While many options exist for ready-made bathroom cabinetry, you’ll find that the best looking cabinetry can be very expensive. If you want a high-end and unique look for your bathroom but you don’t want to part with thousands of dollars, you can add metal wall art trees and convert old bedroom furniture into a distinctively stunning bathroom for a fraction of what you’d pay for exclusive cabinetry or carpenter built customized pieces.

Provincial bedroom furniture from the late 1950’s is ideal for a glamorous bathroom design. The wide low dresser easily converts to a double sink vanity, the “high-boy” offers storage space for linens and towels, makeup and cosmetic accessories. There’s even a surprise use for the headboard or footboard, but first let’s talk about prepping the dresser to serve as a vanity.

If the wood finish on the dresser is damaged, you can opt to strip it to retain the natural wood grain and apply new stain. Or you can paint the dresser; in this case you may not need to totally strip it, but you will have to scrap away any damaged, cracked or curling finish and make all surfaces completely smooth; fill any gouges or scrapes with wood putty. Every defect in the surface will be reflected in the paint, so you need to make the exterior as perfect as possible prior to painting.

After the dresser is freshly stained or painted, use a floor grade varnish, such as Diamond Varathane® to seal the wood. The floor grade varnish will protect the wood from inevitable bathroom moisture. You can select either a semi-gloss finish or a glossy finish. Use at least three layers of varnish on the entire dresser and five layers of varnish on top, unless you are going to replace the top with a piece of marble or granite. Apply each coat, let it dry thoroughly, then lightly sand with fine grade steel wool; wipe away every trace of dust between coats for a smooth professional looking finish.

Vessel style sinks that sit on top of the vanity allow you to make the most of inside vanity space and produce a designer feel. When installing your plumbing and connecting the sinks, modify the drawers so that the space is not wasted. They must be notched in order to accommodate your plumbing; you can hire a local contractor to do this work for you if you are not able to do it yourself.

Remember that if you have a “high boy” to repurpose for the bathroom, you still must varnish it, just as you did with the vanity. This will keep the wood from warping and swelling. The top space of the “high-boy” can be used to display fresh flowers or a silver tray topped with a jewelry dish and atomizers of your favorite perfumes and colognes.

Now onto the headboard or footboard: Use either piece as a basis for a mirror over the vanity; depending on the amount of wall space, one piece may be a better fit than the other. The glass mirrored panels will fit on the flat surface of the wood and the decorative molded wood edging will provide a frame. You might need to cut off the ‘legs’ of the piece in order to make it fit low enough over the vanity. Stain or paint any cut edges to match the vanity and varnish then the entire piece to protect the wood. Once it’s ready take the head or footboard to a glass shop so that they can cut and install mirrored panels to fit on the flat surfaces.

Install your mirror, bring in your fluffy new towels, decorative accessories and accents like copper sculptures and metal artwork, and enjoy your stylish, unique bathroom.