Botanical Blooms and Brass Wow in a Pretty Powder Room
A vintage campaign chest converted into a bathroom vanity inspires a polished transitional design in Chicago
Vanity. The jumping-off point for the design was this vanity. While the designer has her own showroom and access to any type of custom cabinet she can dream up, for this project they went for something different: a vintage chest of drawers transformed into a vanity. A favorite local Chicago source, MegMade, found this vintage campaign chest. It stripped and refinished it, cut off the legs, made a custom brass base for it and painted the original hardware to match the base. “I would never have something like this hardware painted unless I knew they could do an impeccable job like they did here,” Frees says.
It wasn’t easy to find a narrow enough piece that could meet the limited dimensions of the space between the wall and window. This particular chest’s width was just right. It also needed to be the right height. Frees had it sized so the backsplash lines up with the top of the wainscoting. With the base and countertop, the vanity is 37 inches high (just an inch higher than today’s standard of 36 inches).
Counter. Frees topped the chest with a Bianco Perses marble counter and backsplash.
Wallpaper. Frees chose the botanical print paper to complement the homeowner’s abstract artwork, seen in the first photo.
Wallpaper: Dahlia in Bone, Serena & Lily
Counter. Frees topped the chest with a Bianco Perses marble counter and backsplash.
Wallpaper. Frees chose the botanical print paper to complement the homeowner’s abstract artwork, seen in the first photo.
Wallpaper: Dahlia in Bone, Serena & Lily
Faucets. Classic faucets bring in a traditional element.
Faucets: Newport Brass; sink: Caxton, Kohler; see more brass and gold faucets
Faucets: Newport Brass; sink: Caxton, Kohler; see more brass and gold faucets
Lighting. The sconces ride the transitional line between traditional and contemporary. Their classic paper shades and rubbed antique brass finish lean traditional, while their acrylic rods are a contemporary detail.
Mirror. The 18-inch-wide mirror fits neatly between the sconces. Its height, along with the height of the tall sconces, stands up to the 10-foot ceilings in here.
Towel bar. Frees searched high and low for a towel bar that would play off the sconces. She knew she wanted antique brass and acrylic and finally found just the one on Etsy.
Sconces: Suzanne Kasler Camille, Visual Comfort; mirror: RH; towel bar: LuxHoldups, Etsy; browse brass towel bars
Mirror. The 18-inch-wide mirror fits neatly between the sconces. Its height, along with the height of the tall sconces, stands up to the 10-foot ceilings in here.
Towel bar. Frees searched high and low for a towel bar that would play off the sconces. She knew she wanted antique brass and acrylic and finally found just the one on Etsy.
Sconces: Suzanne Kasler Camille, Visual Comfort; mirror: RH; towel bar: LuxHoldups, Etsy; browse brass towel bars
As a nod to the bathroom’s former look, Frees brought her client a sweet raspberry vase filled with a colorful arrangement.
Wastebasket: faceted metal, Restoration Hardware; toilet: American Standard
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30 Furniture-to-Vanity Conversions You’ve Got to See
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Wastebasket: faceted metal, Restoration Hardware; toilet: American Standard
More
30 Furniture-to-Vanity Conversions You’ve Got to See
Find a bathroom design pro near you
Powder Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple of empty nesters
Location: Chicago
Size: 38.5 square feet (3.5 square meters); 5½ by 7 feet
Designer: Stephanie Frees
This Chicago homeowner was ready to shift her home from traditional to a less fussy transitional style. Kitchen and bath designer Stephanie Frees describes the powder room’s previous look as “very raspberry, ornate and 1990s style.” Frees says, “My client has a really refined eye for art and has stunning pieces. I wanted her art to stand out in here so the room would always read as her style. So we went for a neutral color scheme. This way she can swap in different paintings.”
Scope of work. The room already had the beautiful wainscoting and floors seen here. Frees updated the floors by refinishing them in a dark stain. Everything else in the room is new.