Welcome to my personal A to Z Challenge on the subject of Home. The goal, in a year time, is to elaborate and dissect topics regarding the Home not as containers of stuff, but as a cocoon for the soul, mind and heart. I will touch on decorations, style, trends, history of home and sometimes technical information. On Jan. 14, 2014, my challenge will be over. I have 9 more letters of the alphabet to cover. Will I make it? I am feeling the heat.
What is vanity? It’s the pride we should have in our qualities, abilities, and achievements we make through life and the pride we should take in our appearance. That’s one kind o vanity, but what is the vanity I am writing about?
Before the invention of indoor plumbing, a bathroom was equipped with a chamber sets called vanity. It was a bowl and a pitcher on a wood stand with towel bars on each side and a mirror attached at the top. It was kept in the bedroom, as the bathroom did not exist yet. Warm water came from the kitchen and poured into the pitcher. That was the ritual of daily ablutions between weekly or monthly baths. According to beliefs of past centuries, “the bark stayed better on the skin”, therefore frequent baths were not a common practice just to prevent diseases from penetrating a clean skin. Imagine that!
Those vanities today are highly collectible at a high price, but their functionality has been relegated just to add charm in a modern bathroom or bedroom.
Vessel sinks with modern material and designs are reminiscent of historical bedroom washstand vanities and sit above counter again. However, in designing a modern vessel sink, once must take into consideration the height of the vessel and lower the height of the counter to make it ergonomically suitable. The tap usually is mounted on the walls, but if you choose a tap to sit on the counter, make sure the water goes directly into the drain of the vessel, otherwise, there will be water spillage all over the counter. Vessel sinks are generally used for powder rooms because there are cuter than regular bathroom sinks and are eye candies for guests.
The second photo in the gallery is the Kokols Wall-mount Glass Vessel Sink Vanity Combo. Find it at Sears for $283.00. One of the many vanities I designed in my career was fabricated of marble tesserae (small mosaic pieces) incorporated in the entire wall design.
The vanity sink designs today are endless. You don’t have to have a huge budget to make a pretty vanity, just need a little fantasy to build one with the most unusual material and show off your personality. These vessels are always paired with a mirror. The important function is not only to let them stand pretty in your home but to never make you lose pride in your appearance. Go on, stand by that vanity and take one more look at you before you leave the house. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com
Copyright © 2013 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved
Valentina Cirasola has been in business as a designer since 1990. She has helped a variegated group of fun people realizing their dreams with homes, offices, interiors and exteriors. She is a designer well-known to bring originality to people’s homes. As an Italian designer and true to her origins, she provides only the best workmanship and design solutions. Check out her books on
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Valentina Expressions 
Dec 23, 2013 @ 12:07:48
These vanities are gorgeous! My fave is the middle one in the bottom row with its spiral look. Thanks for posting all these unusual takes on a necessary element in home decor!
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Dec 23, 2013 @ 16:49:08
Thank you Rusha,
I agree, the vanity with the spiral iron base is a pretty one, I had it custom-fabricated for a client.
Happy Holidays.
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