what's a diy girl to do?

we are currently in the midst of a major bathroom renovation.  It is s.l.o.w.l.y. getting done.  much repair work (rotted floor boards) , rebuilding of walls & ceiling, plumbing, electrical & window installation has taken up much of the time. 

cool vintage drawers

today our carpenter, darrin, brought over our sink vanity that he custom made from the wood that was pulled out of the walls.  these babies were almost 18 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches thick. they have to be close to 300 years old as our home is over 180 years old...the tree they were harvested from would have to be pretty old to get a board that wide.

i gave darrin several pics to give him an idea of what i was looking for as well as the sink that was to be mounted on the top.  it's actually a wall mounted sink but wanted to have more of a vintage vessel style.  i really wanted to use an old dresser but due to space constraints we opted for a more open "workbench" style.  the drawers came from my parents old shed and he worked them into the design.  i really like what he came up with but now am unsettled on how to finish it.  i am open to ANY suggestions. 

can you see the slatted shelf?

big wire basket will sit on floor below shelf

do i paint the base and leave the top stained?  do i stain the entire piece?  do i change the drawer handles?  add casters?  add trim?  i know i can count on you my fellow blogging buds...so help me out here pretty pul..leeze!  ;)

[update: we left the top as is and finished it with about 5 coats of clear floor finish.  the base was whitewashed with pittsburg paints eiffel tower (about 3:1 ratio).  see below for completed bathroom link.]

 we also have this sink which was the original idea but then i saw the curvy one on craiglist which we got for FREE!  should i swap out the sinks, that is if it can be done? 

vintage sink from previous upstairs water closet

we are re-using our vintage toilet and are working on a claw tub that we bought last year off of craiglist.  the colors that i am leaning toward are that lovely aqua/spa blue with either a light gray or a taupe .  the walls will be wood...either vertical tongue n groove or horizontal wood plank (we need to see what we can use on hand first).  the room is 5 x7.

old bathroom...many changes in layout

vintage clawfoot tub...$40 on craiglist

we are doing this whole remodel on the cheap using and re-using what we have on hand.  the vanity was our biggest expense so far.  i will give a breakdown on cost once we are finished...hoping that isn't too much longer!

thank you for your help!
                                         


UPDATE: go here for the completed bath renovation- only took one.whole.year!