The world's tiniest powder room

We're the proud owners of the world's tiniest powder room. Previous owners had cleverly turned it into a sheltering nook of a potty with black slate floor, black painted wainscoting, and a dark wallpaper. It holds a miniscule toilet and equally petite sink. My hand could probably span most of the sink. Here's a photo of said sink. Note the bar of soap. It's a smaller than standard bar of soap on a tiny soap dish. I particularly like the old-fashioned faucet with separate spigots for hot and cold water.



Yesterday, I was enjoying some bathroom cleaning time. (On a related note: Why did I pay for both a housekeeper and a gym membership when cleaning one's house by oneself provides a darned good workout? Lugging a vacuum cleaner up and down four stories is especially effective.) I was polishing my brass faucets, feeling somewhat like a parlor maid in an Agatha Christie novel ("Rose was polishing Colonel and Mrs. Luscombe's brasses...")

I noted that my mini-powder faucet was labeled "Barber Wilsons...London 1905." The children's bath upstairs also has this brand of faucet as well as a particularly elaborate bath/shower contraption. The faucets had quite a bit of tarnish which I attacked with Brasso and a rag. Brasso, by the way, provides enormous satisfaction. Rub and the tarnish comes right off. Then polish to a warm luster. Was this unlacquered brass? Intrigued, I googled the manufacturer. This is what I found.

"Manufacturers of exquisite kitchen and bathroom faucets and mixers for over 100 years, the traditional and contemporary designs of Barber & Wilson's carry the Royal Warrant of the royal family of England by appointment to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Located in the United Kingdom, Barber Wilsons offers a custom manufacturing service and a wide range of commercial and in-home bath and kitchen faucets and fittings such as drains, pipes, and valves."

Oooh. So our house has posh faucets. Don't think the rest of the house meets this standard. Note the previous entry with its crumbling pegboard pantry and dilapidated countertops. Quite an interesting mix.