open and shut

Distressing a bathroom vanity

When an addition was first added to the rear of this old bungalow, the owners saw it as a fully open-plan space, with the areas defined by a low built-in cabinet and full-height glass shelves. After living in the renovation, however, they found that two completely separate spaces would be more practical, so asked interior designer Liz Kerby, of Workspace Design, for a solution. She added a wall behind the cabinet and, for flexibility, included a large cavity sliding door built into the wall. While many people would choose a neutral tone, Liz recommended they paint one side in bright orange Resene Kamikaze to add zing to the kitchen and dining side of the room. The reverse of the door is a more demur Resene Half Bison Hide to suit the more restful sitting area. The retro sling chairs are by Flutter Design.

Basket case

When Queenstown homeowner Jeri Elliot went in search of the perfect bathroom vanity, she found that while there were numerous choices and good designs, none felt right. She had already chosen stonecoloured wall tiles and a Bati basin, so she decided to build the vanity and distress it herself with several coats of Resene Villa White followed by a coat each of Resene Double Doeskin and Resene Double Drought (in Resene SpaceCote Flat). Not knowing how to make drawers (Jeri is an office administrator and artist, not a cabinetmaker), she decided to use baskets instead. As luck would have she found the perfect baskets that day, being placed on the shelves of her local The Warehouse. The vanity was then designed around the five 300mm cube baskets. A sixth space has a leaf carving to cover the pipework. The unit has solid timber legs and timber dividers, with mdf for the shelves and is built with glue and dowels rather than with nails or screws.

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