Bathroom Sinks
Sport Fine Finishes

June 9, 2004 -- Karen Slender didn't want to install boring, standard white cabinets and sinks in the 14 bathrooms of the 21,000-square-foot house she and her husband are building in Mendham, N.J.

But she's had trouble finding unique, stand-alone bathroom vanities, the cabinets that hold a sink and mirror. So she bought antique Louis XV commodes and Chippendale dressers, costing as much as $4,500 -- and cut holes to make room for sinks and plumbing. "I wanted the bathrooms to look as beautiful as any other room in the house," the 47-year-old Ms. Slender says.

Butchering antiques isn't always necessary these days. More furniture makers -- pushing into a business traditionally dominated by cabinet makers and contractors -- are producing elaborate bathroom vanities, complete with sinks and plumbing. Antique dealers, sensing demand, are transforming old dressers into vanities. Homeowners feel "we've done the white vanity for 50 years. Give me an option," says Jack Fhillips, an interior designer in New York and Palm Beach, Fla.

Hooker Furniture of Martinsville, Va., has sold all types of furniture for 80 years, but not bathroom vanities -- until about a year and a half ago. It introduced six styles then and now offers 20 with prices ranging from $899 to $2,499. Retail sales of these vanities in the first year totaled $15.5 million. Pulaski Furniture of Pulaski, Va., one of the largest furniture makers in the U.S., started a line of bathroom vanities in 2001, and now has 30 styles, up from just one three years ago. Horchow, an upscale catalog and online retailer owned by Neiman Marcus, began selling bathroom vanities in 2001, and now offers about 35 models that cost as much as $3,500. Cyril Kaufman, owner of Tower Bridge Antiques in Hallandale, Fla., says he's converted several dozen antique pieces into vanities, but "we leave the plumbing for the plumbers."

As homeowners make their bathrooms more luxurious, they're favoring ornate vanities. In 2003, Americans spent $20 billion on bathroom remodeling, up 33% from 2001, says the National Kitchen and Bath Association. Furniture makers have found a way to win over these customers: make bathroom vanities that look like furniture that belongs in the bedroom or living room.

Some elaborate designs can be skimpy on storage space. Evan and Nancy Rogers bought a vanity when they renovated the bathroom in their Weehawken, N.J., home. It's a stylish piece with dark wood and a white sink, but it stores only a few rolls of toilet paper. That's fine with Mrs. Rogers. "The last vanity had tons of storage space," she says. "I don't necessarily want to store my makeup next to a toilet brush."

Email your comments to rjeditor@dowjones.com.