old country house blog

MONDAY MAKEOVER – 7 TIPS FOR TURNING A DRESSER INTO A BATHROOM VANITY

there is this strange writing here and I have no idea why? anyone any ideas? how do I remove it?

MASTER VANITY - DRESSER TURNED INTO VANITY
MASTER VANITY – DRESSER TURNED INTO VANITY
achorrug
ANTHROPOLOGIE ANCHOR RUG

A good bathroom VANITY is the..ANCHOR…OF YOUR BATHROOM

 OF YOUR BATHROOM! EVERY extra step you take to find the right piece at the right price will pay off…and here are………………

7 TIPS FOR TURNING A DRESSER INTO A VANITY 

1. HEIGHT – ANY HEIGHT BETWEEN 30-36″ WILL DO. ALMOST ANY DRESSER OR CREDENZA OR TABLE WILL WORK…BUT HEIGHT IS IMPORTANT. MAKE SURE YOUR VANITY IS THE RIGHT HEIGHT FOR BENDING OVER AND WASHING YOUR FACE!

Long before we began our Master Bathroom renovation..I had envisioned an old dresser converted to a vanity. That seemed really the only obvious choice given the age of our house, our budget and the fact that most off the box store ones did not suit my vision. I will never forget the day I was wandering though my favorite used furniture store…and stumbled upon THIS beauty which someone had already converted into a vanity….

vanitydresser

dresser

2. STABILITY – While almost any piece will do it helps to have a good solid piece of
furniture. One of the reasons I love older pieces is that they truly do not “make them like they used
to”!!!!

Detail work on Master Dresser

 I  painted the accents a BM color called “Pristine.The hardware is the original that we polished up…
MY NEW ANTHROPOLOGIE THROW RUG
MY NEW ANTHROPOLOGIE THROW RUG
3. VARNISH AFTER YOU PAINT – I painted the dresser BODY in
Benjamin Moore  
“Coventry Gray” , THE interior in “Coral Gables” and accents in a lovely pale pink called
Pristine”
 I USED Advance paint .
IT IS HANDS DOWN MY fave for furniture… 
I then added two

coats of Benjamin Moore Stays Clear Varnish to protect the top AND TO THE

beadboard backsplash. Even in you choose to add a custom made top, varnishing the body of the
dresser with protect it from moisture.
ONE YEAR LATER….the vanity top is completely intact!
VARNISHED VANITY TOP
VARNISHED VANITY TOP

4. SINK – Look for a sink that complements the style of the vanity. You can take a giant kitchen bowl with a hole in the bottom and make it a sink. Anything can be your sink..on top as a ” sink VESSEL” or below  as a “drop in”…” DROP IN” is a great choice but only if your dresser interior can be modified like I did…if not, you may want to consider a “VESSEL” sink. 

The Drawers were adapted for the pipes and are perfect for holding extra towels and linens…
adapter interior
adapter interior

….the interior is painted Benjamin Moore “CORAL GABLES”

IMG_5405

towels

The sink is a Kohler “Archer” drop in sink and I love how it mirrors the arch of the Vanity Bow front.

Kohler Ar

5.  THE “3 F’S” FAUCET, FIXTURE AND FINISHES – There are so many faucets out there. You could spend the rest of your life looking at all the choices…and then there are the “finishes….Oil Ribbed Bronze, Polished Nickel, Brushed Nickel, Polished and brushed brass…Chrome…My RULE OF THUMB in this HOUSE is to find a fixture which was appropriate for my home and the vintage of the vanity. A slick modern faucet would look out-of-place with my 100-year-old vanity. I CHOSE Chrome because Chrome could have been here 100 years ago and will look appropriate 100 years from now…Chrome also is compatible with the brass light fixtures I have. 
My favorite website for Great TIMELESS fixtures is VINTAGE TUB 
RANDOLPH MORRIS BRIDGE FAUCET IN CHROME
RANDOLPH MORRIS BRIDGE FAUCET IN CHROME

6. AVOID MATCHY MATCHY – YES, COORDINATE YOUR FIXTURES BUT NO, BY ALL MEANS YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE ALL MATCHY MATCHY…!

I chose the SUSSEX line of Bathroom Fixtures from Pottery Barn…THEY look appropriate without being too matchy matchY

pottery Barn Sussex Accessories
Pottery Barn Sussex Accessories

IMG_1199

I got Damon’s cup and Tray
at Target last Winter in an end cap sale.
Cup and Soap Dish - Anthropologie

IMG_8855-433x650

7. MIRROR MIRROR – There are so many great mirrors out there that the hardest part
about Mirrors is just narrowing down your choices! Personally…I love a “statement mirror.” …this is
such a  great opportunity to introduce a fun color in a palatable quantity….like the 
ones I the kids bathroom….which were originally THIS:
kidsvanities
…..and I painted  CORAL GABLES  to make THIS:
KIDS BATHROOM - OCEAN AIR AND CORAL GABLES
KIDS BATHROOM – OCEAN AIR AND CORAL GABLES
Our bathroom vanity happens to have a WINDOW behind it,
IMG_5413
which I actually love…..
Bathroom with a view
Bathroom with a view!
so the large antique gold painted mirror is
to the left….and a small
accent shaving mirror to the right…
master bathroom gold 3
 
CONVERTING  a Piece of furniture into a bathroom vanity is an excellent and often cost saving way
to add personality and character to your bathroom….In the end our Vanity cost $350 (not including
the faucet) which is far and away less expensive than any bathroom vanity I found
anywhere…in addition, it enables me to find a size PERFECT for my bathroom without the added
expense of custom design…a little light woodworking inside and one year later
…I STILL LOVE LOVE LOVE our new/old Vanity.
It is everything I imagined and then so much more. It
goes beautifully in the New / Old Bathroom and looks as if this is where it was always meant to be.

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pssssst –    visit my last post “GOLDEN RETRIEVERS” and take advantage of a special offer for my lovely followers!!!

XO

14 thoughts on “MONDAY MAKEOVER – 7 TIPS FOR TURNING A DRESSER INTO A BATHROOM VANITY

    1. Thank you…I love them too..and I smile every single time I go into my sweet bathroom..I thought of it for 9 years so once I got going I knew every single thing I wanted to do…sometimes, I can’t believe we FINALLY DID IT!!!!

  1. I love your new bathroom! I found a wonderful old dry sink to convert to a vanity. What I’m not sure about doing is aligning the sink hole with the existing plumbing below. Surely it can be extended to reach down to the piping. But I’m not certain how to align the hole so the drain from the sink will align front to back and left to right. You were lucky the hole was already cut. Any ideas how I can succeed at mine?! Thanks!!!

    1. I am not sure I understand the question but it sound like a decent carpenter might be able to see by looking at it. I just made sure mine would fit on the center of the window behind the sink and above the existing drain.

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