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mmidwest

Sink/vanity in bedroom - making it fit in

M V
10 years ago

I need some help! My husband and I have a new to us home, with a unique feature in EACH bedroom - a bathroom vanity. Not just any bathroom vanity though....ones with identical peach formica countertops! I think the sinks in the bedrooms are odd, but my husband thinks they are great and wants them to stay. SO, any suggestions as to a new countertop material that will make them look less like there is a bathroom in the bedroom? This picture is the sink in what will be my daughter's room. The other furniture is all painted white, so I thought I might just repaint the cabinet and change the countertop/fixtures. There are normally drawers in the vanity - I cleaned them and they were drying when I took the picture. Would an all white top blend in best, or should I pick something in stone? Any new lighting suggestions? I thought maybe clear glass pulls...

Comments (19)

  • joaniepoanie
    10 years ago

    How about a wood top with marine varnish to protect it from the water. I would also do a regular decorative mirror and I think sconces on the side walls would make it look less bathroomy.

  • yayagal
    10 years ago

    What color is your furniture in the room? If it were me I'd find a vanity in the same tone or paint the vanity and get a solid top with integrated sink in a dark tone. Add a complimentary mirror and lights.

  • camlan
    10 years ago

    I'd want to make the area look less bathroomy and more like there's a piece of furniture there.

    If I had the budget to do whatever I wanted in that space, I'd take down the mirror and light fixture and remove the tiles. Then I'd hang a nice mirror with a frame, and add lighting that went with the rest of the bedroom.

    For the vanity, I'd get a wood top and either varnish it as joaniepoanie suggests, or use outdoor paint, like porch paint, on it.

    Or I'd rip the vanity out and find an old dressing table and put that in the space and add a vessel sink on top of it. Perfect place to do hair and make-up.

    The overall effect I'd be going for would be a dressing table that just happens to have a sink on it, instead of something that screams of bathrooms and tile.

    However, from some of the toys in the background, it looks as if your daughter is still young? If she's at the age when she will be splashing around in the sink, cleaning off paint brushes or bathing her dolls there, I might just sit tight for a few years until she is older, and then create a "big girl" vanity area for her. What you've got there now looks pretty child-proof, and you could wait to make major changes when she is older. For a temporary fix, I'd put in a white countertop to help make the area blend in with the rest of the room.

  • bbstx
    10 years ago

    I have no suggestions, but wanted to add that I had a friend in high school who came from an inordinately large family. When her parents built their house, they had a sink put in each bedroom. It certainly cut down on arguments about the bathroom.

  • ineffablespace
    10 years ago

    I agree about the wood top. But you could just put a pair of full sized doors over the entire alcove and be able to close them off like a closet.

  • luckygal
    10 years ago

    Possibly your home was built by someone from Europe. One of the apartments we lived in in Europe was from the 1920's and the bedrooms had large pedestal sinks. The one in our bedroom was in an alcove between the closets and I put a curtain over it. Since it was a mil rental I didn't do anything else.

    IMO there is no countertop that will make that look less like a sink and I'd never use wood near a sink, especially in a child's room. An undermount sink with quartz, marble, or stone countertop with the vanity painted in a similar color will make it less obtrusive. No great contrasts in colors will help it blend in.

    The light fixture and mirror need to be changed and that depends on your budget.

    What color scheme and decorating style have you chosen for this room? Most decisions depend on those choices.

  • pattyxlynn
    10 years ago

    We bought our retirement house two years ago. We haven't retired yet but the time was right and we found the perfect house. Great saltwater marsh view, beautiful live oaks, and great bones in the 1980's-built house. The downside was decor. The kitchen counter tops are the same color as yours. Plus the guest bathroom has the same with a 12 foot counter top (one sink) and the master bath has another 14 feet of the same color.

    So while I don't have any better suggestions than above, I feel your pain on the color! We have to wait until we sell our current home before we can change them out.

  • musicteacher
    10 years ago

    I really liked May flower's makeover. Personally, I would love to have sinks in the kids bedrooms - especially teen age daughters.

  • Rory (Zone 6b)
    10 years ago

    I used to have that counter top in my kitchen - it was here when we moved in. I could not wait to take it out!.

    I have a similar area in a townhouse we are renovating to sell but mine does not have a sink. I am going to make it into a vanity/dressing station. There is only 1 bathroom on the top floor so having an extra spot for someone to get ready is a plus.

    I would change out the sink and counter to something similar as may-flower posted above but have drawers below. I would also change the lighting fixture and frame out the mirror.

  • stolenidentity
    10 years ago

    We have that same thing in our home, with a toilet and shower between the two rooms. This is called a Jack and Jill - It's kind of cool. I think the one you posted is fine, I would leave it alone.

  • busybee3
    10 years ago

    it sounds like your daughter is young- i would leave it as is, only changing out the light (i don't care for those lights!) and the counter if the color clashed with what else she has- if not, i would keep the counter as is.
    then when she gets older and cares more about her room decor/use more, i would adjust it accordingly!! she'll know what she needs/wants in another few years!!!

  • teeda
    10 years ago

    When we built our last home, we intentionally put a sink in our then teen age daughter's room. It was behind a set of doors--which was great because the older she got the more "products" covered that vanity! I was so glad we added that sink--and when we sold the house we got lots of positive comments about it. I would add a pair of louvered door panels for now. You can also paint laminate countertops, if you don't care for the color,

  • texasbet
    10 years ago

    I grew up in a house where my dad was the only male in a house with five women and two small 3/4 bathrooms. He had a sink put in the master bedroom so he could shave and not be late for work.

    I had an opportunity to visit the house a few years ago, and the sink had been removed. The present owners did not know there had been a sink there, but liked the idea there had been.

    As I remember, the sink counter top was approximately the same color as the wall, but that was in the 60s. Enjoy your sink. It's a good thing!

  • nosoccermom
    10 years ago

    Honestly, I'd go for fun and just paint the vanity, maybe pink, coral, purple, whatever your DD's favorite color, get some funky knobs/pulls, and replace the light fixture.



    or google dresser makeover and do a stencil, wallpaper, etc.

    Here is a link that might be useful: decals on dressers

  • pricklypearcactus
    10 years ago

    Would you consider finding a used/antique dresser and converting it into a vanity with a vessel sink basin? I think that'd look quite charming in a bedroom: more furniture-like and less bathroom-sterile. I agree that more decorative lighting and mirror would help too.

  • nosoccermom
    10 years ago

    A little kid and a vessel sink may spell disaster....

  • bird_lover66
    10 years ago

    I would love to have sinks in all of the kids' bedrooms! When I travelled in Europe, they were rather common in bedrooms that shared a communal bath in small bed and breakfast establishments.

    And older dorm rooms that shared communal bathrooms also frequently had sinks in them.

  • Alicia Hall
    2 years ago

    This is what I did with mine: