Readers David and Laura knew: Sinks with attached counters are called “banjo” tops
Sarah, owner of the groovy round house has eagle eyes for the rare and wonderful and shares this a vintage bathroom sink with a long wacky shaped countertop all in one piece. In green. This is a great one! Sarah writes:
Dear Pam,
My dad’s friend went to visit his childhood home earlier this week and took some photos. This sink caught my attention… I’ve never seen one like this before! It is all one unit, sink plus counter! Love it!!!!! And the decorative tile, sooo cute!
Sarah (roundhouse Sarah)
Thank you, Sarah! Our first woddity of the year!
Can anyone identify the maker and the year? I’m thing early 1980s by the look of that pedestal base… And maybe the whole counter top thingie is designed with the idea that it would span the top of an adjacent toilet? All kind of clever if you ask me. You can almost never have to much easy-to-clean counter top space in a bathroom near the sink.
Catherine says
I lived in an apartment with a 1970’s-era bathroom, and the laminate vanity top extended, in a narrower strip, over the the toilet. To those wondering, the trick is that there was a hidden hinge underneath, and that portion flipped up to allow access to the toilet innards! The laminate had a swirly pattern, and the seam was not noticeable. In all, I found the arrangement really convenient. More problematic was that the mirror covered the entire wall behind the vanity and toilet–great for me, but my husband found it disconcerting to watch himself pee.
Jay says
That’s funny, I think the mirror behind the toilet is strange. Thanks for explaining the access to the toilet tank under the laminated counter.
Janet in CT says
Like Jay, I too say thanks for explaining that. I never noticed it at my aunt’s house.
Catherine says
Perhaps they were not all installed that way, but I thought it was really clever that that one was.
puddletowncheryl says
Ha, Ha, Ha.
Sarah g (roundhouse) says
Oh no that sink is original to the house! 1958!
Sarah g (roundhouse) says
In fact that’s all original tile and everything
Jay says
Looks like Tappan Trailer Tami takes the prize for guessing the correct vintage!
Janet in CT says
The tile is in such nice condition, I never would have guessed its age as the same as the sink and tub. Great bathroom overall!
brad says
looks like it was not originally installed, based on the decorative wall tiles which look much newer than the sink….the extendo-counter looks like a commercial piece for motels etc…circa late 50s-early 60s
Sandra says
I like the invisible tissue box.
TappanTrailerTami says
That is a very cool sink! I vote anywhere from 1940-1960, based on color and tub design, and if I really had to narrow it down, I’d say late 40’s to early 50’s, the heyday of colors and ingenuity in bathroom designs (think Cinderella tubs!)…..
Great find, and good on Sarah for snapping photos for the woddity museum!
Jay says
Oh wow! Really sharp looking and I like the green color. I never saw this in porcelain before. I don’t think this would have enough clearance to accomodate a toilet, probably intended as a dressing table. I have seen old episodes of Property Virgins that were filmed in Canada and it appears common to extend the sink counter over the adjacent toilet as a narrow strip over the T. tank. I always thought it strange but since I now have a toilet with a curved top and everything slides off, I really like the idea. You just have to pray your toilet tank innards don’t need repair because then you have to remove the toilet to service it. Would like to know more about the fixtures and house.
BungalowBILL says
That’s a great look. Seems late 50’s or so. If those decorated tiles have little fishies on them they may be made by Pomona in CA. Rope border accents go back at least to Victorian times in tile
Sarah g (roundhouse) says
The design on the decorative tile looks like barnacles or spiderwebs
Nancy says
I would thinks that the depth of the angle is too deep for going over a toilet tank. But – whatever – I neeeeeeed this for our tiny bathroom! (Except going in the reverse direction.)
Janet in CT says
Wow, that is neat! I have no clue as to its age, but if her father’s friend grew up there, maybe she can ask him if he knows if it was original to the house when it was built. That really is the oddest configuration. Frankly, I can’t understand those extended shelves over a toilet, although I have seen that often enough. How on earth does one get arms and hands in there to replace the valve or flapper? That would be a really difficult chore! The tile looks newer to me – was that twisted rope tile available years ago, does anyone know? I thought it was something only recently produced and dont’ recall seeing it way back when. I was thinking sixties with newer tile, but I don’t know much about tile and bathroom stuff.
Sarah g (roundhouse) says
This sink does not go over toilet… That’s the trashcan under the sink
Janet in CT says
I know this one doesn’t have it, but I have seen them with the toilet under that shelf, which is what I don’t get. Not much room to remove the lid and definitely hard to access the parts in the tank. My aunt has one but not this unusual.
Allen says
Judging by the tub, which appears to be American Standard, the color, Ming Green, and the mud set tile, I tend to doubt that this is a 1980’s installation. I would tend to think that it is more along the lines in a 1960’s experimental type deal. Just my two cents based on circumstantial evidence! Fun sink and bathroom whenever its from! Thanks for the photo.
Jenny says
Agreed, it’s likely vintage-late 1950s or 1960s.