Minimalist bathroom cabinetry ideas
Choosing cabinetry for a minimalist bathroom means finding designs that connect perfect planes seamlessly. The clean lines of minimalist design should emphasise simple geometry and reduce three-dimensional disorder to a minimum. In short, beautiful minimalist cabinetry should turn your bathroom into a raw, elemental paradise of clutter-free style.
Contents
What does a minimalist cabinet look like?
What are minimalist cabinets made of?
Which brands make minimalist cabinets?
How much do minimalist bathroom cabinets cost?
Are minimalist cabinets timeless?
What does a minimalist cabinet look like?
A minimalist bathroom cabinet or vanity unit will deliver all the storage space of a more opulent piece of furniture, but without aesthetic imposition. You won’t find any unnecessary decoration.
There won’t be any ornate carving or hand-painted elements. It will be the opposite of ‘decorative’ in the traditional sense. In fact, minimalism in interior design is all about bringing objects back to just their necessary elements. So, you might find that a minimalist cabinet has a raw, industrial—if very stylish—quality to it.
It will probably feature soft-close drawers to minimise noise. You might even find that it does away with drawer and door handles altogether so as not to interrupt the flow of its surfaces. If it has legs, the minimalist bathroom cabinet’s legs will be simple, unfussy and functional.
What are minimalist cabinets made of?
Today’s minimalist bathroom cabinets might be influenced by Scandinavian, Japandi or mid-century modern design choices. So, they may be made from a combination of wood such as teak, MDF, solid surface, concrete or fibreglass.
These are all materials traditionally used in industrial settings and in the early days of mass production, which harks back to the elemental works of minimalist design movement De Stijl. That’s what makes them truly minimalist in the orthodox sense.
However, you will also find minimalistic bathroom vanities and cabinets that incorporate other materials such as marble and bamboo. These unorthodox takes on minimalism may draw inspiration from more visually dramatic sources, whilst maintaining the simplicity and cleanliness of minimalism.
Which brands make minimalist cabinets?
Because minimalism is a high-end style that has endured since the middle of the 20th Century, there are many well-known luxury bathroom brands today that create minimalist vanities and cabinets. They include:
Brands like these have pushed the aesthetics of minimalist cabinet design into bold, new areas. And they continue to experiment with new takes on classic minimalist styling, using the latest manufacturing technologies and to deliver minimalist designs in all manner of materials, textures and colours.
How much do minimalist bathroom cabinets cost?
Today, you can find minimalistic cabinetry very reasonably priced, thanks to the number of mass-market manufacturers and retailers selling minimalism as fast fashion. What stands out about these lower-priced pieces, however, is that their design flaws soon make themselves apparent.
A high-end piece of minimalist cabinetry, on the other hand, isn’t afraid to show off its internal workings because it is—quite simply—so well built. The entire minimalist movement was devised around rejecting decoration so that consumers could see the quality of the design and build process. So, a beautiful minimalist cabinet, crafted by an artisanal producer is likely to cost you a bit more. But the investment is worth it, because you’ll have a cabinet that lasts you far longer than its cheaper cousin.
Are minimalist cabinets timeless?
Minimalism emerged as an architectural form in the early 1960s and—you may be pleased to hear—it has never really gone away. So, installing minimalist cabinetry into your new bathroom is one way of ensuring it lasts a lifetime.
A beautifully crafted piece of minimalist cabinetry will look great, perform perfectly and will last for many years because it’s so well built. But will it ever look old and outdated? Well, the short answer is ‘no’. Minimalist cabinets are so uniquely styled and have been so continually present within our culture that it’s hard to even date them.
For cabinetry that looks forever as if it came from the future, it’s probably time you went minimal.
Looking for something else to read? Check out our article on Retrofuturism In Interior Design.