Vanity Units and Open-Plan Living: The UK Layout Report

Open plan remodelling has turned the downstairs WC into a furniture problem, according to a new 2026 layout analysis from Furniture in Fashion. The report finds that removing internal walls eliminates the hallway buffer that once hid a cloakroom, so the compartment door now forms part of a living room elevation and the basin is judged as joinery rather than sanitaryware. It identifies depth as the binding constraint, with 35 to 40cm units workable in compartments under 90cm wide where 55cm units are not, and names door swing fouling a drawer front or tap as the most common design failure. The analysis references Building Regulations Approved Documents G and M on sanitation and entrance level access, warns that studwork built before the vanity was chosen frequently lacks fixing points for wall hung units, and matches vanity sizes to internal compartment widths....