William Austin Antiques is Vermont's largest privately owned antique shop and first class antique emporium. We have outstanding pieces for your bedroom and bath. You can't find a more impressive inventory of quality antique and country furntiure.

From single pieces to entire sets, classic heirlooms that will add refinement to your home. With 15 showrooms and over six hundred pieces and an inventory that's constantly changing, you should stop in today. We carry a generous selection and wide variety of:

• Small Cupboards
  
• Medicine Chests   >>Read More
• Commodes   >>Read More
• Wash Stands, Pitcher & Bowl Sets   >>Read More
• Mirrors   >>Read More

Inventory turns around quickly. What you see today in our store can be in someone's home by tomorrow. The best time to buy an antique is when you see it!
Come on in today pick it out and pick it up!

Before the introduction of indoor plumbing, almost every American home had a dry sink and a dry sink, washstand or commode. The dry sink was the forerunner of today's kitchen sink, and it was used to wash virtually everything from the baby to the dinner dishes.

The washstand and commode were used for personal hygiene; they were made for the bedroom or an adjoining chamber and held a pitcher and bowl, as well as soapand brushes. In addition, the commode had a cupboard, which was often used to store the chamber pot.

Although the early settlers must have had dry sinks and washstands, few exmaples made before the 19th century have survived. These utilitarian objects were easy to build and not especially decorative, and most were probably broken up for firewood once they became damaged or obsolete.

Washstands are much smaller than dry sinks and have flat tops backed by splashboards or galleries. Some of the earlier washstands are from 1790 and are in the Federal style. Because they have a cupboard, commodes are more practical than washstands. The first examples appeared in the late 18th century. These rare Federal pieces are usually demilune in
shape and have long turned legs.

Dry sinks, washstands, and commodes are immensly popular with collectors today. (from The Knopf Collector's Guides to American Antiques, Chests, Cupboards, Desks and Other Pieces)   >>Read Bathroom Trivia