Bathroom Fixtures & Furnishings
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Bathroom Fixtures & Furnishings
March 2007
we are planning to remodel our bathroom in our 1917 craftsman
home and would like advice as to where to look for craftsman
style bathroom vanities/fixtures. also any suggestions on
type of flooring we should or shouldn't put in.
nn
We remodelled our bathroom a couple years ago in our 1912
Craftsman and I think it looks pretty good - modern, but in
keeping with the period. The best thing I did was to spend some
time looking at magazines and books for ideas. There is a lot out
there for Craftsman style because it's really popular right now.
This ''research'' helped me understand what I wanted and didn't
want, and also I had photos to show the contractor. There is no
substitute for that! My two best ideas came from somebody else's
idea that I found in a magazine! Here are some ideas for you: I
bought an antique bathtub at Omega Salvage that I still love love
love after 4 years. I'm so glad we didn't get a modern one. We
did get a modern toilet though - I really like my Toto toilet and
they have a big variety of styles including several that fit well
in a Craftsman style house. You won't have any trouble finding
sink/vanities that fit the period, either. Just look around. We
have a small bathroom too that we upgraded, and I got a nice
pedestal sink, a reproduction, from Sunrise Specialty - I think
they carry them at Omega. They have a lot of reproduction
bathroom fixtures - look at their website. Also I got a
freestanding cabinet and towel racks, etc. from Pottery Barn,
which blend right in. For the floor, we used 1'' white hex tiles,
with a double line of black hex tiles for a border. It looks
really great, and the tile guy just copied it from a photo I
found in a magazine. The ''subway tiles'' are often used in showers
and on the walls - they are in the period, and these are the hex
tiles are readily available. Have fun.
Ginger
Feb 2007
We want to do a minor face-lift on our bathroom
(repaint walls and replace the furniture -- vanity,
mirror, and storage cabinets). Our problem is
finding the furniture. One one end of the spectrum
is Home Depot/Lowe's where the style is more like
what we want (wooden furniture) but the selection
isn't there. At the other end are the ''galleries''
where either we would blow our entire budget on the
mirror alone, or where all they have is those vanities
that are marble planks with a fish bowl on top. My
question: is there a place out there where can we
can find a decent variety of bathroom furniture that
won't break our budget?
Tori
The cheapest way to go is Ikea - they have a lot of bath
furniture but we aware that you may be locked into Ikea fixtures
(faucets, etc.) because of non-standard sizes, so if something
breaks, it's back to Ikea. Online shopping is fun - I bought a
bathroom cabinet and large mirror from Pottery Barn, and I'm
still happy with them 4 years later. They have great deals when
things go on sale. Also look at Restoration Hardware's website
which is a little pricier but has some nice things you can browse
online. Waterworks has really nice bath furniture but that is
the budget breaker you are talking about. For in-person
browsing, Omega salvage and Omega Two are great for period tubs,
vanities and reproductions. I got my bathtub and fixtures there.
Ashby Plumbing has a nice selection of bath furniture in a range
of prices. Also Jack London Square Bath Gallery. These last two
places are set up to deal with contractors, though, although they
do both have public showrooms. This can mean that customer
service is not so great, or that you buy something and bring it
home and then the plumber can't install it because you have the
wrong kind of pipes in the wrong place. I really recommend
talking to a plumber before you spend a lot on a tub or sink or
toilet to make sure you are on track with what your plumbing will
support. Plumbers are really good at recommending brands that
are sturdy and don't take a lot of maintenance, especially toilets.
Ginger
Nov 1999
We are doing a partial remodel of our kitchen and installing a second
bathroom (Joy of joys!). Does
anyone have recommendations for places other than Home Depot to shop for
kitchen/bathroom sinks,
toilets, shower stalls, faucets, and all that. Any brands, types to stay
away from or that you are particularly
happy with? Thanks all.
In response to this mail, I would offer The Plumbery in the San Francisco
Design Center and The Kitchen Source (somewhere in SOMA).
Regarding bathroom and kitchen fixtures, if you are doing any kind of
restoration (and even if you aren't, I suppose) you might want to check out
Omega Salvage 2 and the Sink Factory, both on San Pablo. Both have heaps of
new and used hardware and sinks, generally much more interesting than what
you find at Home Depot. Restoration Hardware may also carry some bathroom
hardware.
I highly recommend Moran Plumbing Supply in Oakland (on 40th Street just east
of Telegraph). It is a family-run business that deals primarily with
contractors but they have a small showroom for retail clients. I dealt with
Matt Moran and he is just a dream! He's extremely personable and sorted out a
problem with a faucet set I had purchased more than a year before but never
opened up to discover it was dented. In other words, you can get some
personal attention and problem resolution if you need it. They carry several
lines, including Kohler, which is what we purchased for two bathrooms we were
redoing. Kohler is a very high quality line with a range of styles and
prices. We had redone the baths in our previous home with Kohler and were
very satisfied (performance- and appearance-wise). In fact when we sold our
last house, everyone who came through the house remarked on how nice the
"new" bathrooms were, even though we had used them for six years! Good luck
with the remodeling!
We re-did our kitchen about a year and 1/2 ago and I bought all of our
faucets, etc. at Purves Supply in San Francisco. They were really
helpful, somewhat reasonable, and took returns without alot of hassle,
They are at 351 11th st., south of market.
We are just embarking on a bathroom remodel, and I was delighted
with the service I got at General Plumbing Supply, right off North Main
in Walnut Creek. Lainie was very helpful in advising me about what
would fit our very small space.
I would like to second the recommendation for Moran Plumbing supply on 40th
in Oakland. They carry Kohler fixtures at the same price that Home Depot
does, but you get knowledgeable, friendly service to boot.
Ohmega Salvage and Urban Ore are good options for old-style fixtures, but I
think the already-renovated stuff is way overpriced, and the
renovate-it-yourself stuff is too much work for the savings you realize.
Unless you want a particularly special, authentic piece, modern fixtures
are a better deal, and you can now get styles that look like the old styles.
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