Maybe it’s because bathrooms are typically sleek and sterile environments, or maybe it’s because we WANT them to be so. Bathroom vanities are a perfect place to bring in some variety – rich texture, a sense of history, and some contrasting color – amid the modern fixtures that make up a bathroom today. Bathroom vanities with an old-world influence are a particularly stylish way to do this.

Isn’t this carved stone sink impressive? Set atop a chunky, historic-looking pedestal makes the sink’s presence very powerful in the space. A wall-mounted faucet and handles are designed to replicate an old world water fountain.

Old-world doesn’t necessarily have to mean an oversized, ornate piece, though. This distressed black bathroom vanity is pretty simple in its rustic style. The bathroom overall is tastefully styled with layer upon layer of texture, from the flooring, to the textured vanity, to the wall tiles.

A dark antique dresser-turned-bathroom-vanity is a beautiful and stately addition to a tiled bathroom. Its curves help to soften the rest of the hard lines in this space.

Several cupboards slid together, distressed and tiled to match provide an excellent old world-inspired vanity base for this huge old world-inspired bowl sink. Brass faucet fixtures really put a great finishing touch on the entire space.

An old world vanity doesn’t need to be huge and dark and heavy, however. Take this traditional retro vanity, for example. It’s an antique dresser that was transformed into a bathroom vanity by a custom cabinet maker. The effect of the scrolling details on the piece itself, contrasted with the traditional straight lines of beadboard walls, is fantastic.

I suppose an old world-inspired bathroom vanity needn’t be an actual vanity at all. A huge slab of reclaimed, aged wood mounted in this tiny powder room serves to juxtapose not just the small space itself but also the modern-yet-ancient metal sink bowl.

Of course, the ultimate old world-inspired bathroom vanity might look something like what’s in this smaller Mediterranean space. Everything bespeaks character and history, from the Travertine tile floor brushed with a chiseled edge to show imperfections, to the faux finished walls, to the beautiful wood door. A stately bathroom vanity vignette, to be sure.

Picture sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6and 7.