She Didn’t Buy a Bathroom Vanity: She Put an Old Record-Player Cabinet Where the Pedestal Sink Used to Be
Beige tile covered most of this bathroom, broken by a narrow strip of black mosaic running around the tub and sink. A white pedestal sink stood beneath a wide wall mirror, while matching beige floor tile carried the same palette across the room.
Reddit user u/Mysterious-Big-7323 had lived in the flat for three years and knew the bathroom would be the first major renovation. Saving for the project took time because the goal was not a quick update, but the bathroom she had planned from the start.
One piece in the finished room did not come from a bathroom showroom. An old record-player cabinet was stripped and restored, then fitted with a stone top and vessel sink. The former music cabinet now occupies the spot where the pedestal sink once stood.
Beige tile and a pedestal sink filled the original bathroom
Large beige tiles surrounded the bathtub and continued behind the sink, with a black mosaic band cutting across both walls. A pedestal sink left the plumbing area open below, while the wall above held a wide rectangular mirror.
The tub already occupied the back wall, and the toilet sat between it and the sink. Those positions kept the room recognizable after the renovation even though almost every visible finish changed.
The bathroom was stripped back before the new finishes went in
Removing the old tile exposed timber framing, pipework, masonry, and sections of adhesive left across the walls. Floor tile also disappeared, revealing the boards underneath.
A timber frame near the ceiling shows work extending above the former tiled zone. Rather than painting around the existing bathroom and swapping fixtures, the renovation opened the room enough to rebuild the wet area.
New walls prepared the tub area for tile
Boarding covers the tub wall during construction, with a recessed niche cut into the center. Plumbing and cables remain exposed near floor level before the bath and finished surfaces return.
The niche would later disappear into the striped tile pattern instead of becoming a contrasting box on the wall.
The old record-player cabinet became the new vanity
Carved wood, paneled doors, turned legs, and a lower shelf make the vanity look unlike standard bathroom cabinetry. That difference comes from its original purpose: it started as an old record-player cabinet.
A furniture restorer in Northumberland stripped and restored the piece before its bathroom conversion. The owner says the vanity cost around £1,200, part of a renovation that finished near £14,000 after an original £10,000–£12,000 budget.
A pale stone top now protects the cabinet beneath a white vessel sink. Wall-mounted brass fittings keep the faucet off the furniture itself.
Vertical tile replaced the old horizontal bands
Green and off-white rectangular tiles run vertically behind the bathtub, replacing the former beige tile and thin black mosaic stripe.
Alternating colors continue across the main tub wall, around the niche, and down the bath panel. The niche follows the same stripe sequence rather than interrupting it with another material.
Brass shower fittings introduce a warmer metal against the muted green, while a clear screen leaves the striped wall exposed.
The sink repeats the tile without copying the shower wall
A shorter section of striped tile sits behind the vessel sink, connecting the vanity side of the room with the tub wall. The same green and pale vertical pattern appears here without covering the entire wall.
A dark-green scalloped mirror replaces the large rectangular mirror from the old bathroom. The owner confirmed the frame is dark green, tying it back to the tile rather than introducing black.
Brass wall fittings, a small shaded sconce, and hooks add detail above the restored wood cabinet.
Burnt orange carries the color to the bathroom door
The door and surrounding trim received the same burnt-orange finish, taking the color beyond the tile and fixtures. Brass hardware adds another warm note, while the dark green visible through the doorway creates a sharp contrast with the orange.
Painting the trim along with the door makes the color read as one solid architectural element rather than an isolated accent. It also reinforces the owner’s decision not to replace the old beige bathroom with another neutral scheme.
The Pedestal Sink Is Gone, but the Layout Stayed
Side-by-side views show the original pedestal sink, beige tile, black mosaic border, and broad mirror beside the finished green-and-white bathroom.
The layout still fits a tub, toilet, and sink into the same narrow footprint, but the materials no longer attempt to disappear. Vertical tile emphasizes the tall walls of the converted 1860s house, restored wood adds a material absent from the former room, and brass replaces much of the old chrome.
The strangest change is also one of the smallest: the ordinary pedestal sink gave way to furniture built decades ago for an entirely different purpose. If an old record-player cabinet can become the focal point of a bathroom, what other furniture are we overlooking because its original label tells us where we think it belongs?
Image credits go to :u/Mysterious-Big-7323