Here’s a rare sight to be seen, five hard-to-find vintage Beauty Queen Lavanette “Vanette” steel bathroom vanities, all found in one building in northern California, and spotted for sale by several readers who sent us tips. Yowza — they look to be in great shape!
I asked the seller Laurie, how did they happen to come across not one — but five — of these rare vintage Lavanette Vanettes. Her reply:
We are just starting renovations on what was a local family practice. The doctor was there from the 1960s until a couple years ago… he never changed his decor. The Lavanettes were used in individual exam rooms. I think that is why they are in such great shape!
Laurie was also excited to hear from us — she is a regular reader! She said:
I am the assistant to the owner of the sinks and the one working on getting these FABULOUS units to their next home! I absolutely LOVE your website, follow you on Facebook too, and would be more than happy for these sinks to be featured on it…. I soooo hope these amazing cabinets go to a loving new home (wish one could come home with me J ), vintage is the BEST!!! Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks so much!!!
Thank you, Laurie! We don’t see too many of these vintage Lavanettes in the wild. We think they were quite rare to begin with, but then, when you combine their rarity with the metal-rusting moisture found in bathrooms, we think many of them just didn’t survive. The fact that these examples were not used in bathrooms, but in patient rooms in a doctor’s office is probably why they are in such good condition after all these years.
These are Vanettes from the Lavanette Line
From the Craigslist posting:
Love vintage?? Well then, one of these vintage bathroom “vanity with sink” cabinet units would be the PERFECT addition to your retro bathroom makeover.
This is one of five cabinets we have for sale. All five are part of the Beauty Queen “Lavanette” line made by Toledo Desk & Fixture Corp., Maumee, Ohio in the 1950s. They are powder coated steel with laminate tops and porcelain sinks with chrome trim and measure 4′ x 2′.
We have three light blue with light pink laminate tops and two light green units with grey laminate tops for sale. All five of these units are in fabulous condition with minimal dents, scrapes or chips. (for pictures of the other units please see our other postings)
The sinks do not appear to have any chips but, along with the faucets and nobs, will need some careful elbow grease to remove the hard water stains. There is only one light blue unit that has a visible dent on the front right, bottom drawer. Other than that any smudges you see in the pictures are just dust/dirt from sitting in a vacant building for many years.
Four of the units have the original “optional” towel bar. All five have the pull out bin in bottom left cabinet, garbage bin in bottom right cabinet and the plastic odds and ends trays in the top drawers.
Each individual unit is listed at $500 and are located in Northern California, just south of Redding, so you will either need to be able to pick up or pay for it to be shipped.
You can see more photos of these five amazing Lavanettes on Craigslist. Currently, Laurie has them posted for sale on the Las Vegas, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Reno and San Francisco Bay Craigslist.
Beauty Queen Lavanettes:
Beauty Queen Lavanettes are smaller and have only one set of drawers. Pam salvaged a Lavanette from a neighbor’s house. Will she find time to restore it? Or will she tire of having it sit in her garage and give it away on craiglist?
Beauty Queen Kitchen Cabinets
Yes, Lavanettes and Vanettes were part of the Beauty Queen line of steel kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Laurie took the info about the maker — Toledo Toledo Desk and Fixture Co., Maumee, Ohio — from our original story here. Hmmm. How many steel cabinet makers were there in Ohio, Pam wondered. She knows of (1) Youngstown Steel Kitchens, out of Warren… (2) Republic Steel Kitchens, of Columbus… and Beauty Craft, from Toledo. Perhaps one day soon we will go through our histories and make a complete list by location.
Scott says
The green Vanette is stunning. Only the fact that my ultra-tiny modest bath couldn’t possibly hold something of that size allows me to have the restraint to not immediately try to acquire one. I’m literally gasping at its beauty, what a find!
Neil says
So glad to see these in a story here; when I spied them on Craigslist here in San Francisco, I just knew they would ring your bells big-time, Kate! And I’m glad to hear other readers alerted you too: Between the eagle-eyes of us all maybe we’ll keep a lot of treasures out of the dump.
I was aghast, however at the $500 price; in my “antique” business here in SF I’m often buying 40’s/50’s/60”s steel, freestanding storage cabinets, both the tall ones and the short ones with formica or enamel tops; I give them a fresh coat of charming period color inside and out and they sell like hotcakes, compelling as they are to the discerning SF hipster eye (many of which are looking for more storage for their tiny, vintage SF kitchens). But….I only pay between $5 and $25 each for them, typically.
But, possibly these Vanettes’ rarity and completeness, and truly excellent condition, merit the layout of half a thousand dollars…
Toodles,
Neil
MJ says
It’s a capitalist society. I’m wondering how much you would ask for one of your 5-25$ Vanettes. A Capitalist price, I expect. The fresh coat of paint would make them worth less than an original paint job, if my experience is any indicator. But to each his own.
Ed says
I’m aghast at the price, too. That’s CHEAP! As Pam notes, press-board units from the big box chains demand similar money, and are even more susceptible to moisture over time. I can only hope the ones Neil is picking up are in a condition befitting their price, so the fresh paint isn’t quite so heretical.
pam kueber says
Even cheap wood vanities from the Big Box store cost moola these days ….
And with these, you get the sink, the vintage laminate countertop, the faucet — and a STEEL cabinet with original condition paint! Personally, I think the price is fair. All depends on the market, though!
Lynn-O-Matic says
I have an identical green and grey one waiting to be installed in our upstairs remodel. I couldn’t love it more. I have always wondered what the second drawer on the right was for. It looks like a letter sorter for an office. I wondered if it is because the company also made desks.
I haven’t warmed up to the idea of the toothbrush holder mounted on the wastebasket, however.
Laurie says
Does the second drawer lock on yours?? These five have a lock you access from the cabinet below…at first I thought it was jammed but it is a spring loaded latch! Cool if you have kiddos and need to hide away they aspirin.
Lynn-O-Matic says
Yes, it does lock, and I also thought it was jammed. Our carpenter couldn’t figure it out, but I finally did!
Sugar Martini says
I’m so excited! We’re getting one!! 🙂
Janet in ME says
Congratulations! Which color?
Laurie says
Remind me to show you the locking latch on the second drawer!!!
pam kueber says
Woot! Be sure to take lots of before-and-after photos and send them to us for the blog when you are ready for prime time.
Jay says
I will second that Yowza! Hope they all find loving homes.
pam kueber says
There was a New Old Stock Lavanette or Vanette in Western New York some years ago. I don’t think I got permission to show the photos… my memory is dim. These, though: Even though not NOS, they look to be in like-new condition.
A neighbor just sold her house. She had a Lavanette (I think, the smaller model). The buyer is likely to renovate. This story is inspiring me to go knock on the door and introduce myself yada yada yada. I think I could fit a 36″-er in my master bathroom!
Janet in ME says
Go for it, Pam! I think the 36″ wide one might fit in my bathroom too!
ElectraChime says
So cool. Once more, Retro Renovation shows me something New that’s old. Keep it coming Pam and Kate!
Robin, NV says
Oh my goodness. These are only 4 hours from me and my blue bathroom really needs a new sink and cabinet… Oh dear, what to do?!
Ranger Smith says
Sounds like you need a road trip to Red Bluff, Robin!
Janet in ME says
These are just marvelous! I wish my bathroom had the room to accommodate one of them! I saw one just once on Craigslist in Buffalo and it was in pretty poor condition – very rusted. I agree the fact that they were in a doctor’s office kept them so pristine! Wonderful find and I am also thrilled that they didn’t junk them! Too much nice stuff goes to the scrapyard!
Carolyn says
I didn’t know about RetroRenovation until March 2015. I am heart-sick that a convent nearby was sold by the city for $1 to be developed. I can only hope that the developer salvaged and ReStored the interior.
I have to accept that I can’t save everything since I don’t have adequate storage to foster these types of items until they get adopted. And thankful that I don’t see dumpsters filled with “old junk.”
To end on a positive note, were we cool back then or what?! Innovation, style, craftsmanship…is this where I insert “woot”?
pam kueber says
Yes, we were really cool back then. Woot!