Longtime friends of Barrett Bergmann Home founders Dwayne Bergmann and Kyle Barrett, designers Lisa and Everick Brown have been sourcing BBH since the brand's early days. For a current residential project, they’ve sourced seven–yes seven!–BBH custom vanities. We chatted with the husband and wife duo about their experience using the BBH Custom Vanity Program and why they return to it project after project.
For the Browns, whose projects are known for their “modern classic with a global perspective” aesthetic, the appeal of the BBH Custom Vanity Program is rooted in the flexibility. Rather than designing a space around a predetermined product, the program gives them a formulaic way to incorporate custom.
“What initially drew us to the Barrett Bergmann Home Custom Vanity Program”, says Lisa Brown, “was the ability to create something that feels genuinely tailored without having to start from zero every time. As designers, we’re always looking for that balance between customization, quality, and practicality. The program gives us a strong design foundation, but still leaves enough room to make the piece our own.”
Particularly in the bathroom, designers are balancing plumbing, hard surfaces, storage, hardware, lighting and more, without the furnishings that other spaces warrant. Fully custom millwork can be costly and require a lot of coordination, but BBH offers the opportunity to introduce a highly stylized vanity that takes the design element from functional to furniture-worthy. The vanity becomes one of the tools that allows designers to create those individual identities.
“What brings me back is the flexibility. I can respond to the architecture, the client, and the particular personality of a room rather than forcing a predetermined vanity into the space. The result feels considered and custom, but the process is much more efficient and predictable.”
In the latest project featuring the seven BBH vanities, the Browns selected styles that compliment through material and proportion, customizing each with the finishes, hardware and configurations according to its purpose and personality of the space.
"The goal isn't to create seven completely unrelated bathrooms, nor is it to repeat the same bathroom seven times," Everick says. "You experience each bathroom as its own moment, but when you step back, they all clearly belong to the same home."
The award-winning designer offers a pro-tip: start with the room, not with the options. Let the architecture, storage requirements, usage, and visual role of the vanity determine the selection. It’s not about having endless choices, it's about making the right ones. “For me, customization is really an exercise in editing. Having hundreds of possibilities is valuable because it means we aren’t constrained, but good design is knowing which few choices are right for that particular room.”
Working collaboratively with the BBH team means seamless support and communication from specification to installation. Everick shares that for him, the best vendor relationships feel like an extension of the design team. That level of responsiveness and collaboration ultimately helps them deliver a better project for the client.
“Custom work requires communication. You need people who understand that designers are thinking about the entire environment—not just an individual product. Being able to discuss dimensions, finishes, details, specifications, and installation considerations with a knowledgeable team gives us greater confidence throughout the process.”
