Marilyn "1933"

One beautiful solid oak piece of furniture made in 1933. This piece had such gorgeous carvings including the fabulous “1933” placed bottom centre on the skirt.

The top drawers were made into false drawers and internal framing was added to take the weight of the undermounted basin and some additional woodwork adaptations to allow for plumbing in and to make it sit flush to the wall without seeing any pipes.

The original, very yellowed, finish was fully stripped by hand then the whole piece was stained in a darker walnut tone with wood protection treatments on top.

The hardware is all original and has been refinished to match the new tap.

Lobby Loo Interior Design + Vanity Unit

This project was all about creating a spectacular striking interior for this main downstairs w/c off the house’s lobby area, the closest, to their incredible party kitchen. With very dark green, the existing floor tile and first fix plumbing as the starting point I knew I wanted to make a bold statement with some kind of fantastical imagery all the way round the room and to show off that 3.3m sloping ceiling.

To compliment the oriental feel of the paper, I took an Edwardian mahogany desk and added corbels either side which allowed us to run the marble top from wall to to wall without it looking odd. The vanity was painted in a fabulous warm orangey-red pulled from the wallpaper, and the skirting boards and architrave were also painted in the same colour. Beautiful brushed solid brass cup handles were added to complete the furniture.

The sculptural basin and wall hung toilet are in a crisp matt finish - a very deliberate decision to juxtapose all of the metallic walls and brass fixtures as well as the polished green marble and tiles. The almost floating basin and wall hung toilet pan subtly mimics the in flight motion of the flock of red headed cranes in the paper.

Finally, the green marble was continued on top of the shelf behind the toilet and the edge detail on both the vanity top and the shelf was an upside down “shark’s nose” to again give that oriental feel.

The "Duchess" Pink Power Room Vanity

The starting point for this sassy small vanity unit was the glorious wallpaper. and bumble bee knows that my client, Nikki had found. Nikki, had been following me on Instagram for a good couple of years before finally approaching me with this project when I posted that I’d just picked up this sweet German antique cabinet. Nikki had become a bit of a fan of my work and kept saying she would be in touch very soon and so when the time eventually came, it was a real pleasure working with Nikki to design this wow factor piece for her main powder room downstairs.

The basin is solid marble (it was so heavy I couldn’t lift it without assistance) - we decided to add a section to the back of the furniture in keeping with the design, so that we had room for this sensational basin. The tap was placed off to one side, which generally takes up less room but also is a design statement in itself.

The pure white quartz countertop and scallop-corner upstand make a nice contrast again the dark, very busy, paper.

Isidora

Beautiful Isidora. A simply show-stopping example of our work.

The furniture itself started off life as an Edwardian solid oak sideboard with two ornately carved doors and brass drop handles. When I picked this piece up over a year ago, I knew she was destined to become something special.

When my clients chose this piece from a selection shown to them, and we discussed the possibilities, the magic began.

Finished in a very hardwearing satin gold paint, spray-painted smooth on the outside and hand textured on the interior, Isi also sports the most stunning cast iron and glass T-bar knobs.

The Cambria Britannica quartz top has a perfectly polished basin opening to neatly frame an under-mounted basin. Photographs of Isidora installed will follow in due course.

Hylands House Bridal

In the Summer of 2019, I was invited by Interior Designer, Liz of Knight Design Interiors to meet with herself and the management team at Hylands Estate to discuss making a bespoke bathroom vanity unit for the new Bridal Suite Bathroom. A collaborative project, also working with Fired Earth, Chelmsford who supplied the basin, taps and the rest of the bathroom suite, it was a project to be particularly proud of. Sadly, due to Covid 19, Hylands are yet to do an official launch or PR around the amazing new suite, but hopefully, in the new year this may become possible.

Daisy

A quaint Edwardian solid oak sideboard with delicate beading detail and a mirrored upstand.

Painted in brushed gold, a sleek white quartz top and stunning navy and white floral basin crown this quirky vanity unit. We sourced complementary scalloped cast iron handles to work with the beading detail and complete the look. The drawer has been adapted to make room for plumbing whilst still delivering some additional useful storage. The legs have also been shortened and the stretcher bar removed, to make the unit a suitable height for a countertop basin. Size: 104cm (41 inches) wide.

Greta

An Art Deco-inspired compact bathroom vanity unit in black with a striking gold-rimmed basin, solid brass hardware and black, purple and gold quartz countertop. Size 55cm (22inches) wide.

This compact bathroom vanity unit came to life after we skillfully repurposed a petite mahogany bow-fronted chest of drawers on cabriole legs.

The solid brass drawer pulls provided the inspiration for the stunning wall mounted taps, which our client had specially plated to match the other bathroom brassware as she could not find what she wanted (in gold) readily available without a long lead-time.

The elaborate solid quartz countertop is fabricated in Cambria’s Princetown quartz, which has beautiful elements of gold speckled throughout.

The large gold-rimmed ceramic washbasin completes the unit to add one more touch of 1930s glamour.

Marrakesh

A small but stylish solid oak cabinet refinished using water-resistant products to give a natural finish.The basin is made by artisans in Morocco and sits on top of a simple white quartz top. This piece is designed to work with wall mounted taps. In situ photos to finish once the owners’ full property renovation is completed. Size 65cm/26inches wide.

Rex & Remy

Two large vanity units for Client in East London. Size - both circa 155-160cm wide (61-63 inches)

“It was really amazing working with you Karla, I tell everyone that the process was delightful, organic and an experience that resulted in a custom piece we absolutely never would have gotten with a traditional joiner or a large expensive chain. I envy your job, keep up the amazing work!”
— Ryan Christen (Projects Rex & Remy)

The brief for each unit was very different.

Rex was to be more of a masculine piece with straight edges and one, centrally positioned, large trough style basin. It would be painted in a very dark blue with polished brass hardware to compliment the fabulous Lefroy Brookes wall mounted tap.

Remy was to have a more feminine, softer look, potentially with a curvy, serpentine shape to the furniture itself. This unit was to have two under-mounted basins either side. The beautiful colour ‘De Nimes’ by Farrow & Ball was chosen for this piece. It too was to have wall mounted taps, again by Lefroy Brookes, also in a polished brass.

With Rex, in order to accommodate the trough basin and for the sink to be at a workable height, the feet had to be adjusted slightly, so we took this opportunity to fit brass slipper cups. A large opening had to be created to house and support the weight of the basin and all three drawers were adapted into false drawers.

Whilst the fabulous original door hinges were stripped, cleaned and polished, new knobs and handles were purchased for the drawers and doors, to give a more contemporary, masculine feel compared to what was originally there.

To support the weight of the under-mounted basins on Remy, and to enable a seamless join of the basin with the quartz top, some delicate alterations were required around the basin holes. In addition, the top drawer was adapted into a false drawer in order to fit the basins. Fabulous new hardware was sourced for this piece to compliment the taps perfectly with a nod to Art Deco styling.

Venus

Splendid Indonesian sideboard with in-lay porcelain tile, cast iron and glass handles and a stunning hand-painted ceramic basin. Size: 114cm / 45 inches wide.

Mac

French carved oak chest of drawers painted in black, with a natural (protected) wood top and hand-painted oval basin. The top drawer was converted into a false drawer to allow for plumbing and stunning polished chrome handles make a statement on the drawer fronts. Finally a matching chrome pillar tap crowns the unit and fits nicely with the tall oval basin. Size: 100cm/39.5 inches wide.

“Excellent service. Superb design and products. Totally recommend Karla and Vanity Flair Basins.”
— B Chitticks - Project 'Mac'

Arts & Crafts

I was commissioned by West-London Interior Designer, Brooke Copp-Barton to produce this simple yet stunning Arts & Crafts solid oak double bathroom vanity unit. SIze circa 130cm/52inchces wide)

Although the original piece of furniture was in quite good condition, it was still fully stripped of its original finish. The inside needed quite a lot of TLC to tidy it up and there was a split in the join on the countertop which had to be repaired also.

After stripping and the repairs, two thin strips of solid oak were added to the back sides so that the unit would sit flush against the wall with no pipe work showing. Next, the basin holes were cut.

To finish, the wooden top and decorative upstand were treated with a specialist wood protection product to protect from water. This product is also used to treat the wood in saunas. Next, a new stain was applied, the brief was to make it as near to the original colour as possible. Finally two-three coats of oil-wax was applied.

Lastly, the original hardware was cleaned, polished and refitted.

Basalt

Painted in a very dark, inky blue, we have another fabulous 100-year-old solid two-door, two-drawer sideboard converted into a sensational double vanity unit with two semi-inset oval basins. Brushed gold taps and hardware complete the look along with a pure white quartz countertop.

Violetta

A beautifully colourful and eclectic double bathroom vanity unit handcrafted from a reproduction serpentine mahogany and veneered sideboard. Size 171cm/67.5inches wide.

Painted in a beautiful violet/grey tone which we decided on to complement the colourful Bert & May tiles in the shower enclosure on the opposite wall. Bright and beautiful basins on top of a simple white quartz countertop finishes the look.