You're so vain.

We really loved the idea of using a vintage chest for the main bathroom vanity, a la HGTV’s Sarah’s House. As I’ve mentioned before, Sarah and Tommy make everything look easy. Here’s a promise I am going to make you early on- I will not lie and tell you things are easy. I will also not claim to do all of this for cheap. As far as I’m concerned, Design on a Dime is a crock. Sure, you can pinch pennies and stay on a budget, but it’s not always going to be an easy process or look fabulous in the end. Let’s face it- Sarah and Tommy have budgets exceeding 25K for ONE ROOM. If you have that kind of cash lying around, find yourself a charity. This is the real world.

So far, my live-in labor (Rhett) has made doing a bulk of this renovation pretty inexpensive (he does expect me to do his laundry and make meals, though). As far as making the chest into a cabinet, he figured once we found the right piece he could cut the holes in the back, saw the top off, and have the granite people lay the sink in when they came to install the granite. All those things happened, but finding the right chest was the hard part. Chests and dressers are designed to be just that- not vanities.

We set out to keep the cost, including the granite, the sink, the plumbing, and the chest, all under $1,000. We scoured antique stores and shops, and I eventually feel in love with the green chest pictured above. Here’s why it isn’t a vanity and instead lives in our oldest child’s bedroom:

• The space was too big, and the chest was too small. We had 72” to play with, an impressive amount of space for a bathroom vanity in such an old house. This green chest was simply not wide enough, and it would have ultimately looked awkward in the space.
• The drawers would have been a nightmare for Rhett to cut through for plumbing, and at some level the storage they were designed to give would have been unusable as we put plumbing into the back.
• The top of the dresser was on- tight. This piece is a refinished vintage Russian chest from the early 1900s. All that to say, it wasn’t born yesterday. The construction isn’t cheap, the wood is heavy, and it was NOT made to easily be broken.

Something important to notice here- we bought the dresser anyways and just used it in another room. I got it for ridiculous deal (I told the shop owner how much I loved it and she knocked off an additional 25%- it pays to be friendly!) and, more importantly, I was- and still am- in love with it. If you are absolutely in love with a piece, which doesn't happen all the time, BUY it. Fill your home with things you can't get enough of. This was a steal, but my advice is this- screw the price tag and surround yourself with things that make you happy if you REALLY love them. My mother often tells me to fill my house only with things that I believe to be beautiful or that I have to have by neccessity (toothbrushes aren't beautiful, but you've got to have them). If it doesn't make you happy and it's not functional, toss it.

Just because we decided not to use the green chest as a vanity don’t get daunted, my friend! Rhett and I found a divine little store about 30 minutes from our house that specializes in reconstructions. In other words, the furniture they carry is designed to look old, but it’s really less than a year old at best. Rhett and I love weathered and worn pieces that have a story, but since we were intending to hack this one to pieces, all we really needed was a vintage LOOK, not vintage construction. And we didn’t want to pay for the age of an antique.

The piece that you see alongside the green dresser is what we ended up with. The width was right. Instead of drawers it had doors with a single shelf that was easily cut into for plumbing. What’s on the doors, you ask? Chicken wire! (This is the South.) Better yet, the top of the dresser popped right off, and Rhett uses it in the garage for a workbench.

Our vanity is homemade and we’re all crazy about its unique look and functionality. The best part? Yes, Sarah, we did it all for under $1,000.