This unique plywood-and-slate combination makes a great choice for small bathrooms that require a corner bathroom vanity.

Prioritize either storage or easy cleaning. While extra storage is always nice, it is important to note freestanding vanities are also known for being harder to clean, since there are more corners and nooks where dust can hang out around them.

In the master bath, a custom raised Silestone sink is surrounded by a teak countertop and Porcelanosa glass tiles. Teak slats anchor the glass-enclosed shower.

The sink in the half bath was special-ordered from Home Depot and Pavonetti designed the base to give the basin a snug fit. He built it out of a steel rod and painted it with black shoe polish.

In the guest bathroom, Givone installed a hand-chiseled sink made of 17th-century marble quarried from the hills outside of Rome.

White walls, a luxurious marble double-sink, and an area rug give this bathroom an inviting atmosphere. “The natural light, open spaces, and light color palette make it a great place to wake up in the morning,” Flournoy says of his home. The sink is from Restoration Hardware and the rug is from West Elm.

Architects Anne Marie Lubrano and Lea Ciavarra limited the material selection in their renovation of a town house dating from 1899. The powder room on the first floor is located in a former waiting area (the previous resident used the level for his dental practice). It features a custom Alabastro marble sink and fixtures by California Faucets. The architects kept the original marble fireplace, paying homage to the structure’s history. Benjamin Moore’s Super White paint was applied to the ceiling and the White Dove hue to the walls. "Positioning the faucets on the side wall emphasizes the horizontal," Lubrano says. "Wall-mounted fixtures feel less grounded and materials can continue uninterrupted below. We wanted the spaces to feel light, spacious and light-filled."

A Dornbracht tap sits above a custom-built glacier white Corian countertop and sink. The sink is covered by a removable cutting board that can be kept in place for an added work surface, or removed for dedicated sink use. The cutout in the center allows water from the tap to flow straight through to the custom Corian drainer.

Custom shoji-inspired screens of Roberts’s design conceal the closet and extend to provide privacy for the adjacent shower and soaking tub.

Just off the bedroom, a restrained bathroom combines Duravit D-code sinks with Techno by Cifial faucets and a Toto Aquia toilet.

In the kitchen, the couple found barely used appliances instead of new ones to save money. The cabinetry and butcher block counters are from Ikea.

Counter and sink (€6,800), mirror (€680)

“The bathrooms were conceived as special spaces,” Vázquez says. “We decided to give them some color that would contrast with the main spaces.” A vessel sink by Cubik rests on a custom oak base; the mosaic tile is from Mosaico.

In the kitchen, which faces west to capture views of the San Jacinto Mountains, a large red work by James Jensen punctuates one wall. The induction cooktop is from Gaggenau; the sinks were sourced from Blanco.

The Studio vanity unit from Swoon was designed so that it works well in both small and large bathrooms, with lots of flexibility in terms of color, basin, wall or floor mount, and with or without a tap or faucet hole for wall-mount or regular faucet locations.

White tiles envelop the en suite master bathroom.

The Burkes eliminated glare by minimizing the number of windows on the east and west sides of their house. On the south, though, windows are taller and offer views of trees even though the house is in the heart of downtown Charlottesville. The direct light that enters through the flanks of the house is mediated via a sophisticated array of blinds, tints, a trellis calibrated to cut light from April through August, and several bald cypress trees that provide shade in summer but lose their leaves in winter, allowing light (and heat) to infuse the house. Baby cypress trees, about nine feet tall, should cost around $100 each at your local nursery.

Pros: Also known as composite quartz, engineered quartz comes in a wide range of colors and textures with the general durability of real stone slabs, but with the ease of manufacturing and installation of a man-made product. As a result, engineered quartz isn’t as expensive as other natural stone countertops. Cons: On the other hand, customers can expect to see these qualities reflected in the price of engineered quartz, which can be on the higher end. Quartz also doesn’t handle extreme heat as well as granite does.

The bathroom features a Duravit sink that was incorrectly ordered for a job by the contractor and then donated to Hale. The stools are from Ikea, the tub was salvaged, and the tiles were surplus from another project.

A peek inside one of the bathrooms. Most of the fittings and finishes are bespoke to match the historic architecture.

The kitchen's layout fosters socializing throughout the cooking and eating process. By placing the island facing the dining table, Serra ensures that someone washing dishes or preparing food can still talk to other people in the room. "The space should encourage those in it to cook up a storm if they choose, several people cooking at once if necessary, and it should provide visual beauty, culture, and a comfortable environment," Serra says.

Among modern bathroom vanities, vessel sinks are all the rage due to their simple yet functional design. This sleek white porcelain vessel fits perfectly into this gorgeous tropical bathroom.

The kitchen appliances are by Mora and the sink is by Franke.

Fit by Honda from $15,425 automobiles.honda.com The compact Fit achieves 27 MPG in the city and 33 MPG on the highway.

In Vancouver’s Strathcona district, two side-by-side lots now hold seven residences—thanks to a thoughtful renovation of a pair Edwardian houses and the addition of a laneway, or alley, building by Shape Architecture. The team salvaged as much 120-year-old siding as they could for use on the street-facing facades.

As with the kitchen island bench and the cabinetry for the media unit, the bathroom vanity was custom designed by Studio Jackson Scott and built on-site using Australian Blackbutt.

In the bathroom, a white porcelain vessel sink is mounted on a stainless steel countertop. IKEA doors that match the kitchen cabinetry were adapted to fit the custom boxes beneath the sink.

Modex by Blanco, $1,750Rising only three inches above the countertop, the Red Dot Award–winning Modex features an integrated drainboard. The engineered material, which is 80 percent granite, is scratch- and stain-resistant.

Houle designed the ofuro tub in the master bath to mesh with the home’s tallowwood wall paneling. The Ikea sink is outfitted with Vola faucets.

Bath vanity with Kohler sink, matte black fixtures by Delta and Triple Seven Home. Poured in place concrete sink by us.

Though most of the home's interior comes without a splashy designer's name attached, the bathroom is kitted out with a toilet, sink, and bath/shower from Jasper Morrison's line for Ideal Standard. The cabinets are from an Ikea kitchen system.

The bathroom in the basement.