We went pedestal in our half-bath a couple years back, and I totally relate to your basket dilemma—ours quickly became the "random stuff black hole." 😂
"Eventually, we installed a recessed medicine cabinet above the sink."
Interesting you mention this—we considered doing the same but chickened out because drywall scares me a bit, haha. Ended up with floating shelves instead, which look nice but still require constant tidying. If you're okay with occasional clutter patrol, pedestal sinks are great visually...but storage-wise, yeah, I'd probably lean vanity next time too.
We actually swapped out our vanity for a pedestal sink last year, and I totally get the storage struggle. Floating shelves were tempting, but we ended up going with a slim vertical cabinet tucked into a corner—it's narrow enough not to crowd the room, and tall enough to stash towels and toiletries without cluttering surfaces. If you're worried about drywall and recessed cabinets (I was too at first, ha), this might be a good compromise.
One thing I'd recommend—look for cabinets made from sustainably sourced wood or bamboo. We found some great eco-friendly options online, and it felt good knowing we weren't contributing to deforestation. Plus, they hold up really well in humid spaces like bathrooms.
Did anyone else try alternative storage solutions that worked out surprisingly well or turned into a total flop? Curious how others managed the pedestal sink trade-off...
"Floating shelves were tempting, but we ended up going with a slim vertical cabinet tucked into a corner"
We did floating shelves thinking they'd look sleek and minimalist, but honestly... they've mostly become a dust magnet. Also, I underestimated how messy toiletries look out in the open. Might try your vertical cabinet idea instead. How stable is yours? Did you have to anchor it to the wall or anything?
We went with a slim vertical cabinet too—here's my quick take:
- Stability depends a lot on the model. Ours came with a wall anchor kit, but honestly, it felt sturdy enough without it.
- Still anchored it anyway because tenants can be... unpredictable, lol.
- Definitely less dusty than open shelves, but shelves inside are narrow. Check your measurements carefully—some shampoo bottles barely fit upright.
- Overall, no regrets yet, just make sure you pick one that's solidly built.
We switched to a pedestal sink last year, and honestly, storage was the biggest adjustment. Ended up getting one of those slim cabinets too—ours didn't come with anchors, but we added them anyway because kids running around make me nervous. Agree about the narrow shelves though... had to swap out our usual shampoo bottles for shorter ones. Still, love how much easier cleaning around the sink is now. Just plan your storage carefully and you'll probably be fine.
