Here’s one straight from Granny’s decorating tool box: Sink skirts. You don’t see these much anymore, so we were excited to spot this NOS Vintage Bathroom Sink Skirt in white, black and red for sale on Ebay from seller picnic21. (now sold) That’s right — this vintage sink skirt — designed by Jane de Jonge and marketed by “By Appointment”, with a Fifth Avenue New York City address — looks fresh from its 1950s? 1960s? 1970s? factory — still in its original box with instructions and price tag.
From the Ebay listing:
New Old Stock, box shows lots of wear…1970’s(?) any info welcomed…couldn’t find anything on this company name By Appointment or designer name on skirt Jane de Jonge……care instructions included…Fabric Excelon-vinyl….31 1/2″ long x 54″ wide…band is 2 1/4″ thick. White, red and black… designer name appears 4 times around skirt.
I’ve never heard of Jane de Jonge — have you? A quick internet search came up with no leads.
This sink skirt is simple and classic — in great vintage colors. This sink skirt would look great on a white, yellow, pink, blue, green — heck nearly any pastel vintage sink.
It is always neat to see vintage goods in their original packaging.
The sink skirt attaches to the sink with an adhesive strip — all the sink skirts I’ve come across before have been held up by elastic or ties — does this make it a woddity?
The adhesive must be reusable since the care instructions say to fold the adhesive into itself for washing and then reattach. This leads me to believe that the adhesive could still be strong even after all these years.
It’s sort of unusual, we think to see a sink skirt that attached on the outside. We think it’s more typical to attach the skirt from under the sink apron — like Laura did in her charming kitchen renovation.
Would we use a sink skirt on a wall hung sink like this? Maybe! Just stay on top of the hairballs underneath!
Tom D. says
Not 50’s or even early 60’s, there is a zip code on the instructions. Also, the label on the box looks like a computer label. I’m thinking 70’s or 80’s.
RetroSandie says
My mum always made her own sink skirts for the bathroom. She usually used curtains so that they would match the window and shower curtains. I think she put hooks on each side of the sink, then used elastic on the curtain to go around the sink and hold it in place. It always looked nice, but then my mother was extremely house-proud!!!!
Rick S says
I made a sink skirt for my mom-in-law’s halfbath. I used periwinkle blue cotton with 1/4 inch stitched on piping. I also made cafe curtains and valance to match. The walls were “sponge” painted (late 80’s) and It looked so cute.
rick
Kim L. says
The sink skirts are so charming! Also, I am in love with the pink fridge and mint green stove. Very cute!
Allen says
My mother made one of these for her wall hung sink in the 90’s (she wanted a vanity sink very badly) and I thought the skirt idea was great. Her’s was attached on the outside of the sink as well. She used it for about 15 years and then dad replaced it with a vanity sink :(. I always thought is was creative. (Note: no sinks were harmed in the replacement with a vanity. The old sink was donated to another homeowner that wanted a wall hung sink!)
Nita@ModVintageLife says
I have a sink skirt in my bathroom. I made it from an extra shower curtain so that my sink skirt and shower curtain match. See here….
http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-master-bath.html
RetroSandie says
Nita, I think your teensy bathroom looks beautiful! Love the sink skirt matching the shower curtain. Black & white scheme is very classy, too! (My mom did that once also!) The mirror above your sink is just gorgeous, and maybe it would look nice with a pretty glass shelf just under it above your back splash. Fancy black brackets to match your picture frames would look beautiful holding it!!!
Olivia says
The bathroom in my last house was this size.
Ana says
nice, stylish but smiple red skirt ensemble. throwing on a dress/skirt in the morning seems so tedious to me; however, over the past few months, i’ve convinced myself that wearing pretty needs to be a bigger part of my life. it’s becoming such a joy to throw on a great dress in the morning. it’s light, sweet, freeing, and beautiful. thanks for the reminder!
nina462 says
I put one up in my 70’s town house bathroom – that’s where kitty had her litter dish. Hidden away 🙂
My grandparents didn’t have the sink skirt – but we did make cupboard skirts for the cupboards (they didn’t have doors). I remember my mom sewing them. Wish I had a picture of them, as the house is long gone. I still remember the pattern -little flowers in orange, red, blue, yellow.
Laura E. says
There’s a children’s book called The Girl Who Listened to Sinks about a lonely little girl. “Lonely because Mother’s preoccupied with a job she hates and the kids at school are “mean,” a little girl finds solace in conversations with things–a sheet that says “Ouch!” if she pulls too hard, toothpaste that giggles when squeezed, and especially the friendly bathroom sink. The girl makes the sink a ruffly skirt [because it complains about its skinny legs], which starts a lucrative fad; the child and her mother are soon selling so many sink skirts that they can move to a seaside house (loyally taking along the sink).” It’s out of print now but it’s a lovely, offbeat story.
raenetta dulin says
that is a sad but happy and lovely story you touched my heart !
Laura MacKay says
I did a cover for my wall hung sink at my old house. I used a curtain panel and some of that stick on Velcro strips. It worked wonderfully. You just put a line of the velcro on the sink, and a line of it at the top of the curtain panel, then stick it together. It’s easy to take off for cleaning and getting under the sink, but stays up very well. I found a curtain that fit almost perfectly for my sink, so i didn’t need to hem it anywhere, but you may only have to adjust one or two sides, or just fold them down at the end and at the base. It worked really well for me. And it was easy to coordinate with the curtains on the little window, since I used the same curtains for that.
MbS says
My granny had one in her Leavenworth, KS house. I think about doing this with an oilcloth or laminated fabric for wiping clean.
THANK YOU.