Reinventing the Vanity

The vanity is the heart of any bathroom, whether it's a powder room or a spacious spa retreat. Options are endless, no matter what direction your tastes run, but incorporating an antique piece is a striking way to add rich history and surprisingly current style to your space. Interior designer and antiques dealer Ivo Jones of House of Ivo, Inc. in Conway has been employing this technique for years, with beautiful results. “To use an antique chest, server, buffet or credenza
 as a vanity adds a unique, more individual look,” he says. “It's a much warmer look
 than the basic vanity can deliver.”

According to Jones, the first step is to determine the size and style you are looking for. “Old world, contemporary, Asian, modern or even
 traditional, this will set you in the direction for the piece needed,” he says. Locating an item that's an appropriate height is key to ensuring that it's comfortable for you and guests. It's also important to consider how much work it will take to transform the piece into a functioning vanity, and if it has appropriate counter space and storage.

To transform an antique into a working vanity, a skilled carpenter is essential to preserve the integrity of the piece and to ensure that moving parts, such as drawers and doors, continue working properly. Jones recommends choosing all hardware, from the sink basin to the faucet and any new door hardware, before making any alterations to the piece. “Once you make that first cut, it's difficult to 
restore or make a drastic change,” he says. “But it's truly a satisfying way to take a small space and make it unique to your family and home.”

A lifelong collector, Jones appreciates antiques for their individuality. “Antiques have such an individual 
look and superior quality,” he says, “but with new items there can be hundreds if not thousands of the same
 piece floating around.” Born into a family of antiques dealers, Jones bought and sold his first piece as a child, and by 14 he started his own business, rearranging rooms for friends and family. His business has grown exponentially from simply dealing in antiques to providing complete design services for a variety of clients from his two locations in Conway and a cabinetry showroom in Little Rock, which also offers reproduction vanities. “We do it all, from
 remodeling projects to new construction plans, with an emphasis on kitchens, baths and every room in between,” he says.