I get why open shelves seem easier for plumbing fixes, but honestly, I kind of regret not going with drawers. Open shelves just collect dust and random stuff way too fast in my space. With drawers, at least everything’s contained, and the mess is hidden. Plumbing access was a hassle, but I only needed to get in there once so far... maybe it’s just a trade-off.
Drawers seemed like the obvious choice to me at first, but I actually found them more limiting for storing tall bottles or cleaning supplies under the sink. Open shelves do get dusty, yeah, but I just toss stuff in baskets to keep it tidy. For plumbing, I had to remove a drawer once and it was a pain—guess it really depends on what you store and how often you need to mess with the pipes.
Yeah, I hear you on the drawers being tricky with plumbing. When I swapped out my old vanity, I thought drawers would be way more organized, but then I realized my big cleaning sprays and tall bottles just didn’t fit. Had to lay stuff down or wedge it in sideways. Baskets on open shelves are smarter for that kind of thing, though I’m always wiping out dust bunnies. Also, those soft-close drawer tracks? They’re a pain to uninstall if you need to get to the pipes in a hurry. Next time, I might just stick with simple doors.
Drawers look great in theory, but yeah, they’re a pain with plumbing. I ran into the same issue—thought I’d be clever and get one of those vanities with deep drawers, only to realize the P-trap ate up half the space. Ended up hacking out part of the back just to make it fit around the pipes, which felt like a waste.
If you’re set on drawers, here’s what worked for me: measure your plumbing layout first, then look for vanities with U-shaped drawers or ones designed to clear pipes. Otherwise, you’ll be doing a lot of cutting and cursing. For tall bottles, I just keep a caddy under the sink now. Not pretty, but it works.
Soft-close tracks are nice until you need to get in there fast—totally agree. If you go with doors next time, try adding some pull-out trays inside. You get most of the organization without losing access or space for taller stuff. Learned that one after my third vanity swap... live and learn, right?
“Ended up hacking out part of the back just to make it fit around the pipes, which felt like a waste.”
That’s exactly what I ran into with my last bathroom update. It’s frustrating to buy something new and then immediately have to modify it. One thing I’d add—if you’re looking for a more sustainable approach, consider repurposing an old dresser as a vanity. You can customize the drawers to fit around plumbing, and it keeps furniture out of the landfill. It takes a bit more work, but you get something unique and eco-friendly. Pull-out trays are a game changer, though—I wish I’d tried those sooner instead of wrestling with deep drawers that never quite fit right.
