Bedroom Vanities
From LoveToKnow Interior Design
Bedroom vanities are an essential to any women's boudoir. They are a place to put on make-up, store your beauty products, and relax before or after the day. They also add an elegant, feminine touch to a bedroom or dressing area. Even in a shared bedroom, a women's vanity is her oasis, a place completely her own.
Types of Bedroom Vanities
Bedroom vanities come in an almost endless variety of shapes and styles. Common vanity shapes are kidney-shape or rectangular. They come in a myriad of materials and finishes, including pine, oak, and cherry wood; brass, nickel, and other metals; and unfinished or covered with fabric.
Vanities usually have some sort of storage area, whether it be drawers, shelves, or open counter space. Some even have hinged tops that open for out-of-the-way storage. Most vanities are topped with a mirror or mirrors or even have one built into the structure.
Where to Purchase a Bedroom Vanity
Vanities can generally be found wherever bedroom furniture is sold. Furniture stores; discount retailers, such as Target or Sam's Club; and better department stores all carry vanities.
Good buys on vanities can also sometimes also be found in flea markets, estate sales, and garage sales. With a good eye and just a little updating, such discarded pieces can become prized possessions.
Making your Own
A good and cost-effective alternative to buying a vanity is making your own piece. Bedroom vanities are relatively simple to construct. You'll need a few pieces of wood, a circular saw, and a nail gun. Begin by designing the shape of your vanity. A triangle or kidney shape made compact and interesting vanities. Trace the shape on the face of the wood and cut out the top piece. Create legs or an x-shaped base and attach to the top.
To finish the vanity, you can cover the top with fabric, pulling it taut and securing it with a staple gun. Create a hemmed and gathered skirt with a sewing machine and secure it with the staple gun around the outside of the top piece.
Alternately, you can stain or paint the vanity, perhaps adding a skirt just to the sides. You can even have a mirror cut to fit the top of the vanity for a little extra glamour.
Accessories
Bedroom vanities lend themselves to accessorizing. In fact, you can hardly have too many bottles, powder puffs, or brushes at your dressing table. A mirror is essential, if not already built into your vanity. Light, also, is necessary so that you can see to put on your make-up and style your hair. Light strips, surrounding the mirror, are popular, as are small crystal table lamps, which give your reflection a softer glow.
Silver or brass comb and brush sets make great vanity accessories – and gifts. So do decorative perfume bottles and antique atomizers. Estate sales and even eBay are good places to pick up unique vanity accessory items.
Learn More
This page has been accessed 3,746 times. This page was last modified 17:51, 7 May 2007.
© 2006-2008 LoveToKnow Corp.
