In the old bathroom at Jackson Street, we very much wanted to turn a dresser into a vanity. It makes sense, since original sinks were just bowls and pitches that sat on top of dressers and desks.
So, we kept our eyes out for a while, and eventually landed on a great dresser. My $02 if you try this project : a standard bathroom vanity is 30″ tall, so look for something that height, or honestly a few inches taller works well, especially if YOU are taller. If you choose to add a countertop, stone, or a vessel sink, keep that in mind as well! And check to make sure it’s not a valuable antique before you chop holes in it. I loved our choice primarily because it had both the lighter wood of the floors for the rest of the house, and the darker wood of the new floor for the bathroom.
First, we took out the drawers, and cut a hole for the sink and faucet. We decided to keep the wood top, which is fine if you seal it well with a lot of poly, or even better, marine varnish.
Then, we gathered all the parts we needed, and kept them within reach.
The faucet and connections went in next. Do this before adding the sink, so you have plenty of room to work from!
The connections had to go through the the bottom of the cabinet. We re-built the drawers to allow for the plumbing, but to also keep the massive amounts of storage that the cabinet provided. Doug did a phenomenal job with that!
The sink is a hand-hammered, copper gem. Doug and I always do the traditional anniversary gifts (which can be totally silly, or great) and we were working on this project around our 7th Anniversary, which is Copper. The sink was our present to ourselves. (Don’t worry, we kept the vanity when we moved out! We plan on putting it somewhere in Martin Place).
Once the sink was in, it was time to check to see if the water worked, and if we had any leaks. Hooray for everything working as it should!
Done and in! Marina was clearly in the room. Watch out for puppy tails!
I wish I had a better shot of the drawer re-configure, but I don’t. But you can see the idea of how building in some channels worked, and how we have a ton of storage in the cabinet.
This really is a great project, and added a ton of character to the space. It really is an eye-catching piece, and not too challenging if you grasp plumbing.
If you want to check out how to do this from someone who is not us, here is a link to DIY.
And for other Flashback Fridays involving the Old Jackson Street Bathroom, check out Part One, and the Clawfoot Tub Renovation.
This looks amazing! I love the mirror. Is it part of the dresser or did you purchase this separate? I posted a couple of weeks about a dresser I would’ve LOVED to transform into a vanity if I had the room. Check out my page, http://www.kolarosedesigns.com
The mirror is part of the dresser, it connects at the bottom of the mirror. It’s a little low, but it works for me! My husband has to stoop a bit! Thanks for sending your page along!