Remember the old 'bowl & pitcher' stands? They had a towel bar either on each end or above the table. That might be neat to use as a vanity.
I love unusual as well. Here's another thought...at a garden center..those wooden wishing wells? Maybe cut one in half lengthways & use for your vanity.Instead of a round or oval sink, you'd put in a half round. I'd probably place marble as the counter to hold the half round sink. The plumbing could easily be hidden under the base of the well. If the posts that hold the roof of the well, aren't tall enough? Replace with taller ones & add the roof onto them. Then, in the center you could place a mirror! Your lighting could be placed up under the well's roof. Justa' thought.
In my master bath-I had an idea of what I wanted to do. Went to the 'pros' who said I couldn't do it. WELL! That's all I needed to hear. I did it anyway-10 yrs ago. I cut. laid & grouted hundreds of pieces of stained glass in a mosaic pattern on my L shaped countertops, in teal, aqua, sage, forest green & pink glass. Awesome!

Your question reminded me of one of my favorite photos for a half bath. An antique stool with a copper bucket sitting on it. The bucket was a bit larger than norm. Faucet was also copper and looked like one from a laundry setup, long faucet with two old handles. This sounds really farmish, but was used in a fairly modern decor.

If you like the idea of a sewing machine (I think it would be really unique), there are still many around that are not expensive. I'g go looking for one. You could easily remove the lid and add a marble top. There is room for plumbing below too.

Oh! Stained glass. . .one of my weaknesses. I love the stuff. We bought two windows one year from a little coffee place on Ocracoke, NC,and I hung them on a dowel rod in front of my windows at mid-height. Loved the look and it was a fun way to gain privacy without a curtain.

I'd love to see pics of the stained glass, please send some in.

The antique stool is a wonderful idea. I'm thinking I need to go shopping. :) Maybe I will end up with the sewing machine, because I still really like the idea. I'll have to check CL.

I'm using an antique cabinet in my powder room and quite some time ago lindybarts did a mock-up for me (thanks lindy!). It's still a work in progress, but I'm almost there and I love this room!

The sink is a hammered copper double-wall vessel (much larger in scale than shown below - it's 19" wide on a 33" wide cabinet) and the wall-mounted faucet has an oil rubbed bronze finish. The vanity light fixture is from Hubbartdon Forge, I have an antique-style overhead fan in oil rubbed bronze, and I used BM Baby Turtle on the walls.

I'm using a slightly lighter travertine than that shown on the mock-up, and my mirror will be hung vertically (still not sure if I'm going to use an oval or a rectangle) but otherwise the mock-up gave me a very good idea of what the room would look like IRL.

{{!gwi}}

Beautiful, juddgirl2. How high is that cabinet? I've found a couple of antique cabs that are roughly 28"-30" in height, but I can't recall what is normal height for a vanity.

I found this DIY vanity in a google image search. You could just as easily buy a granite top instead of using the vessel sink as they did. In fact I think I'd like a granite top with recessed sink better.

Here is a link that might be useful: DIY vanity

Thank you! I can't access the powder room right now to measure the cabinet (it's taped off because we're painting the adjoining foyer - AGAIN!) but I want to say it's between 28"-30" tall. With the vessel sink it brings it up to around 36", which I believe is the standard height of a kitchen cabinet.

I do know the faucet is approx 41-42" from the ground, because I was a little worried about it being too high for me (I'm 5'2). It's fine, though, especially since it's just a powder room and the sink should just be used for hand-washing.