In a nutshell, my dream bathroom sink consists of a white cast iron counter top with a seamless cast iron bowl. No back splash. No weird indentation or rim around the sink. Sounds so simple, right? It is. I love the idea of a classic look that I won’t get sick of—one that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles attached to it. Sadly, my dream quickly shattered once I looked them up online (click here)—we’re talking close to $1,000…yeah. Why is it that the simple things are often the most expensive?
After my bubble burst and I floated back down to earth, I determined that I would find an alternate plan—one that combined the right look with the right price. So I started with the obvious question: What’s hot right now? It seems that lately everyone is raving about granite. But have you looked at those price tags? To give it a fair shot, I buzzed over to Planet Granite and look a good look at their remnants, which are essentially leftover pieces of granite that typically sell for less. A bathroom counter is a good home for a remnant, because bathrooms don’t require nearly as much square footage as kitchens. No matter though, because even though these pieces are priced lower, they are still expensive. Plus, we hadn’t bought a sink yet! You have to take into consideration your personality, too. Most granite patterns are fairly busy. Are you going to tire of it within a few years? What if you want to change your décor? Will the granite pattern bother you when you decide that your neutral tan walls would look better dressed in a shade of lime green? I tend to like a more classic style that I can dress up or down, depending on my mood, so I decided to nix the granite idea.
The second option we looked at was a faux natural stone sold at Home Depot. They had some more subtle designs that seemed a bit more of what we were looking for at a lower price, but it still seemed like an extravagant amount of money to spend. After staring at the samples for about an hour, Matt finally insisted that I call my mom to get her thoughts on the decision—he knows me too well. After some serious resistance, I suppressed my pride and dialed. Within about two minutes, I knew what I had to do.
In a nutshell, my mom brought me back to the basics (as is often the case). What was it that I loved about Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware vanities and sinks? Their simplicity. Their clean and classic look. But what about the fact that were lots of white sinks out there, but they all had rims and indentations around them, not to mention the unavoidable back splash? She encouraged me to look again to see if I could compromise by finding a counter top with only one of those—and even thought it might not be exactly what I had been hoping for, it would be pretty close and within budget. And being within budget is worth it to us, especially if it meets most of the requirements on our wish list.
Check out the similarities between this vanity from Restoration Hardware and our own...
That’s when I stumbled upon a Swanstone counter top—a matte (I’m a matte lover for its subdued look—and the fact that he’s my hubby…pun intended!), white counter top, seamless bowl with no rim/indentation—and a back splash (no way to remove it—grrr)—all for under $200. And that resolved it for us. I know that some people are willing to spend big bucks to get the perfect look, but life is just too short to lose sleep over blowing your budget, so stick to your guns and find something that works within your price range. The great news is that you can usually find something close or even DIY it!
Here is our vanity with its new mate...
We replaced our entire vanity and counter top, but what about the rest of you? I’d love to see your bathroom solutions—be it a painted vanity, updated sink, or complete overhaul.
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