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A table-style bathroom vanity starts as a rigid furniture frame: walnut legs and visible trim surround pine aprons, dividers, and other hidden structure. In Kristi Linauer’s project, the 39.5-inch-wide base reserves a central sink bay and two narrow drawers for everyday items. Part 1 ends with the base test-fitted in the bathroom; drawer fronts, clear finish, quartz countertop, and final sink installation are still unfinished.
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The dimensions below belong to that particular bathroom layout, not to a universal vanity standard. Plan your plumbing, sink, drawer openings, slide hardware, and countertop together before cutting wood.
What the basic build is designed to do
Linauer’s goal is a vanity that looks like a freestanding table rather than a conventional cabinet. Walnut is used on parts that remain visible after finishing, while less expensive pine forms concealed aprons and dividers. This material split controls cost without hiding walnut where the furniture-like appearance depends on it.
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The front is divided into three zones: a narrow drawer at each side and a sink opening in the center. The drawers are shallow because the available space is constrained by the sink and plumbing. They are intended for toothpaste, toothbrushes, contact-lens supplies, and similar light items—not heavy storage.
Linauer ordered walnut Federal Kitchen Legs from Tablelegs. The upper block of each leg is 3.5 inches wide, a dimension that influences where the aprons and drawer-slide surfaces can land. Her planned finished base width is 39.5 inches.
Project dimensions and materials
| Part | Material or hardware | Dimension or quantity in Linauer’s build | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legs | Walnut Federal Kitchen Legs | Upper blocks 3.5 inches wide | Visible furniture-style supports |
| Rear apron | 1-by-5 pine | Cut to suit the planned 39.5-inch base width | Braces the rear and provides a surface for wall fastening |
| Side aprons | Pine | 16 inches long | Set flush with the leg blocks and support drawer-slide mounting |
| Front trim | Two 1-by-2 walnut pieces | Spaced with scrap-pine blocks | Creates the visible front frame around the drawers and sink bay |
| Dividers | Pine, with a walnut face cover on the visible front | Positioned to define the two drawer openings and sink section | Separates the front zones without exposing pine after finishing |
| Drawer boxes | 1/2-inch plywood | Each box: 6.5 inches wide, 18 inches deep, 2.5 inches high | Shallow storage for small bathroom necessities |
| Drawer slides | Four slides total | One pair for each drawer | Allows the two boxes to open and close |
| Fasteners | Pocket holes with 1.5-inch Kreg screws; face nails at the front dividers | Used according to the joint location | Joins aprons and dividers while reducing the chance of splitting narrow walnut |
The source does not provide a bill of materials or a quantified walnut-versus-pine cost comparison. Treat the list as a description of this base build, then make your own cut list after measuring the room and plumbing.
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Plan plumbing and drawers before cutting
The sink, drain, and supply lines determine how much uninterrupted space remains for drawers. Mark the centerline of the sink, the drain location, hot- and cold-water outlets, shutoff valves, and the wall plane. Then draw the two drawer openings around those obstacles.
Linauer’s design keeps the drawers to either side of a central sink area. That arrangement works only when the plumbing remains inside the center zone or leaves enough clearance behind and below each drawer. A drain that sits under one drawer may force a narrower box, a notch in the box, or a different front arrangement.
Other vanity plans demonstrate two alternatives: a usable drawer with a plumbing cutout, and a fixed faux drawer front above storage. Those are adaptations, not features of Linauer’s exact build. Choose one only after you know the sink and drain geometry.
- Measure the available wall-to-wall width and the desired finished depth.
- Confirm the sink’s outside dimensions and the countertop overhang you expect.
- Locate the drain and supply lines relative to each proposed drawer.
- Check the slide manufacturer’s required side clearance and mounting orientation.
- Reserve access for shutoff valves and the trap; do not box plumbing in so tightly that maintenance becomes impossible.
Build the walnut-and-pine frame
1. Attach the rear apron
Cut the rear apron from 1-by-5 pine. Its length follows the planned base width and the way your legs are positioned; Linauer’s finished base target is 39.5 inches. Drill pocket holes and use 1.5-inch Kreg screws to attach the apron to the upper blocks of the walnut legs.
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Set the apron flush with the rear of the leg blocks rather than inset from them. This creates a flat back that can sit against the wall and gives you a solid surface for securing the vanity after it is leveled. Check that both legs are oriented identically and that the apron is square before tightening every screw.
2. Fit the side aprons
Cut the side apron pieces to 16 inches for this project. Position each one flush with the inside edge of its leg blocks. The resulting inside face is the mounting surface for the drawer slides, so the apron position affects the usable drawer width and the slide alignment.
Clamp each side apron in place, verify that the front and rear edges remain parallel, and then fasten it. If your legs have different block widths or your finished depth differs from 16 inches, recalculate the apron length and slide location instead of copying this number.
3. Add the front walnut trim
At the front, install two 1-by-2 walnut pieces. Scrap-pine spacers hold the pieces at the planned separation while you establish the openings for the two drawers and the central sink. Use the spacers consistently so the trim remains parallel from one leg to the other.
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Before fastening the trim permanently, set a drawer box or a cardboard mock-up into each opening. This catches a width error while the frame is still easy to adjust. The finished drawer dimensions are only 6.5 inches wide, so even a small positioning mistake can reduce usable clearance.
4. Install the dividers without splitting the walnut
Mark the boundaries between the left drawer, sink bay, and right drawer on the front assembly. Linauer attaches the pine dividers at the rear with pocket holes. At the front, she uses face nails through the walnut pieces rather than driving screws into the narrow walnut stock.
The reason is practical: a screw or pocket hole too close to the edge of narrow walnut can split it. Once the pine divider is secured, edge-glue a walnut strip over its visible front. The cover keeps the exposed face visually consistent with the walnut legs and front trim while the pine remains structural and hidden.
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Build and mount the drawers
Drawer boxes
Each box in the project is made from 1/2-inch plywood and measures 6.5 inches outside width, 18 inches outside depth, and 2.5 inches outside height. Those are finished outside dimensions for this bathroom’s openings, not a standard size for every vanity.
Keep the box square during assembly. Measure diagonals before the glue or fasteners fully set, then compare the box width with the slide spacing required by your chosen hardware. A nominal 18-inch depth does not automatically mean an 18-inch slide will fit: the rear wall, sink plumbing, and slide design all consume space.
Install the four slides
Install four slides—one pair for each drawer—on the side-apron and divider surfaces created in the frame. Select slide length and type for your actual drawer depth, side clearance, load, and mounting space. Linauer’s drawers are for light daily items, so do not assume this arrangement is suitable for heavy bottles or bulk supplies.
Mount the left and right slides at matching heights. Test each empty box first, then add the contents you expect to store and check that the drawer still clears the sink plumbing and closes without racking. If the box binds, correct the parallelism or clearance before adding fronts.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Test-fit the vanity in the bathroom
Move the assembled base into position before finishing. Set the rear apron against the wall, check the planned sink centerline, and confirm that both drawers open fully. Use this dry fit to identify conflicts with baseboards, supply lines, the drain, door swings, and the countertop footprint.
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What remains unfinished in Part 1
At the end of the basic-build stage, the structure and drawer boxes are test-fitted, but the vanity is not a completed installation. The remaining work identified by Linauer includes:
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- Making and attaching the drawer fronts.
- Applying the planned clear finish.
- Adding the quartz countertop.
- Completing the sink installation.
Because those parts are unfinished in Part 1, the article does not establish a final finished appearance, installed-countertop performance, or completed sink results.
Adapting the design to your room
When the drawers need to change
Start with the clear opening after the legs, aprons, dividers, and slide clearances are accounted for. If the sink or drain occupies more width, narrow the drawer boxes, shorten their depth, add a plumbing cutout, or use a fixed faux front with storage behind it. Each option changes how the front frame is divided.
When the frame dimensions need to change
Recalculate the rear apron for your finished width, the side aprons for your finished depth, and the front trim spacing for your sink and drawer openings. The 39.5-inch width, 16-inch side pieces, and 6.5-by-18-by-2.5-inch boxes are examples from one layout; they are not code requirements or universal vanity measurements.
When to change wood species
Use a durable, visually consistent species on parts that remain exposed after finishing. Less expensive pine can serve in concealed areas when its appearance will not be visible. If a divider, apron edge, or drawer part will show through an opening, account for that surface before deciding it belongs in the hidden-material category.
Common mistakes and corrections
- Copying the drawer size blindly: Re-measure the sink, drain, wall, and slide clearances; the project dimensions fit one bathroom.
- Planning drawers after the plumbing: Draw the sink and service lines first, then reserve the drawer zones.
- Using the wrong slide length: Match slide length to the actual box depth and rear clearance, not just the nominal drawer measurement.
- Splitting narrow walnut: Keep pocket holes in the pine structure and use face nails or another suitable method at the narrow front stock, as Linauer did.
- Assuming the base is finished: Leave room in the schedule for fronts, clear finish, countertop, and sink work.
- Ignoring wall attachment: Use the rear apron as the fastening surface, but select fasteners for your wall type and secure the leveled vanity to framing or an appropriate wall system.
How this build differs from other vanity approaches
A plumbing-cutout drawer preserves a usable drawer but requires careful notching and clearance around the trap. A faux drawer front avoids exposing plumbing through a moving box but sacrifices that front section as a conventional drawer. Linauer’s Part 1 instead keeps two narrow, unobstructed boxes beside the sink area. None of these layouts is universally best; the correct choice follows the plumbing and the storage you actually need.
A separate Australian procedural guide covers cutting, assembly, slide fitting, clear varnish, and wall fixing for its own vanity dimensions. Use such instructions only as technique references: its material list and measurements do not automatically fit this walnut-leg project.
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