It’s wonderful to see so many salvaged sinks around lately. When it’s a large cast iron sink in a mudroom, a vintage kitchen sink full with dish drainer or an industrial bowl used at home, a salvaged sink could include unique flair to your kitchen, kitchen, mudroom or laundry area. Following is a look at how architects, architects, designers and writers are integrating these vintage fixtures into houses.
Joanne Palmisano, Salvage Keys
This image is derived from Joanne Palmisano’s publication, Salvage Secrets. The sink came out of an old factory building and is adding character to the beautiful kitchen in its next life.
Between Naps on the Porch
A fantastic potting seat within this Georgia townhome’s lawn involves a working salvaged sink, complete with dish drainer.
Dona Rosene Interiors
I’ve always admired this vintage sink and contacted interior designer Dona Rosene to find out more about it. Here is what she told me
“It’s a funny story because the sink was first to the house, that was constructed in 1926. The customer is about to upgrade the kitchen… and deciding if it goes or stays. It was in excellent condition once the owner took possession of the house and we managed to just use it since it had been for now.
The operator’s love for it has overcome the sacrifices she must create for ita)No garbage disposal along with several”experts” do not think it could be fitted for one. She hasn’t given up hope so we’re still searching for alternatives. B ) She’d really like to get a sprayer however, your choices for taps are extremely limited and pricey. C ) The sink is not as deep as a typical one and requires custom cabinetry underneath and around it to look right. Thus, you need to forfeit some cupboard space.
It is definitely a bit people have strong feelings about — they generally either love it or hate it. When the customer tells people she is considering a kitchen remodel that the first thing they ask is,’What about the sink?””
Home & Harmony
Rie, the blogger behind Home and Harmony, along with her husband have been pros at using salvaged sinks. For their kitchen they discovered a 4-foot-long old surgeon sink on Craigslist for $100, then spent 300 having it professionally reglazed. It’s a remarkably practical farmhouse-style sink that cost less than newer variants.
Home & Harmony
Rie’s laundry area comprises another used sink found on Craigslist. This time her husband painted it with outside high-gloss metallic paint, with a paint sprayer. They discovered that the taps on eBay.
Rie’s guidance for sink searching and salvaging success? “I feel that the trick to finding gems on Craigslist is trying out different search-engine stipulations. Different people explain their stuff in different ways, so the more potential searches you’re doing, the more options you’ll find. To find our antique sinks, I utilized various terms while hunting: old sink, antique sink, farm sink, farmhouse sink. My other suggestion is hunting frequently. I have been proven to search a few times per day for months before we find something that works.”
Gaspar’s Structure
This lucky homeowner already had this 100-year-old sink in the house; the builders were able to save it and flaunt its beauty during a renovation.
The vintage-style faucet is by Kohler.
Smith & Vansant Architects PC
This whole kitchen has been created around this oversized salvaged sink, which the homeowner was saving in her barn for several years. The counter tops and windows had to be worked around it, and it had been well worth the effort.
The wall-mounted faucet is by Rohl.
Smith & Vansant Architects PC
The same homeowner was saving this soapstone basin for her renovation, and it works wonderfully in her craft area. The architect, Pi Smith, designed a custom base to hold it.
See the rest of the home
DeForest Architects
This bathroom sink has a long history, both with all the homeowners (experienced salvaged fixture users) and before they discovered it. Here is their story:
“We purchased the sink many years ago from The Salvage Barn in Iowa City, Iowa. We were advised by a volunteer this may have been reclaimed from a remodeling of the University of Iowa’s Biology Building, but don’t have any means of verifying that. We didn’t yet own the Yum Yum Farm, so this sink dwelt in our back yard in Iowa City, growing different plants annually — herbs or yearly flowers.
It was well to the design phase of the Yum Yum Farm house that we ran a photograph of the sink by architect John DeForest to determine if he believed it would be a fantastic match for our residence. John agreed. Then we had the sink along with its own first metal stand refinished. The sink has been refinished by a ceramic fix guy, the metallic stand was refinished in an auto body shop.
We like the way the sink has a’counter’ built in. We also like the depth of this basin- it comprises splashes. We think the sturdy type of the sink adds to the farmhouse aesthetic.”
HARDROCK CONSTRUCTION
A salvaged cast-iron double sink is a fantastic match for this particular functional laundry room.
NowI feel compelled to share the flip side of using a salvaged sink: along with the drawbacks Dona Rosene outlined, there can be challenges for everybody involved in the installation procedure.
Be sure to be really nice to your architect, plumber and contractor when pushing for one. When I wanted to find out more about using them, I phoned my brother Clark (a general contractor) to determine if he’d experience with these (he didn’t ).
After he stopped telling me just how a lot of his customers are using , he said”Oh , I hope none of them read this salvage sink narrative and want me to do this for them. It sounds like a total nightmare.”
More:
Console Sinks for a Vintage Style Bath
10 Vintage Touches for Your Toilet
Your Kitchen: Farmhouse Sinks
Kitchen of the Week: A Warm and Eco-Friendly Update
