A Possible DIY…Painted Inlay Vanity?

If you didn’t follow my bathroom re-do last summer, you might want to read this post, before starting this one. As a quick recap, my master bathroom at the shore went from this to this…

…and this to this, for almost no money and a just lot of sweat equity, including me personally hand stamping an Indian block print for what felt like a million times.

The thing that didn’t get finished and thus does not appear in the photos is the vanity which was not changed out. One of the choices I was really interested in was using some kind of mother of pearl or bone inlaid chest or table as the sink vanity. It was complicated, because I couldn’t find one the right height or size and many were absolute budget busters anyway. After I left at the end of the summer, it went on the back burner, but still simmered all year. Well, in this month’s House Beautiful, Rebecca Minkoff did just what I was talking about, converting an inlaid dresser to a vanity by adding a sink. It got me to thinking…

A number of favorite bloggers – all master DIYers, though, unlike me – have painted the most extraordinary trompe l’oeil inlaid pieces lately using either stencil kits or in some cases painting free hand. Camille at The Vintique Object painted and stencilled this small chest after practicing on a small stool first. She used a stencil kit from Cutting Edge Stencils, designed by Kim Myles, who also has a great how-to on her blog. Would you ever believe this piece wasn’t actually inlaid?

Jenny over at Little Green Notebook free-hand painted this dresser for her girls room. It has a more relaxed look, but still that great Moroccan vibe. Visually, she used the same technique, with scrolling floral pattern inside borders.

Marian at Miss Mustard Seed goes even more free form with this hand painted art deco era dresser (you would never believe the before photo!). If she can convert that dresser, then I have to be able to do something with my vanity!

So I am wondering if I might accomplish a few things at once if I try this on my vanity. One, I won’t have to look at its ugliness anymore until I find the right thing to change it to, and two, I can check out and “practice” having an inlaid piece in the space to see if it is worth the splurge to get a real one. Now, mine has more of a bombé shape, but I am thinking there is potential!

What say you all?

Master Bathroom Related Posts:

Renovation Report…The Finished Master Bathroom (Almost)
Renovation Report…Vanity Dreams or Vanity Reality?
Renovation Report and a DIY…Using Indian Wood Blocks to Create “Wallpaper” in the Master Bath
Renovation Report…Do You Throw Good Money After Bad? Thoughts on Fixing My Master Bathroom
A Day Too Late…One Perfect Bathroom Photo
Renovation Report…Pocket Door Progress

Apr 3, 2013 By tokyojinja in DIY, Renovation and Decoration Report 7 Comments Tags: beach house, DIY, inlay, master bathroom, mother of pearl, vanity

Renovation Report…The Finished Master Bathroom (Almost)

To quickly review, how does one make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear? Well, I am not sure if I have done that, but I have done as much as I can to the master bath with what I already had to work with and a tiny budget for change.

With a better structural choice – changing to a pocket door – we gained square footage, ambient light and a utilitarian feature that turned into a show piece.

We changed the color scheme of the room entirely, from a bright peach box to white and blush, without changing the existing tile work or plumbing fixtures, using paint magic from a textile inspired block print technique on the walls…

…and the simple charm of Benjamin Moore’s White Dove, one of the most perfect whites around, which while being truly white itself, can also make an existing almond toilet look white. Magic!

With a change of metals in the lighting and fixtures from faux this…

…to this, Pottery Barn’s Florence Collection in polished nickel with its fleur-de-lis backplates, elegant glass rod and scrolled brackets…

…and this, Pottery Barn’s Covington Hotel Triple Sconce, also in polished nickel, with its simple, almost Moorish design. There was simply no reason to go to higher end, more expensive fixtures with these well made, well designed ones available at such reasonable prices.

Antique accessories and inspiration are a must, in this case a small collection of pink lustreware, which set the tone and color for the entire room…

…and a vintage mirror from my larger collection. I’m not sure it is quite big enough, but it has an ethereal quality of light and I look softer, younger and prettier in it, so it is staying! And if you were wondering what happened to the gilded French oval mirror that was here before, be sure to check my next post.

And never forget the softness of fabric, which performs its own magic, filling dead space near the ceiling and covering an unusually large and unsightly header, while adding some dressiness. Pottery Barn Textured Cotton Curtain and Cafe Curtain used as the valence.

You’ll note the key thing I am not showing, thus the “almost” in the title. What is it? The vanity, of course. That will have to wait for winter or next year. The vote from all was a resounding yes to a vintage marble-topped wash stand. I could have stopped and painted the one that is there, but I don’t want to get lulled into keeping such an impractical piece. I’ll be keeping my eye out for one, hunting on Ebay and with local dealers around here. Thanks to everyone for all your comments and input!

Master Bathroom Related Posts:
Renovation Report…Do You Throw Good Money After Bad? Thoughts on Fixing My Master Bathroom
A Day Too Late…One Perfect Bathroom Photo
Renovation Report…Pocket Door Progress
Renovation Report…Vanity Dreams or Vanity Reality?
Renovation Report and a DIY…Using Indian Wood Blocks to Create “Wallpaper” in the Master Bath

Aug 24, 2012 By tokyojinja in Design Motif, DIY, Interior Design, Lighting, Renovation and Decoration Report 10 Comments Tags: bathroom renovation, master bathroom

Renovation Report…Pocket Door Progress

So trusty contractor has finally found time to come and install my pocket door. Somehow it always seems to be my imminent departure for shores far away (11 days and counting) that makes things happen, but no real complaints on my part. If you recall from this post, I had found this vintage door at a nearby salvage yard. While perfect in size and shape, matching the linen closet door outside the master bedroom, I had hoped for a door with a panel of frosted glass as the master bathroom has no window. We had used a door like that very successfully in a renovation of the bathroom in our Manhattan apartment (where bathrooms rarely have windows!) and I really wanted the same here. Luckily I mentioned it to my trusty contractor and he pointed out that he could change out that upper panel to glass!

So here it is just after installation. It needs cleaning, painting and will be built up a bit along the bottom. Best of all, they worked hard to install it from inside the bathroom and didn’t need to rip out the sheet rock on the bedroom side of the wall, although the outlet did need to be shifted over to the left.

The bathroom now feels huge! OK, well perhaps that is an overstatement, but getting rid of the old door was as necessary as I thought it would be.

In case you don’t remember, this is what it was like before with the door that opened inward!

And here is the vintage style glass, which is a very accurate reproduction of glass used in the houses around here. I picked this one in particular because I loved the exotic look of the quatrefoil pattern and thought it went perfectly with everything else already done or planned. The glass is on order and should be in next week. Keep your fingers crossed!

And by waiting a few days to post, here it is painted! And the horrible peach color in the bathroom has been painted out and is now lovely Ben Moore White Dove. Compare the view through the door here to the one above. And just what I hoped for has happened by changing the paint – the tiles no longer look peach themselves, but instead tan and grey.

Getting ready to start practising my woodblock stamping technique today. I’ll be sure to show you how that is going. For more on the back story to this post, check out Renovation Report…Do You Throw Good Money After Bad? Thoughts on Fixing My Master Bathroom.

Ooh, and this just in – the door pull in polished nickel from Rejuvenation!