Bathroom Design
Bathroom Design | The veining in the marble top compliments the color of the copper bowl and the brushed nickel finish of the bamboo faucet.
DEAR TIM: I found this hand-hammered copper pan that would work perfect as a sink in a special theme half bathroom I have planned in my head. But the pan needs a hole in it for the drain. How can I create that hole? Have you ever transformed a room so that it looks totally different than any other room in the house? What little things can be done to complete the illusion? Diane K., Rock Hill, SC
DEAR DIANE: It sounds to me like you and my wife Kathy went shopping at the same online auction. Three months ago, she bought a distressed hand-hammered solid copper pan at an online auction site for just $15.00. This copper bowl with handles was one of the final missing pieces in a special basement half bathroom of ours Kathy was turning into a shipwrecked tropical getaway complete with bamboo and palm trees. See photo above.
Before she placed her winning bid, she asked me if I could convert the bowl into a sink and my response was it would be as easy as falling off a log. I said that because I have the simple tools needed to make the needed hole. You probably will have to rent these small tools to create the drain hole.
How do you convert a copper pan into a bathroom sink?
When you purchase your sink faucet, it will undoubtedly come with a drain assembly. You will discover you need a 1 and 5/8 inch diameter hole to accommodate the finished drain outlet ring. I prefer to create holes such as this using simple but precise knockout punch tools commonly used by electricians. These three-piece tools quickly punch round holes in metal electrical panels and any other soft or thin metal. Plumbers like me have used these same tools for years to punch an extra hole in the deck of a stainless steel sink for soap dispensers and other sink accessories.
To create a large hole, you often need to use one or more different-sized knockout punches to make successively larger holes. You must first drill a 3/8 inch diameter hole directly in the center of where you want your drain to be. The bolt of the first smaller knockout punch passes through this hole and a standard adjustable wrench allows you to turn the bolt head so the two-part punch squeezes together and slowly cuts its way through the metal.
A special theme can be fun and painful to create
Creating a room with a special theme reminds me of hitting my elbow's funny bone. It can be both fun and painful at the same time as you try to locate those very special accessories that complete the total illusion as one crosses the threshold into the space. Kathy accomplished it here at our home and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed making some of the special pieces we needed and assembling the wonderful and unique parts she collected.
The detailing on the bamboo faucet is stunning.
Our half bathroom makes you feel you have been stranded on a desert tropical island. Two different wallpapers separated by a tropical scene border help create the illusion you are in paradise. Kathy decided to use real bamboo split in half with my table saw as horizontal moldings that cover the seams between the wallpaper and the border. The lower wallpaper is a vertical bamboo print while the upper wallpaper has tropical plant leaves on it.
Matching the faucet to the sink
The sink faucet resembles two pieces of bamboo that have been spliced together to create a dramatic high arc spout. This spout of the faucet was partially cut open and it produces a cascading waterfall of water into our copper bowl when the bamboo-style faucet handles are turned on. The copper bowl resembles a modern vessel sink, but I partially recessed it into a gorgeous brown and silver veined marble top that is color coordinated with the dark bamboo and the satin nickel finish of the faucet. Imagine how great we felt when we discovered the faucet was part of a set of accessories all of which had the bamboo theme. The toilet tank handle, a glass shelve with towel bar, the toilet paper holder and a hand-towel ring were all available in matching bamboo style and nickel finish.
This towel bar / shelf combo is perfect for a small bathroom where you want to display seasonal knickknacks.
Extra detective work by Kathy paid off. She also discovered a small bamboo chest of drawers that I modified to make into the sink base. I had to make significant cuts into the top drawer so it would not hit all of the plumbing drain and water supply piping, but the drawer still opens and closes. Small palm tree drawer pulls found at another online hardware store were used in place of the pulls that came with the small chest. It just took minutes to switch these out.
Painting the toilet
The toilet is the last piece of the puzzle. I know I can find a bamboo toilet seat but I need my very talented oldest daughter to copy the tropical scene in the wallpaper border onto the front of the toilet tank. You can successfully paint vitreous china fixtures with oil-based paint. To protect the painted scene once complete, I will coat it with clear water-based urethane that will never yellow.
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One danger you can face when creating a themed room is to start the job without all of the components. If you can't find the right wallpaper, mirror or waste basket, the room may suffer. I suggest that you start with the big things and work your way towards the small accessory items.
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For example, our first floor powder room has a nautical theme. The centerpiece of the room is a large original polished brass porthole that has a mirror in it instead of its original glass window. It was easy to locate wallpaper that matched the overall theme. But it took years to locate some small accessories such as miniature brass and copper diving helmet and a small lobster trap that sits in a corner of the room. These small decorative items really finish off the room, but are lost if you don't induce the theme with big items that create that instant Wow factor.
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