Ebony and Ivory...

I recently finished a pair of 40" Fairfax vanities for a local client in Essex Junction, VT and it has been my favorite project to date! The client had been coming up empty searching for something authentic and appropriate to put in their preserved but modernized late 1800's victorian home when she fatefully found my custom crafted vanities on Pinterest. She reached out to discuss her vision for her master bath which was to be a classic black and white themed space with 2" hexagonal white tiles with a deep charcoal grout, gorgeous chrome and milk glass fixtures, proper crown moulding and tall baseboard. The wall where the vanities were to live was dissected in the middle by an oversized window. We had just enough space for a 40" Fairfax vanity on each side of the window, with a matching bench for underneath the sill of the window. Drafting an elevation of the room was a logical step to ensure that everything was going to look the way we needed it to - and fit! Plus I get to use my drafting table, which I prefer over digital sketches ...and of course this way it physically takes up space for a reason.

Not a lot of extra room indeed! It was decided that the bench should be built to the full width of the window or it would seem undersized. I built the bench to a shallower depth than the vanities so they are more visually separated than they appear. I made a couple of changes to the vanities from the drawing, the first was increasing the drawer heights slightly to visually ground the pieces a little more, the second was using a single central pull as opposed to pairs of bail pulls that were originally planned. Very happy with both changes.  

40" Fairfax with Duluth Pulls from Restoration Hardware

These two vanities, like most vanities I custom build, were built to a 36" overall height which is luxuriously comfortable to use.  In my craft, this is referred to as 'comfort height' for that reason, and is the same as standard kitchen countertop height for reference.  Most vanities suffer in this regard as the standard vanity height is traditionally at 32" to 34".  The industry trend is toward taller, more comfortable vanities so indeed, these are squarely there.

For the single, central pull, we decided on Duluth pulls from Restoration Hardware. The finish on these vanities was Benjamin Moore stock Black, with a slight edge rub. I found that the factory black was the deepest darkest black that made all other Benjamin Moore blacks quite literally pale in comparison. The difference is even hard to see on swatches, but when an actual test is performed it is apparent.  

As far as storage goes, the drawers provide plenty - both top and bottom. Made from solid wood on full extension ball bearing guides.  The plumbing is sent to the rear right at the drain before turning down which allows me to preserve the lions share of the space inside this model.

The bench didn't fit in this shot for obvious reasons but I will update this post with a pic in the clients washroom when that becomes available... but I will say that when I delivered these and saw the space I was thrilled and honored to be a part of such an awesome project in such a beautiful home.