In an effort to come up with finishes and an overall aesthetic for our master bathroom, I’ve been pouring over bathroom images online for weeks.  Originally, I liked the idea of hunting for a petite antique table or dresser, adding a sink to the top and converting it into a bathroom vanity.

Unfortunately, my antiquing and secondhand shopping haven’t turned up a suitable option.  The dressers I find are too large…too deep and too wide.  The tables that look like they’ll work are too ornate for our simple style.  Boo.

It just wasn’t working.  I wasn’t getting anywhere and I finally came to the conclusion that maybe it wasn’t supposed to work.  So, I dropped the salvaged dresser/table idea and moved on.  I still like the idea of incorporating antique furniture into our home, but I don’t think our small bathroom is going to be the place to do it.

Lately, I’ve been thinking that a floating vanity might work well in our small master bathroom.

They take up less space visually and physically.  They’re simple, usually with clean lines.

The options are endless, too.  An open wooden rectangular box with open storage in plain sight, two chunky concrete shelves hung parallel with textured baskets for hidden storage, or even a sink with a closed floating cabinet just beneath it are all variations of the floating vanity that could work.

Even a floating chunky wood countertop with a simple sink installed on top would provide space underneath for open or closed storage in the form of baskets or ottomans.  When I mentioned the floating vanity idea to Handy Hubby we was all ears.  He says it would be relatively easy to DIY. Plus, it would cost a whole heck of a lot less than the $400 sink/vanity combos I’ve seen at the home improvement stores.  And if we DIY a floating vanity, we have the freedom to customize it to our bathroom and its dimensions.  Just check out this DIY’d plywood floating vanity I came across and nearly fainted over…

Seriously?!  Isn’t that amazing?

The contrast of the sleek metal sink bowls against the warm plywood is spot on.  And by DIYing the project themselves, these homeowners created a totally custom piece that fits their bathroom and aesthetic to a T.

I like it.  I think we should do it.  Now, I just have to come up with a design.  I plan on adding hidden and concealed storage elsewhere in the bathroom to house toiletries.  It will also give us a good excuse to edit our already small arsenal of bathroom things.  But I think we can make it work.

What do you think?  Do you like the idea of a floating vanity in a small bathroom?  Maybe you have one yourself.  Or possibly you think it’s a horrible idea and I should ditch it right away.  I’d love to hear what you think.

images:  1) Rate My Space  2) Mirrors Mirrorsss  3) Bohemian Stoneworks  4) Rate My Space  5 & 6) Dwelement

Are you tired of hearing about one of the smallest rooms in the Underdog yet?  The kid/guest bathroom has been grabbing most of our attention lately.  Mainly because we need at least one fully functioning bathroom when we move into the house this fall. Unlike a family room or bedroom, the bathroom’s fixtures {toilet, sink, tub/shower, exhaust fan, lighting, etc.} can’t be left unfinished because we’ll need to use them right away.  In other rooms of the house we can get away with leaving some fixtures undone while we live there…lighting, ceiling fans, furniture, etc.  So, yes, this bathroom is stealing the show right now.

We already found our clawfoot tub and had our first major renovation hiccup which, ironically, didn’t even involve the house.

Next up, was to hunt down fixtures for the tub.  Since code regulations require us to have the tub’s faucet at least 2″ higher than the overflow drain and the vintage tub we bought didn’t meet that requirement {the original faucet is located just above the overflow…not even 1″ above}, we were looking high and low for a new faucet that would help our tub make it into this century legally.

We’d heard a lot of good things about Vintage Tub & Bath from magazines, TV shows and other sources, so when our plumber mentioned them as well we figured they were our best bet.  {We did check out craigslist and Ebay too…to no avail…the selection/prices weren’t any better.}

Basically, we were looking for a gooseneck faucet that would rise up above the overflow drain and give us that 2″ clearance we needed.  Something along the lines of this would have worked fine…{minus the sponged red wall and seashell soap}…

See how the faucet arches up over the overflow drain giving a good 6″ of clearance?  Perfect. Just what we were looking for. Until we remembered that a faucet like that would only allow our kids the ability to bathe…not shower.  While our two young boys still take baths as of right now, we know that won’t always be the case and we plan on living in this house for a long while so there’s a good chance they’ll graduate to showering while we still live in the house.  Onto option #2…

I absolutely adored the look and function of this gooseneck faucet with attached telephone handshower.  This way the kids could sit in the tub but still rinse themselves with the sprayer…sort of a shower in the bathtub position.  But I quickly realized that two boys with a handheld sprayer would mean water all. over. the. bathroom.  No big deal, I thought.  I would just add a shower curtain around the tub to contain their spraying mayhem.  That would require a clawfoot tub shower enclosure rod.

But with the cost of the telephone handshower faucet already over $450 {!!!} just adding this shower enclosure would cost us another $200.  Also at this point, Handy Hubby had convinced me that we’d really benefit from having a true shower function in the bathroom for when the boys were older.  Because, seriously, how many teenaged boys do you know of who sit in a bathtub {if they even fit} and spray themselves down with a handheld sprayer?  Zilch.  Good point, HH.  That brought on option #3.

This gooseneck faucet/shower head/enclosure rod combo met all our requirements.  It had the arched faucet we needed to gain inches above the overflow.  It had the capacity to deliver a shower function should our boys ever learn to give themselves a shower in the next 10+ years.  It included a shower enclosure from which a curtain could be hung to contain water play and stray sprays.  At $415, it wasn’t cheap.  But compared to the other setups we had looked at, it was priced well especially for all that it included.  And we actually liked its aesthetic.  The chrome faucet and showerhead were simple and classic…just what we were looking for.  FYI – the fixture does NOT include the soap dish or bath tray shown above.

After some initial huffing and puffing and “are we really going to pay $400 for a faucet and showerhead?!” we realized that spending $615 {the cost of the craigslist tub + the fixtures} on a tub/shower combo with a ton of character that would suit our kids now and in the future was totally worth it.  Yes, we still need to refinish the interior of the tub {which is actually in pretty good condition} and we haven’t decided whether that will be a DIY or professional undertaking…and that will add more $$ to the tub.  Still, we feel it’s one of those splurges that will make the room and function well.  Of course, we can’t afford to splurge on everything.  We’ll pare some splurges throughout the house with more economical, thrifty, DIY pieces…which makes for an interesting space anyhow.

Now that I’ve shared a splurge, let’s talk budget-friendly in the bathroom.

I originally happened upon this sink and vanity combo during a browsing trip to Home Depot a few months ago.  I snapped a picture of it and its shelf tag on my iPhone for future reference.  Turns out it’s the perfect petite size for our kids’ small bathroom.  I’ve been eyeing vanities with open frames and I really like the way they have a much lighter visual effect – especially in small spaces.  So the fact that this $199 version was open below the sink sold me.  I got a little nervous though when I finally got around to including it in this mood board last week.  I had some trouble locating it online, so I was sure it was on its way to being discontinued.

Sure enough, when HH went to Home Depot this past weekend to purchase the vanity he couldn’t find it on display in-store. He asked customer service about it and they hunted down THE LAST ONE in the back.  HH quickly bought it up and all is well in kiddie bathroom land. We’re very lucky we were able to purchase the last one in stock.  I think it was meant to be.  The vanity does not include a faucet, so we’ll be searching for one that complements the tub/shower fixtures to keep things cohesive.

Sorry, that’s a lot of words about a lot of money spent on a bathroom with not a lot of space.  A modern tub/shower from a big box store probably would have saved us some headaches {and maybe some $$} but it just wouldn’t have given us the feel we’re going for.  We’re trying to add character by using some vintage pieces in this house.

Have you brought a vintage splurge into your home that added a ton of character?  Was it a deviation from the easy, expected modern solutions out there? Maybe you have an antique armoire to house electronics or a reupholstered mid-century modern sofa?  Tell me what vintage piece you’ve given a second life in your home.  I’ll bet, in return, it’s given your home a whole new personality that was lacking.

images:  1 &2) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking  3-7) Vintage Tub & Bath  8) Home Depot