

what are you seeing that your clients

are asking for in a countertop?

I would say there's

probably two main,

two main things

that have kind of got a lot of recently.

I mean,

no new, no new,

situation here, but quartz,

you know, the manmade, durable, fresh

kind of that Calcutta gold look,

that's pretty

that's pretty popular and classic.

He would just love no maintenance,

especially in a water area.

You don't have to worry about sealing it.

But on the other hand,

I've been getting a lot of people

kind of want some stone, too.

So it's kind of been

it's been a little bit

of a duality recently.

And again,

that's typically more so for,

guest spaces.

You know,

they want that natural textured finish.

But typically

when people are going to stone,

they want a little bit more drama.

I've noticed at least my clients.

Yeah.

So I have one where,

we're doing a solo blue.

It's got, you know, where

we're going to actually have it glow.

And, so it has beautiful blue veining.

So something

that's really striking and impactful.

So those are kind of the two.

Yeah.

No, I do like the stone look.

It definitely is a little bit

more maintenance like you mentioned.

Yeah.

It creates a whole like aura.

Like a whole, like a vibe to it.

Oh, yeah.

There's.

And that's, that's in right now

having that, like, natural bathroom look.

Yeah, we've talked about it

previously on a podcast, but people,

making their showers look very much

like like it's outside,

but it's not necessarily

they're having,

like, the stone,

in the bottom of the showers, too.

So yeah,

I've definitely seen that as well.

That rise in popularity.

Yeah.

I think

want those natural elements

just to feel a little bit closer

to nature.

There's just something that kind of gets

you immersed

when you,

when you're experiencing

something like that

and, you know, you can't really rival

natural material

as far as finishing you,

you know, you're

when you touch and feel it,

you can you can tell a difference.

Both are really awesome selections.

So yeah, it's

kind of exciting to see that stone

coming back a little bit more

because it's just so beautiful and,

so unique. It's one of a kind.

So absolutely. Yeah.

When it comes to

having installation materials

and all in one place,

how does process help

make the job easier for you

when it comes to installation supplies?

Yeah.

So we kind of touched

a little bit on fillers

and things like that.

But Spillers

scribe,

you know, basically all the trim pieces,

those are really helpful.

So I'll, I'll,

you know, sit down with the personally,

resource employee

and kind of weed out those details.

Exactly what trim do we want?

We're getting a good plan

as far as when install comes.

Everybody knows what to expect.

You know, your contractors

not texting you like, hey, what

what filler are we doing?

Or, you know, it's very clean and easy.

So I like how I can kind of select

all those,

weed them out with my client beforehand.

So again, when install comes

it's smooth sailing.

Yeah. It's already done.

You don't got to worry about it.

Absolutely.

Because that's

that's one of those things

that can hold up something.

And now you want to get it right.

And so you kind of have the,

the flexibility,

with variety of options, but

also the,

be able to like being able to plan

is really good.

Yeah. For sure.

What would you say to a homeowner

that's looking to replace their vanity

while going through a bathroom remodel?

Quality, good quality.

It starts with them.

It's I mean,

you know, because again,

we talked about durability

long term, you know,

having water exposure,

even just day in and day out,

you do use it a good amount,

you know, typically

at least morning and night minimum.

So you want something

that's going to hold up.

And then another thing to

I would kind of play up on texture.

I think that's another way

to really add some life into a space.

And so texture and quality,

I think we're kind of my

go to when it comes to selecting,

and replacing the vanity for sure.

Yeah, this isn't on the questions

sheet, but

looking into like 2025, what are some

what are your predictions,

I guess, on trends with vanities

or just the bathroom in general?

I do think

we're kind of getting into more color.

Again.

I think we've had the gray phase

and we've kind of

had like the soft neutral,

beige warmer phase.

But I think people are starting to go

a little bit more bold,

a little more crazy.

So I kind of predict

heavier wood grain textures.

Yeah.

Or even just funner,

more bold pops of color.

I think it's going to come back.

Yeah, absolutely.

I'm I'm here for it too.

I like the the bold colors.

I think it just makes it

a little bit more interesting.

It's fun, you know,

it's playful and, you know,

just things can get get so serious

in life sometimes.

And you know,

I think people are wanting

to kind of escape

in their own safe space sometimes and,

kind of reflect their personality

a little bit more.

Thank you so much for joining

and sharing your expertise

with with all of us.

And I know you're super busy,

so I appreciate you taking some time

out of your Monday morning.

Yeah, no,

thank you for having me on this topic.

Awesome.

Thank you so much, Allison.

Have a great rest of your day.

Thank you. YouTube.

Thank you for joining us today

on The ProSource Podcast.

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