Master Bath with Vessel Basin & Utility Storage

A round vessel basin sits on top of a floating vanity with a dark marble counter. A counter-top bowl like this is easier to swap later than a basin cut into the stone, and it gives the vanity a cleaner line. The tap is wall-mounted rather than deck-mounted, which keeps the marble around the bowl clear and simple to wipe down. Below the drawer there is an open shelf for rolled towels. Marble does need sealing, but it handles a splashy wash area better than an untreated timber top would.

The main walls wear a fish-scale tile in soft grey and white, the rounded scallop shape stacked in rows. It brings some movement to a plain utility room without shouting, and the small format suits the tighter areas around the basin and machines. A second band of herringbone tile crosses the tall cabinets at counter height. Two textures rather than one flat colour keep a working room from looking clinical. Small mosaic tiles do mean more grout lines, so a good sealer and the odd scrub keep them clean.

Plenty, which is the point of a utility room. Tall cabinets run floor to ceiling along one wall, with overhead units above the machines and drawers under the basin. Keeping most of it behind plain shutters means detergents, buckets and spare towels stay out of sight, so the room stays calm rather than cluttered. The mix of full-height and overhead storage uses the wall right up to the ceiling, which is space a normal bathroom usually wastes. The open towel shelf keeps a couple of rolls within reach.

A round mirror with a lit edge hangs over the basin, so the person at the sink gets even light on the face rather than a shadow from above. Recessed ceiling lights cover the rest of the room, and a strip under the overhead cabinets throws light straight onto the counter where the work happens. The window brings in daylight and fresh air, which matters in a laundry room where damp builds up. A backlit mirror also earns its keep by making a smaller space feel less boxed in.

The carpentry does most of it. Floor-to-ceiling cabinets, the overhead units and the floating vanity are all custom joinery, and that is the biggest line. The dark marble counter and the two tiled surfaces come next, priced by the stone and tile you pick. Plumbing for the basin plus points for two machines adds to it, since every water and drain connection is labour. The appliances you buy to your budget. Get the joinery and waterproofing quoted first, because they decide the figure more than the finishes do.

A wet utility room needs airflow more than anything. The window helps, and an exhaust fan is worth adding so the damp from the machines does not sit in the cabinets. Wipe the marble with a pH-neutral cleaner, not anything acidic, and reseal it once a year. The tile grout benefits from a sealer too, since mosaic and herringbone have a lot of lines to trap grime. Pull the machines out for a clean behind them now and then, as lint and dust gather there.

Yes, and a few moves make it fit. Stack a washer-dryer in one unit instead of two side-by-side machines to save a full bay of floor. Keep the floating vanity and go for a narrower one, since a wall-hung unit frees the floor under it and makes a small room feel bigger. Tall cabinets still pay off, because they use height a cramped room has spare. Drop the reeded glass screen if space is really tight, as an open corner feels larger than a partitioned one.