Prices!!!
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I am a fairly recent convert to the modern ways and looks. We are starting the process of a home re-model switching to a modern look/feel. My biggest frustration is the cost of some of this stuff. Why does it seem that everything modern has to be very expensive? Or at least it seems that way. We made a trip to Tyson's Corner to shop at the new West Elm store and also found that they had a BO Concepts store, along with Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn. I have also checked out the Roche-Bobois and Linge Roset stores in the area. It has been a very frustrating experience to say the least! I know what people say, quality=expensive, but not everyone has unlimited funds(and two kids in college). Right now I am hung up on finding a modern bathroom vanity where the cost will permit me to send my third child to college also. We found the perfect one to fit in the small bathroom that is part of the re-model at a price of $1400, no bowl/vessel. Maybe I'm just not realistic with what I think is fair pricing. I look forward to your comments and thanks for letting me ramble and blow off some steam!! Also, any recommendations on where I can find a modern vanity?8)
Can you give an idea of what you're looking for? That might help with getting suggestions for less expensive alternatives.
Check out Ebay. There's also been lots of discussions here about sources of less expensive modern furnshings, just try doing a search.
Think outside the box. Is there a way you can get the look you're going for with regular items used in an atypical manner?
For the vanity, how about getting a custom cabinet maker to make you an 18x18x18 frameless cabinet with one door out of baltic birch. Then either mount it to the wall or get some of Ikea's stanless steel kitchen cabinet legs (the tallest Numerar legs are 8 tall). On top of the cabinet sit a 20d x 22w piece of your favorite stone from a stone yard. Then, find a overcounter basin. www.homeclick.com has a nice selection. I like the Cheviot York Overcounter for this size cabinet. If you choose a vessel with no holes for a faucet, you will need to mount the faucet in the wall or get an expensive tall faucet made for that purpose. With an overcounter basin that has a place for a faucet, you can use a $100 monoblock faucet such as a hansgroh interactiv or some such.
Cabinet: $250
Stone: $100
Basin: $300 (as low as $150, e.g. the Duravit Stark 3 countertop model is $150 but is 22 wide so you might want a 20 x 20 x 20 wide cabinet with a 22d x 24 w piece of stone)
Faucet: $100
Plumbing (assuming you can assemble the vanity and have the right holes cut into the stone): $200
Total: $950
There are lots of variations of this.
Now, Ikea does sell a 24 wide x 12 deep by 17 tall single door cabinet for about $50 but you would need to wrap the sides in plywood for added strength and to hide the sides. That might save you $100.
Overstock.com has some sinks that might work for you:
[url href=http://www.overstock.com/?PAGE=CATLISTPRO_SUB_CAT=942PRO_SSUB_CAT=999]http://www.overstock.com/?PAGE=CATLISTPRO_SUB_CAT=942PRO_SSUB_CAT=999[/url]
did someone say custom baltic birch cabinet...?
no problem. figure about $50 shipping. and a simple modern cabinet floating on the wall could start at $300ish and go up as you pile on the options. what costs more? drawers, doors, legs ect.
let me know.
-ian
www.ianmaclean.com
I really like the DecoLav stuff, but anything but the real simple stuff starts to get spendy. As a bonus, the local Home Depot Expo now carries the stuff (it may be special order, but they do have a display up).
Just a quick follow up. We are going to have Ian in the above posts build us a custom vanity. He will be getting the final specs in a few days. I will post a follow up when the project is finished. We have looked all over for a bath vanity and the style/price combo is just not available to people on a budget looking to go modern.
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Very nice stuff Ian!
I just built a desk that I think you'll like. It's not quite done yet but here is an in progress photo.
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i know what you mean...searched for 6months, then decided to make my own 60 modern floating vainty with sliding doors. simple, easy, beautiful cherry veneer, well oiled. i put a glass vessel sink and faucet on top [got off e-bay for $160]. total cost? $300.00
mcneillmelissa,
Did you build this from plans that you acquired, or did you completely design it yourself?
Anyone know of a good source for construction plans for modern kitchen/bath cabinets?
There's a price spectrum with a giant gap:
IKEA......................................................Everything else
$.....................................................................$$$$$
I look forward to seeing what IAN comes up with. I think a big reason the modern stuff trends towards expensive is that most places can sell it as 'trendy designy stuff' geared at the higher end of the market. If they can sell it to that market, why bother targetting the rest of us? ;o)
And, to be fair, quality is sometimes a factor as well. A good Eames chair is made very well. At the same time, I can buy a veneered MDF desk at both Ikea ($300) and DWR ($1400) so clearly part of that is simply marketing/hype/prestige.
Update on my bathroom renovation!
Ian built a bathroom vanity based on a pic I scanned of the $1500 one from a high end bath/tile store. I had reservations about having something built, but I couldn't be happier with the finished product. Even though Ian almost cut off one of his fingers, the vanity surpasses all of my expectations!!The tile was put in today(01/21/06) and all of the fixtures go in on Monday. I will post pics when everything is finished. This is a small bathroom, but both my contractor and tile person have said it was one of the best they have done. Hope you all like it as much as we do!
just to clear things up... i did not cut my finger on dgrson's project. think of all the bad vibes that would be built into it. 
ops:
at any rate it was a good example of afordable, simple, modern, custom ect... looking forward to the photos myself.
on a side note, i have another batch of case studyish beds starting up within the next week or two. i will offer a few bucks off to any members of L.M. who jump in with this order.
Looking forward to the pictures. We did custom manufactured cabinets from China (I have family there) for our kitchen (still waiting on install) and got our bathroom cabinets from Lowes (Kraftmaid Venicia) which should be delivered in 4 days. The cabinets from China were a bit more expensive than Ikea but very sturdy materials and wonderful fit and finish. The Venecia line ranges from pretty cheap to pretty expensive depending on what you get, we went with the Marco line which is the cheapest and pretty much in line with Ikea prices.
In about 3 weeks to a month I will be hoping to find something that looks like the Lignet Roset Peter Maly bed for Ikea pricing, haha.
Funny, I just logged on to research this very topic. I am looking for something like the Bertch Interlude http://bertch.com/bertch_web/bath/bathfurniture.cfm but want an undermount sink instead of a bowl on top and I would like a medicine cabinet like the mirror pictured above it. My cabinet maker said $500-600 for the wood frame for the vanity and another carpenter said $1,240 to do the frame for the vanity and to add a wood frame to a medicine cabinet. By the time you add the cost of the sink, a stone top, the medicine cabinet, etc, it's way over the top.
If I could get pictures, I'd be interested in the floating cab option, but want an espresso finish...
If anyone has any ideas of where to turn next, I'd be interested. Thanks!
Fran
I saw something similar at Expo but can't remember the price. Those prices seem pretty high for an open vanity like that. Maybe Ian from a couple posts up can build you what you are looking for?
floosen - I saw something similar at my local HD. Base $390, sink $340
It was from http://www.magickwoods.com/index.asp The Sonata style.
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I bought this setup at Menards. I was shocked to see them carry something like this. I think there are 3 different sizes. Made by magicwoods/norwich collection. I got a frosted bowl on a cracked glass top w/ the chrome faucet and chocolate cabinet.
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Go to a metal workshop and get them to bend a 1/4 stainless steel plate and mount that to your wall (where the vanity goes). And place your basin on that of it. I've seen it done at places and it looks great!
It may cost a couple of hundred $s
even better yet... did this set of brackets for one of those sinks with the island center and drain on the sides. i shipped it out of state but will try to get some install photos from the customer. it is built from 1-1/2 stainless with some small tabs on the front. the studs are placed for the install... so i was told.
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