A vanity unit with a drawer that misses the pipe

Drawers under a basin sound easy until you remember the pipe. The waste comes straight down from the basin, right where the top drawer wants to be.

The usual answer is a cupboard door and a lot of wasted space. This vanity unit for a bathroom in Bowes Park has three proper drawers instead.

Why the board is green

Moisture-resistant MDF is green all the way through so you can tell it apart from the normal stuff. It costs a bit more. In a bathroom, with steam and splashes every day, normal MDF swells at the edges sooner or later. Moisture-resistant board copes far better, as long as it is painted properly.

The top drawer

The top drawer has a box built into the middle of it. The waste pipe drops straight through the box, and the drawer slides either side of it. You lose a little space in the middle and keep two good compartments for toothbrushes, razors and everything else that ends up on the side of a sink.

A hole through the top lines up with the box, so the basin waste drops straight down through it.

Finish

Painted a soft cream, with brass handles. The two lower drawers are deep enough for towels.

See every photo of this job.