How long or wide should it be?
I am often asked by clients about how high they should make a bench, how wide etc.
These heights are vital if you are to create a space that is functional and does not tire the user. If it is too high fatigue will set in and the same if it is too low.
Consideration needs to be given to the main user of the space however do not forget that if you custom make it to fit your body height and shape too much you will have trouble selling it.
Below are typical measurements used in Australian Bathrooms and Kitchens. Please note these are generalised measurements and need to be adapted to each individual.
| Measurement: mm | Comment | |
| Kitchen Bench Heights | 900-950 | Determined by ht of user |
| Kitchen kicks | 90-150 | Influenced by ht of bench & if installing kick drawers |
| Depth of kitchen bench tops | 600-650 | Influenced by appliances and available space |
| Desired min width of major work area | 900 | |
| Over head cupboards | Bottom of cupboard to start 1585 – 1650 | Influenced by height of user |
| Depth over head cupboards | 300 | |
| Bathroom vanity height | 850 | Influenced by type of bowl used |
| Bathroom vanity depth | 320 (semi recessed) – 450-500 | |
With regards to vanity to heights when a top
sitting sink what do you measure from the
sink to or the bench top?
Hi Justin
In re to bench heights with a top mounted vanity bowl. I generally measure it from the top of the vanity/ bowl but depends on the depth of the bowl. What I suggest you do is place the bowl on a box for eg and test the height that best suits you. You want to be able to use the bowl without having to lean too much. Hope this helps. You are welcome to ring if you wish to discuss this further.
Hi!
I’m having a new house build and just saw that in my bathroom vanity the distance between the water tap and the sink is about 100 mm. I can barely fit my hands in there.
Is there a standard distance for it?
Would appreciate any answer before I talk to my building inspector!
Thanks!
Hi, when you say between the water tap and the sink, do you mean the distance between the wall, tap and sink. Could you send a picture or diagram so I can give a more definitive answer
Hi,
Is a distance of 100mm from the wall mixer to the top of the basin ideal or too cramp?
Hi Peta
This answer depends on a number of variables such as the size of the basin, does it slope, how deep the actual vanity is etc. The best way to determine is to do a scaled drawing of the side elevation of the vanity, bowl and wall mixer and this is will provide you with an answer. On surface, I am thinking 100mm from wall to middle of basin sounds a little short
Hi my plumber had installed the wall mounted tap at 980mm . The tap has a bend of approx 65mm. Is this ok for a wall hung basin set at 850 mm from the floor? So stress out it look like I have to knock the tiles out and relocate the taps for 6 bathrooms. Please help.
Hi Peta
Very difficult to make definitive advice without being onsite or without pictures but assuming when you say it is set 850mm from the floor you mean this is the top of the vanity and if so this height is not a problem. Just depends if you have a basin sitting on this or it is a drop in or undermounted one. If it sits on top then it maybe too high.
I have a new vanity with square bowl on the top. I fixed a new shaving cabinet above. every time I wash my face my head hit the cabinet. I was wondering what is the right distance between shaving cabinet and vanity should be?
HI Hadia
Usually position shaving cabinets around 330mm off vanity bench. It sounds to me though that maybe you did not recess the shaving cabinet into the wall so it is sticking out which is why you maybe hitting your head
Hi what measurement would you suggest from floor to vanity for a floating vanity in bathrooms?
Hi Nancy
Sorry have only seen your enquiry – as a general rule depending in the height of the vanity around 300mm if you have a double height drawer. The best way to decide is to look at the ideal height for the basin and work backwards
Hi, Just wondering what is the usual space left around an inset sink (laundry trough to be exact)? Wanting to know how close to put it to the wall. I’m yet to ask the stonemason. Taps aren’t an issue as they are wall mixers.
Sorry Belinda
Just saw your query. re the distance, anything from around 80mm to 120 mm depending on the size of your bench and length of spout
Hi, is there a recommended distance between the top of an above counter basin and the spout and also from the basin top the bottom of the wall mixer handle?
Thank you
Hi Kim
Sorry for late reply your question slipped under the radar. Re height above basin for spout, I am assuming you are using a wall spout, we typically allow around 150 mm but dependent upon height of basin and length of spout. The actual wall mixer generally goes beside the spout
Hi there
Just wondering in the ensuite we are looking at a vanity that is 600 wide by 300 deep i have found a freestanding basin that is 330 deep is the over hang a problem if our bench 320 and I put tge basin 10mm of the wall
Cheers
Hi Blair,
I would strongly advise against this unless the basin is designed as semi recessed
Hello
We are renovating a small bathroom. We would like twin basins. What would you suggest the minimum width of a cabinet with two basins side by side be, based on using fairly standard basins?
Hi Nanyce,
Ideally 1500mm, anything less and you have no bench space
Hi ?, what would be the distance between the tap and the wall? It is in the bathroom ? and currently I have about 20mm only.
Thank you
Marius
Hi Robyn,
We have a semi inset basin, 70mm above the bench and 160mm deep in total. It is 530 long x 330 width. We want a bench based mixer. What high should the spout be from the bench or from the top of the basin, and how much reach is recommended? How far from the basin should the mixer be positioned?
Thanks for your help.
Having my bathroom renovated which is so very needed…will be having a 1200mm wide vanity and a 1200mm 3 x mirrored doors shaving cabinet over the vanity. (Obvious i suppose) I was wanting to know the distance which is best from the bottom of shaving cabinet to the vanity? The shaving cabinet will not be recessed into wall. I read the comment re lady saying she keeps hitting her head when using basin. I just want to make sure to get it right and not have any disappointments. The actual basin for the caeserstone vanity is a Caroma carboni ll inset vanity basin. Please can you help??
Hi Annie, I’m installing the exact same as you mentioned above. How did I it end up? Do you hit your head?
Thank you
Sorry incorrect email
Ok
Hi, I’ve got the wall mounted taps installed at 1200mm from the floor level. I’m looking at installing my vanity at 850mm and putting the counter top basin (150mm in height). This means that I will have around 200 from the top of the basin to the taps. I’m looking at installing a curved wall spout (50mm curved towards the basin and 180mm long ) – which means that the from the bottom of the spout to the top of the basin is going to be 150mm. Is that distance ok and not too much?
Also, if the basin seats on the top of the vanity is the combined height (850mm + 150mm) not too high?
Hi Jonas
Acknowledging your question – for some unknown reason I did not get notification of your inquiry, so please accept my apologies. No doubt you will have solved your issue, however let me know if you still require some advice
Hi there!
Just wondering what height to keep our customised bathroom vanity top if our above the counter basin is 120 mm high? It is a round, shallow bowl shape with quite upright edges, 435 mm in diameter. We are average/taller than average in height. Is 760 mm too low?
Thanks,
Rita
Rita
Acknowledging your question – for some unknown reason I did not get notification of your inquiry, so please accept my apologies. No doubt you will have solved your issue but I would probably have installed the vanity at around 800 -840mm high. Hope you are enjoying your new bathroom.
Hi. I’m in the process of designing master bathroom vanity. The two under counter basin sizes (555mm wide installation underneath) are restricting size of the drawers on either side. What is the minimum width and depth of vanity drawer you would recommend that will be functional? Vanity will be approx 840 high. Thanks.
Hi Kate
I need some more information re the overall width of the vanity and how deep the actual basins are. If you can provide this, then hopefully I can give a more considered reply. In general though min width of drawer would be 290mm and the height anything from 150 – 190mm depending on what you need to store in there. This drawer height will not fit shampoo bottles for instance. The actual depth of drawer will be influenced by overall depth of vanity
Hi,
Our plumber installed a vanity so the top is 945cm from floor. ( Not as planned) We have electrical outlet installed, ready to come out of mirror cabinet. We were going to install the mirror so the bottom was 1200mm from floor. Is this too close to tap? Highest part of tap would be 9cm from bottom of mirror (15 cm deep)cabinet.Bottom of cabinet would be 25.5cm from bench top. Is this enough room?
Hi Katie
Is there any chance they can lower the vanity. It is much too high plus personally believe there is not enough space between the bottom of cabinet and the tap considering it is 15cm deep. Assume the cabinet is not recessed into wall. May get away with it, if it was recessed
Robyn
Hello we are just in the proceeds of having our house rebuilt from the Floods in Feb 2019 in Townsville our Kitchen bench height is 920 perfect as I wanted it higher for my height our Bathroom Bench is 2.2 long it was made at a height to 740 then the stone tops are 20 the freestanding basin is 140 but it was way to low to the top so they have gone by the basin height to come up to 900 so when I went back to them on the height they took it away added an extra 100 onto the kick boards to bring the height up to 840 then the tops 860 then basin 140 which is an acceptable height at 860 but I was told if I wanted it redone it would cost us to have it rebuilt am I wrong in querying the height it was originally put it at I look like we just have to accept that they have bought the cupboard up in height thanking you Jannine
Hi Jannine
It all depends on what you signed off on re the final vanity and installation drawings. An above counter basin is a tricky one as taking the final measurement off the top of the basin is standard.
Hi
We are having semi recessed sinks installed in our bathrooms. I was wondering what is the range that you would recommend for the distance between the wall and the starting edge of the sink. I understand the vanity depth has to be reduced to accomodate the semi recessed sink however trying to find the maximum distance between the wall and the sink that would look good from a design point of view while maximising vanity bench space for practical reasons.
Many thanks.
Hi Frances
Suggest a minimum of 100mm
Hi there, how much should I allow between the spout and handle on the wall above the basin?
New build
Thank you
Hi Gail,
Are you referring to the actual mixer? Are you saying the spout and mixer are separate? Any chance you can send an image of the tap so I can see exactly what you are dealing with?
Hi Robyn, I’m considering a wall mount vanity with 500mm projection and inset basin (sitting 50mm above countertop), and shaving cabinets (160mm deep) above. What distance would you recommend between top of vanity and bottom of shaving cabinet please?
Hi Mel,
This is influenced by your tap and how tall this is, but as a general rule around 300-330 mm above benchtop or 1250 from floor to bottom on shaving cabinet
Robyn
Thank you so much Robyn! Really appreciate your effort in this Q&A thread 🙂
Hi Robyn,
Floating Bathroom Vanity: we are having a custom made two drawer vanity for a tiny bathroom. The plumbing & drainage outlets are low down in the wall where the bottom drawer would be.
The mixer tap will be central on the sink.
We need advice on which drawer is the correct one to be recessed for the plumbing. Can you help?
many thanks, Essie
Hi Essie
Without actually seeing the plumbing set up it is impossible to say. Suggest you speak with the plumber and builder as to their advice. Sorry I could not be more help. Enjoy your new bathroom
Hi Essie,
New build. 2 vanities. One 2.9 long 50cm wide. The other 2.4 long 50cm wide. Can you recommend a sink size that would suit (2 x sinks per vanity). We are looking at above counter oval type sinks. We don’t want the sinks to look too small or too large. I was thinking 525-580mm long x 380mm wide.
Many thanks for your assistance.
Julie 😊🙏
Hi Julie
They are certainly large vanities. Your size suggestions will work
Robyn
Hi looking to instal a 390 deep vanity with small round undermount sink 360 x 14.
Is a wall mounted spout 110 an ok size for this sink?
Thanks
Leith
Apologies, your question did not trigger a notification, no doubt you have solved you problem but let me know if you still have any more.
Hi Robyn, we are building our own home i am wondering what height the vanity should be with a top mount basin which is 105 in height. and what distance to put the wall tap and wall mixer above the basin. also would you put the bath spout at the same height above the bath as the basin?
Thanks Amanda
Apologies, you question did not trigger a notification, no doubt you have solved you problem but let me know if you still have any more.
Hi Robyn,
Our above counter basin is 120mm high – is a height of 850mm for the vanity too high (850 + 120 = 970)? With your experience – what height would you recommend for all family members (ie tall adults and short kids)?
Also keen to know what heights you would install a recessed mirror cupboard above the vanity and the wall tap mixers (approx)?
Thank you! 🙂
Hi Melissa
I personally believe 970 is too high, maximum height would be 930-950. Usually install shaving cabinet approx 200mm above tap, but definitely influenced by height of tap or approx 300 mm from benchtop
Hi Robyn
I am looking at using an antique dresser as a vanity and putting sink that sits on top . Can you please let me know how much depth I will need from the drain hole for the drain plumbing so I know if it will fit within the top draw of the dresser?
Thank you in advance 🙏🏼
Hi Cathy
It is impossible to say without being on site, too many variables. Your best solution would to ask the plumber to check measure on site with you and the specs of your vanity. Sorry I could not be of more assistance. PS post a picture of the finished vanity, love it when people up cycle old products
Robyn
Hi Robyn
Our bathroom countertop is 500mm wide.
We would like to install a countertop mixer tap behind countertop installed basin.
We would like a large basin to minimise splalleting. What is the maximum width basin we could go for? Thinking about rounded rectangular basin.
Also what is the ideal distance between spout of the tall mixer and top of the basin?
Many thanks
Hi Seda
I would limit the size of the basin to 360mm and personally like to allow approx 60mm from base of tap and top of basin
Good luck with your renovation
Informative piece on the why and what of Kitchen And Bathroom Measurements.. Good Read!
Thank you so much, appreciate the love
Hi Robyn,
Firstly, thank you for all your advice to all these questions! It looks like you have been of valuable help to many.
We are installing a floating vanity with a round above counter basin 120mm high. How many mm should the front of the basin be set back from the front edge of the vanity?
Also we have a countertop mixer to go behind the basin – it’s spout is 160mm long and the basin diameter is 360mm. What distance do you recommend from the mixer upright to the back edge of the basin?
Thanks again for your recommendations.
Mark
Hi Mark,
Just saw your query, sometimes easier to give me a quick ring if I don’t reply. Depending on the size of the vanity you will need a min of 30 mm – and the tap should start approx 30mm from back edge
Hope this helos
Robyn
Hi, I am wishing to understand where in the vanity basin that the water spout flow should hit?
Should it be centered to the plug hole or is there guide?
We are having a semi recessed basin and was looking at a wall mounted spout and mixer. I feel most of the tapware I am looking at would fall too short in the basin.
Thanks
Hi Em,
No easy easy to this question as lots of variables in terms of size of basin, placement on bench and length of spout. Generally I would suggest around 90mm from edge of basin but no further than the outlet. Hope this helps. Robyn