Vanity

Well...not the one of the 7 deadly sins....but rather of the bathroom kind........

With the SR master bath stripped down to its bare essence of studs, pipe and plywood and rag-tag insulation, I've spent many, many hours looking at all manner of bathroom vanities.  It is a traditional home, and I had planned to go with a traditional vanity.  Unfortunately, the space is very narrow, and I have no plans on amplifying it.

My goal on all of my projects is to upgrade and beautify the existing space.  The homes so far are well-laid out, and their space is usable. However, the existing components are battle/life-worn, requiring repair or replacement.  That takes lots of dollars.  My guess is that if someone is looking for all of the amenities--to include more modern floor plans, they will be buying a newer home.  Therefore, my plan is simply to repair and beautify the existing space while staying true to the home's 'bones'.

Because the master bath is so small, going with a traditional vanity would just take up too much space.  Narrow vanities, did not quite fit the bill, and all of them still would go down to the floor.  As with my quest on finding the perfect kitchen backsplash, I embarked on another quest to find the perfect bathroom vanity.  My wonderful designer friend, Nan, keeps me tethered and gives me honest feedback when I say, "What do you think about this?"

After visiting many, many sites on line and looking at what I'm sure was more than a thousand vanities, this vanity made me stop.  It is Virtu USA's Carmine 48" Wall mounted vanity set.  It is made of solid oak (more on that), has a marble top and comes with a faucet and the mirror.

I fell in love with the soft color and the clean lines. Now, the quest is shifting to finding the right tile to make this bathroom special. Having an anchor point, the vanity, will help narrow choices.  For the tiny 32x35" shower, I want to use a natural rock (pebble) for the base.  Beyond that, I have no ideas.  The internet has many ways to find inspiration, which is both good and bad.  Good, in that there is lots to choose from, and bad in that there is lots to choose from.

I find that my ideas about this 'stuff' evolve, and my gut (and Nan) always tell me when I have found just the right thing.  To this vanity and my question, she replied, "That works and really looks good."  To another finding that I lobbed her way, she said (with polite disgust), "It represents the combination of two incompatible elements and neither of them good." (or something to that effect).  I measured my bathroom space, called my plumber to make sure that I was not committing an egregious plumbing sin and ordered the Virtu vanity.

I'm liking the tumble stone to the right as a consideration for flooring.  I want to create a nice harmony.  Too often, I see a mix of colors and shapes that appear jarring to my eye.....too many different styles of tile/stone/glass leave my eyes all googlie.  I'm looking for harmony...I hope to find it. 

Now I'm off to check on three projects.