Marketplace find
We chose the DIY approach to create a unique vanity for the studio bathroom using a vintage dresser. As with many marketplace finds this piece had some damage that wasn’t visible in listing photos. I see these types of tables all the time but this piece had unique corner details and bevels on the marble that I liked. The damage was actually helpful in that I didn’t feel as bad about destroying the piece’s use as a dresser/vanity!




Marble refinishing & Making room for Plumbing
The marble on this piece sits on top, so we needed to drill a hole for the drain and a hole for the faucet… we later learned the drainhole was a bit narrow and had to redo it. While we were doing that we refinished the surface with a drill and marble wet sanding discs. (This had a bit of a learning curve and I had to do it again bc after it dried I didn’t like the finish.) We marked and cut new plywood to create a section where the plumbing could drop down past the drawer, meaning we can still use the drawer instead of it becoming a false drawer.









Staining and Sealing
After sanding and patching any losses in the wood – I chose a darker stain to mask any issues and finished it with a sealer since it will be in a potentially moist environment.






A Surprise Interior
This was probably my favorite part of the project. I knew I didn’t like the way the new plywood didn’t match the original wood of the dresser so I found a contact paper to line the piece with. This piece has herons/cranes and blossoms and in the same colors as the space and adds such a fun surprise to this piece.




I won’t reveal the full install just yet, but we switched from brass rolling casters to leveling feet, and there’s some hints here at what it looks like set up with vessel sink and faucet.
Want to see all the stages of building our new BTS HQ in the Hudson Valley? Find the whole series here BTS Studio Build