ike so many remodeling projects, the inspiration for this truly unique bathroom vanity came from a photograph in a magazine. But this project was different, because the vanity in the photo the client brought to DJ Dowling General Contractor did not really exist.

The vanity in the picture the owner found was little more than a conceptual mock-up, more like a temporary stage prop than the functional piece of art the Dowling team was able to produce from the photo. "The client had a plumbing fixture catalogue in hand when he came to us," explains Dan Dowling, the Harvard educated leader of the San Mateo firm. "He said, 'I realize there's no wall behind the vanity in the photo, but is it possible to get doors and a lighted recess in the wall where the plumbing is supposed to go?' And he wanted to be able to deal with water that would surely splash through the countertop slats. And he wanted it from cherrywood."

If it could be replicated, the vanity would be the focal point of the Japanese style bath. "I wanted something different," recalls the owner, "Something that would really catch your eye. And I wanted it to fit into the budget and schedule of the larger project I was undertaking." Was this a problem? "No problem at all," says Dowling confidently. "I just put Kirk on the job." Kirk Heathcote is one of Dowling's versatile foremen; he and Dowling have been working their way through intricate designs for several years. Dowling explains, "Clients call Kirk a 'renaissance craftsman.' I can throw him into the middle of anything. I just ask, and I get results."

Heathcote laughs when reminded of the plumbing-valve-versus-medicine-chest, photo-versus-reality conflict:

"I don't know how Dan comes up with these situations," he grins modestly. "And he does a little more than 'ask' for results. But we both like a challenge. If that's what the client wants, that's what I'm here for."

Working with Roth Wood Products, a custom cabinet builder out of San Jose, Heathcote made sure the vanity and countertop were built to precise specifications. "Coming up with a mounting for the sink turned out to be the toughest part," he recalls. He devised a countertop below the slatted cherry top, concealed by a hinged drawer front. In this way, the sink is mounted to a secure surface, and the homeowner is able to wipe up water that splashes through the slats.

Installation went off without a hitch. With its shower walls of tumbled marble and its floor of cherrywood, the bathroom seems to have been born this way. The accent lighting of the bathroom, also installed by Heathcote, shows off the vanity's exquisite lines. The client quips with a wink, "It's just like I drew it up."