2012 is shaping up to be the year when yesterday's fads either fade away or become solid trends. Bathroom vanities, for so long boxy but functional fixtures, have been given stylish makeovers in recent years. Some of those makeovers were more stylish than functional, but others have withstood the test of time and helped redefine the family bathroom. These are some of the 2012 bathroom vanity trends interior designers are raving about.

Less is More

The biggest trend in bathroom design is arguably hidden away in the walls. Plumbers are routing the plumbing through the walls instead of under the floors. This makes it possible to wall mount toilets and vanities rather than hide the plumbing behind floor-mounted facades. This change has created a revolution in vanity design.

Old fashioned vanities used to have drawer facades rather than drawers because the sink took up the space immediately below the benchtop. When you opened the cabinet doors, you were faced with a maze of pipes and had to make do with any storage space you could find around the pipes. With wall-routed plumbing, that's a thing of the past. There's enough space to mount drawers just under or to the sides of the sink without sacrificing general storage space behind the doors.

The other problem with old-style vanities was their bulkiness. This has largely been eliminated by wall mounted vanities that seem to "float." The elimination of the base creates an illusion of much greater spaciousness in the bathroom. Rather than being an imposing structure in the bathroom that tries to hide behind a bland white surface, the vanity is now the colourful focal point of the room and although smaller, still has just as much room for storage, if not more.

The Vanity as Art

Now that the vanity is no longer an obtrusive eyesore, it is looked at more as a modern work of functional art and sometimes as an art stand. While white ceramic drop-in basins are still popular, glass vessel basins that stand on top of the vanity have gone from being a bold designer statement to a stylish trend. Walk into a bathroom with a modern wall mounted vanity topped by a glistening glass vessel and you feel like you're entering a sumptuous spa.

The finishing touches of the 2012 vanity are the door and drawer handles and the taps. Stainless steel bar style handles are still in vogue, as are daintier minimalist stainless steel and chrome finger pull handles. Chrome gooseneck taps are back, thanks to subtle design changes and other designs, too, are designed to make a statement. Standing tall above the sink basin, taps are a distinctive rather than merely utilitarian feature.

From 2012 onwards, the bathroom is no longer going to be looked upon as a necessity. Increasingly, the bathroom is an affordable luxury and a place that serves as a relaxing retreat. The 2012 bathroom vanity trends reflect this movement towards turning the humble "bathroom" into something that could better be described as a personal spa.