I get a fair amount of reader emails from this column, usually for advice, which is fine by me. Once in a while the advice is taken and I actually get to see the results, even if it takes a few years to make its way back to me.
Dale and Don recently sent me photos and an update on a bathroom vanity project they completed in their new home. They had emailed me a few years back and I planted a seed about using an antique piece of furniture as a washroom vanity. I wish I could say that I remember the exact email conversation but I can barely remember what I had for breakfast. That's why it was so lovely to receive their email follow-up some two years after our initial contact. Here is a snippet of the email.
Hi Connie,
I would like to give you an update on my new bathroom. I emailed you close to two years ago following one of your articles to ask for your advice on doing my new bathroom in our retirement home on Lake of the Woods. You were most helpful and sent pictures of an antique vanity similar to the one I wanted to use.
We had an old wash stand as a piece of furniture in our livingl room in our home in Winnipeg, which I wanted to incorporate into our lake home bathroom. Once we moved here, I finished the top of the vanity and harp with four coats of Wood Pride polyurethane interior varnish satin finish. My husband, Don, who is a very handy fellow, then mustered up the courage to cut a hole in the top of the wash stand for the sink drain. The sink is an American Standard vessel sink. He roughed in the plumbing holes at the back of the unit and mounted the tap. The tap is made by Price Pfister.
Regards,
Dale and Don
Don had to Macgyver the drawers so that the back would fit around the plumbing and be useable for storage. (See photo.) He cleverly switched out the normal ABS pipe for chrome piping which gave him the extra few inches needed to make everything fit. The vanity turned out beautifully and is a great piece in the couple's retirement home.
The vessel sink, while modern, is reminiscent of a washstand bowl from the days of the bowl and pitcher sets that were used on washstands just like theirs. The vessel sink is a great option in a project like this for a number of reasons. The vanity surface is lower than a standard vanity would be so the vessel sink brings the washing surface up to a reasonable height. As well, a traditional, under mounted sink, while being quite low in height, would take up room inside of the vanity which would leave the drawers unusable. The sleek, modern tap has an old fashioned cistern water pump look to it and fits well with the antique vanity.
I'm so glad that Don and Dale shared their project with us. Their experience and success gives others courage to try new things in their décor.
The couple's washstand vanity fit snuggly into the small space allotted for it. If you have a similar layout, you might want to consider using a similar piece of furniture and retrofit it as they did or you could also consider buying a lower-profile vanity like the ones pictured here (courtesy of Kohler) which will fit into a small space and are stylish.
One project at a time is the way to go. Once you have a few successes under your belt the sky is the limit. Keep those ideas and photos coming!
connieoliver@shaw.ca
