It used to be done all the time in the older homes...having nooks and crannies are great places to put things like waste baskets or kitty boxes or hang a towel bar off the side....and it does create extra corners that will need cleaning as well as another side of the cabinet to wipe down. Today, however, it seems everyone wants the extra counter space and storage space so tend to build wall to wall.

Unless you have something specific that you want to use that side for, don't do it. If you have something specific to use it for, then make sure you give it enough space....12" is too narrow to be worth it. At the very least, make sure it is as wide as your vacuum/mop head so you can get in there to clean.

Do it. If you have the space, why shove the vanity to the corner? DD2 is redoing her master bath. She purchased a furniture style vanity online. We discussed several times, along with her older sister, the pros and cons and which existing sink lines to work with (old vanity was 72", she replaced with 60"). The plumber wanted to shove it against the wall, but I told him to leave about 6". She doesn't want trash can there, just space. I think he left about 3". We will see when the vanity goes in. Don't even get me started.

fwiw, I couldn't find furniture style vanities that fit the look of our new home when we were building 7 years ago. So I had the installer cut off the bases and add feet to all of them. Cleaning is not a problem. I just vacuum under them like I would any hardwood furniture in the house.

Thanks for your comments. Having to clean in there is something I hadn't thought about. But the vanity doesn't go to the floor (it has legs) so getting a mop or vacuum in there should be fine. I'll just have to be sure to leave plenty of space to fit my hand/arm for clean-ups on the wall or side of the cabinets. The main reason I've been thinking about doing it is that the vanity only comes with a marble backspash for the back (which is normal). But the idea of having nice marble on the back and just having it butt up against the drywall on the side bugs me for some reason. Thank again.

I had a similar situation to the one noted by allison0704 above: using a furniture-style double vanity in an odd space. I ended up with space on the side in part because of the furniture style and trim work on the vanity itself and in part because of the wainscoting I planned. It turned out well, and I filled the entire void with the vanity top, but I was only dealing with a 2" area or so on either side.

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