Bath Renovation: Sink Vanity & Mirror Cabinet

This is my last bath project and I learned a lot from the first one that helped me create the timeless natural look that I wanted. It took me seveal years to accumulate the knowledge, accessories, ideas and time before I started this project. My estimated construction time was unrealistic (2 weeks) as I came upon some extra details that demanded more time, but considering I did the work myself after working a full day, preparing dinner and then working on the project from 9:00 PM – Midnight every night I could, one month isn’t such a long time to get what you want out of a project.

My husband made the sink vanity and mirrored cabinet out of solid black walnut and lacewood. The lacewood panels are solid and float. A bit over-kill for bathroom furniture, but it adds a nice richness to the room. The legs of the sink vanity had to allow enough room for the air to flow from the vent. The solid granite top makes this a sturdy piece and should we decide to move, we can undo the plumbing and take it with us!

I had to cut some of the tile pieces, and incorporated them with natural stone and ammonite fossils that I patterned together. The accent tile repeats itself completely around the bath. The porcelain tile is installed from floor to ceiling and has a sandstone texture which helps hide mineral/water spots and is durable and easy to clean. The sink is a textured vessel that “rings” like a crystal bell when you tap it.

The overhead lights are halogen which help heat the room when it’s cold and dry it out to prevent mildew. I installed an LED light strip under the mirrored cabinet to help light up this dark corner and it functions as a night light. It stays on 24/7. (It almost makes it fun to get up in the middle of the night to “P”.)

I had a plumber remove the original shower head & faucet and configure the plumbing for a single outlet, installing a combination faucet/shower head unit to give a multi-purpose and sleeker look than those multi gizmo showers that have a dozen water sources spraying at you from all directions. I feel that “Less is more”, and this is a very small bath. The shower head can be lowered and raised, so a person of 4ft to 7ft can still be accomodated and the shower spray is quite efficient, allowing to conserve water use. The hose also makes it easy to clean the shower & tub.

A token “Before” photo has been included to make you appreciate the horror in these projects. I found that the wood behind the tile wall was charred halfway through. Looks like there was a minor fire before they put the wall up.

-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe