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13 Crazy-Creative DIY Bathroom Vanities

Bathroom vanities are so often incredibly boring—vast (or too-tiny) plastic surfaces that are hard to make work with other types of creative decor.

But you’re not stuck with what’s available in stores or online for vanities (especially if you are on a budget): DIY vanity projects are not as difficult as they seem. Even if you’re not handy, you can find someone who is—which will still be less expensive than a blah new vanity would be. The possibilities are quite inspiring.

Upcycle to Dazzle!

Why not use a cool vintage desk to make a vanity for your sink? As Bob Vila writes of the project below, “Cut away the back portion of the desk, including the back legs, to make a two-legged vanity table that can be secured to the wall.”

Rustic chic with an upcycled desk

The beautiful metal supports for a Singer sewing machine, paired with an antique wooden top, make a perfect frame for a small bathroom sink.

A vintage-modern look for the bathroom

This antique sideboard is rich in texture and detail (and has plenty of room for ready-to-go storage underneath as well) and is probably more useful in a modern home as a sink vanity than dining room storage.

Best to keep other decor simple with a piece this rich looking

This might be an extreme version of upcycling, but it totally works in this black-and-white bathroom!

Watch out! There’s a bike in the bathroom!

Affordable Alternatives

Can you believe this floating vanity is made from plywood? It is (and certainly its been well-waterproofed), but all this project needed is some basic carpentry skills and some serious guts—not crazy cash.

The aluminum bowls pair well with the plywood, no?

Glass is a simple vanity material that has the added advantage of giving more visual space to smaller bathroom areas. You could buy pre-cut glass or have it cut for you to fit your space, then simply add brackets and a sink bowl.

Extra visual room isn’t taken up in by the sinks here

Stone is a versatile and easily found material that works beautifully in the bathroom (wet stones always look pretty!). This example is a simple conversion of a boring sink to a gorgeous one just by changing the top and bowl.

A glass bowl lets the stones’ beauty shine through

Exclusive Vintage Pieces

This vanity is made from a set of antique hairpin legs and a thick piece of wood similar to the kind found in barns or teardowns.

Simple ceramic bowls complete the look

A barrel is the perfect DIY vanity in this San Francisco home, as it doesn’t need the addition of legs—just a classy top.

A warm and modern bathroom with a touch of funk

A combination of a vintage desk, an old piece of cut stone, old-school lamps and a wire basket are a complementary combination of found items for a bathroom vanity in London.

Careful attention was paid to color and tones here

Exciting, Unexpected Elements

A tree trunk makes a perfect vanity support structure in this tall sink:

This trunk hides all the hardware inside

A disused horse trough makes a wonderful large and deep sink and vanity space—this design could be imitated by working with any large animal trough.

This sink is so big a small child could easily bathe in it

A galvanized tub and local wood make this bathroom inexpensive and functional for plenty of use.

Easy-to-find yet uncommon for a sink

Starre Vartan

Starre Vartan is a design, travel, and environment writer, editor, and author who had a free-range childhood in New York’s Hudson Valley and the beach ‘burbs of Sydney, Australia. She feels most at home outdoors, and has lived off-grid on Hawaii’s Big Island; mountain biked in Trinidad; hiked the Continental Divide, and rappelled down an A[...]

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