Another project crossed off the list in our master bath remodel, a DIY furniture-style cabinet using the existing builder-grade vanity.

We have the typical boring cabinets throughout our home- basic, no frills, and probably not much real wood either.

First, I painted the toe kick black to give the illusion of a shadow under a leggy furniture piece.

My next step to aid in the furniture illusion was to add legs to the cabinet. Because you hafta’ have legs on a leggy furniture-look vanity, right? One of my favorite catalogs is from Van Dyke’s. They have a website, but I love thumbing through a catalog and turning down the corners on pages I want to remember.

Anyway, I measured the height of the toe kick on our cabinet in each spot where I wanted a leg, then looked for legs that would be a little taller than the largest measurement. (I wanted to have extra height to trim as needed to allow for uneven floors.)

I also knew I wanted the top section of the legs to be square so that it would transition smoothly to the future vanity skirts. Here is a closeup after priming, painting, and attaching to the vanity. (This pic was taken after we attached the skirts also.)

After the legs were attached, before we framed the mirror:

The cabinet stayed in that stage for several weeks months until I decided on a design for the skirt sections. I first cut the design out of cardboard and adjusted as needed for each section. Then I used my rotozip to cut the pieces out of 3/4 inch mdf. A jig saw would work as well. I primed, then painted with the same semi-gloss latex enamel I used on the legs.

Because the wood wasn’t thick enough to attach to the vanity flush with the legs, Richard screwed 1×2 cleats on the back of each piece.  (The cleats were shifted up slightly at each end as needed to account for my less than perfect cutting.)

Richard patiently holds up the process while I snap pictures.

First piece screwed into place.

I caulked the gaps and we’re done with one more master bath project.

With home values continuing to head in the wrong direction, I didn’t want to spend money on a new vanity. This project seemed like a good compromise. I think it fits with my love of curvy French country furniture, but of course, you could create any style with different feet and skirts. Think you would give this a try?