Tale of a Bathroom Sink
THE DEXTER HOUSE
Today I bring you a tale of a sink. It's a long tale, but if you're into old-house renovations and design, I think you'll find this one a classic. Spoiler: it has a happy ending!
Let us begin with our very elusive master bathroom sink. To fit within the tiny footprint of our space, I searched out the smallest sink I could find, something that was no wider than 24" nor deeper than 18". I picked this one from Wayfair, happily ordered it and thought we were done. But boy was I wrong. When the box arrived, Garrett opened it and started laughing. He exclaimed "it looks like a doll house sink!"
Yes, yes it does. I'm not sure how you'd wash your hands in that sink, no less wash your face or brush your teeth.
So I returned the offending sink and went back to the drawing board. We're about ready to start rough-in plumbing, so time was of the essence! During one of my middle of the night Pinterest sessions (ahhh pregnancy, I tell ya!) I found this image:
The antique sink fits perfectly with the 'European/garden/vintage' vibe I'm going for in our master bathroom. So I switched gears and started looking for an old sink off of Craigslist. My only requirement being that it had a nice shape. Of course I wanted the condition to be fair - it can't look dingy or anything - but truthfully I don't mind some age-appropriate dings. This antique sink is pretty spectacular too:
To my amazement, there was a similar-looking sink on Cragslist for $35 that happened to be nearby our Ravenna House. But wouldn't you know it, I was second in line for the darn thing. I tried everything to get the owner to sell to me instead - begging, offering more money, picking it up immediately - but turns out they couldn’t be persuaded, and the first guy got it.
I debated buying a new sink again, but I just couldn't get excited over anything I found. So I decided to give myself one last chance to find something old before settling on a Home Depot special.
And that's when I hit the salvage shops. I've bought lots of renovation materials from Second Use, Earthwise, and the ReStore in Seattle over the years. But the inventory is hit and miss - sometimes you find cool stuff but it's usually not when you're looking for said cool stuff. When I'm looking for something specific, say a bathroom sink...well I can never seem to find it. But this time, luck was on my side. I walked into Earthwise on a warm and sunny afternoon and spotted this beauty for $45!
Sure it needs a little cleaning up and possibly new faucets, but it's as close to perfect as I was going to get. If I wasn't so pregnant, I would have hauled that sink to the front desk the instant I saw it, but it's solid cast iron and too heavy for this mama-to-be. But no matter, the sink is mine and the helpful staff lugged it around for me without complaint—there are some great things about pregnancy!
You can consider that a happy ending!
I hope you like the sink. I'm crossing my fingers that the plumbing fixtures for the rest of the house are easier to find...
xoxo
-Cathy
p.s. um yes please! This European-inspired LA house is gorgeous!
p.p.s. Is everyone as into black doors as I am. Debating about painting a few at the Dexter House this color...
p.p.p.s. With summer finally here, I can't get enough of weddings! This Oklahoma ceremony and these Colorado nuptials are stunning!