I'd never considered this as an option, but it seems like a fantastic idea! How deep would the shallow drawers actually be? Just enough for combs and hairbrushes?

We have two floating vanities. While they do open up the space visually (and provide a great place to store the bathroom scale!), they do also have very limited storage capacity. We have drawers on each side and a cupboard underneath, with a single sink in the middle. Amid all the sink plumbing, that's where we store tall shampoo bottles and cleaning supplies - stuff that could always find another home.

It may not be a popular option simply because it rules out stock bathroom vanities and means going custom.

Hmmm. I've made many a "U" shaped drawer to fit around sink plumbing while maximizing storage.

I make all my drawers with dovetail construction, so I just have to be careful to not lose track of which ends get pins and which get tails. Other than that, it's not difficult at all. The drawer is secure and not flimsy if he tries that as an argument.

Galleyette, the vanity will be 24" deep, so I'm guessing that the shortened drawers could be 10" from front to back and still clear the drain pipes.

Mongo, your solution would certainly work well, too, and would provide more storage than shortened drawers would. But I'm willing to give up a little storage in exchange for the streamlined look of open drawers that don't reveal the plumbing.

If you just want a simple rectangular drawer box, then in that case it's even simpler. There's no reason that construction of a simple short drawer should cause consternation for a cabinetmaker.

I'm not trying to talk you into it but if you're trying to maximize storage I'll throw out the idea that a "U" drawer could be used, but with short slides or with slide stops. That way the draw can only be pulled out so far, halfway for example, and not expose the plumbing. But you'd still have the two legs of the "U" that you could use to tuck things away.

Though you're not interested, for conversation I'll also throw out that the drawer doesn't have to be a "U" either. I've made drawers with arced/curved backs, and ones with trapezoidal cutouts too.

Thanks, Mongo. Those are good options to consider. (I gotta start thinking outside the box)