We’re suckers for beautiful kitchen, bathroom and laundry cabinetry – shaker-style, beadboard, tongue and groove, heritage-style – we eat them all right up. But a flirty, feminine, flouncy alternative has recently reemerged onto the design scene, making gentle waves with its soft silhouette and easy functionality. Meet the sink skirt.
After first appearing in period homes, the sink skirt has, up until recently, suffered a bit of a bad rap, having often been done in gaudy, fussy fabrics with a total disregard for their untapped potential. But now it’s official: sink skirts are departing from the sentimental and making a comeback in a big way – in country-, period-, and contemporary-style homes alike.
“It seems to be the changeable attire of the quintessential country kitchen,” says Kasturi Wren, whose gorgeous cottage kitchen – complete with a sink skirt – was featured in the latest issue of Country Style. “It gives one’s kitchen a soften edge and allows you to create opportunity for new patterns and colours. I love that they are making a comeback – one of my most popular reels on Instagram was the making of my sink skirt!”
“It was really easy to put together – the end result was right on the mark,” says Kasturi of her gorgeous olive-toned kitchen sink skirt.
(Photography: Brigid Arnott | Styling: Jodie Gibbons | Story: Country Style)WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A SINK SKIRT?
Typically, the mini-curtains that we refer to as sink skirts hung exclusively under a sink – makes sense! Utilised to hide unsightly piping, cleaning tools and, let’s face it, inevitable dust collection, the sink skirt started its life as a primarily functional spec where the restrictions of a cabinet door just couldn’t quite fit the bill.
Now, however, sink skirts are popping up left, right and centre, offering a character-filled and decorative alternative to more classic styles of cabinetry and a great alternative for renter’s looking to hide unsightly items in a temporary way. And we’re not talking your Grandma’s florals, either. Modern takes on the sink skirt feature stripes, relaxed linen weaves and fun prints. “My most treasured item is my cast iron sink,” explains Kasturi. “I could have created a cupboard with fixed doors, but the idea that I could bring new texture and form consistent with a bygone era, while continuing the arts and crafts feel of my home, was just too delicious to pass up.”
This is not to say that sink skirts will be completely changing the game in kitchens, bathrooms and laundries; the cabinet styles you know and love can still be used in conjunction with this new trend, especially when it comes to above-bench storage.
HOW DO YOU MAKE A SINK SKIRT?
“We found the material from the local craft shop,” says Kasturi, who reached out to her Instagram followers in search of someone to make the flouncy sink skirt of her dreams. “I had the line and the hook screws required for the job – it was really easy to put together.”
A sink skirt is a fairly easy DIY job. Once you have measured and cut your fabric, added any details (like edge piping), gathered, sewn and hemmed, it’s a simple matter of using velcro (but only if you don’t need it to open and close) or threading the skirt over a rod or plastic-covered cord.
12 WAYS TO MAKE THE SINK SKIRT WORK IN YOUR HOME
Green bathroom sink skirt
It may be teeny tiny, but this restored cottage in Dry Diggings, Victoria, packs a style punch. In the deep green bathroom, a vintage sink is adorned with a relaxed take on a sink skirt, crafted with a throw from Cultiver.
Foam House laundry sink skirt
Design-focused, mid-century inspired dream accommodation, Foam House, is full of incredible moments – this enveloping deep ochre laundry being one of them. Under the bench, natural linen curtains replace the need for cabinet doors.
English cottage bathroom sink skirt
In keeping with its location, this quaint circa 1830s coastal cottage is full of English sensibilities. In the petite bathroom, a white lace-fringed sink skirt hides a cavity under the built-in sink.
Keppel Sands laundry sink skirt
In this renovated two-storey coastal cottage in Keppel Sands, an old repurposed door forms the laundry bench, under which hangs a sink skirt crafted using fabric from Spotlight.
Kara Rosenlund’s studio kitchen sink skirt
Photographer Kara Rosenlund’s studio is decorated using the same ethos as her home: show-stopping pieces complemented with “secondary items”. The gorgeous kitchen is flooded with vintage items and kept orderly thanks to a charming linen skirt under the bench.
Bungaberg kitchen sink skirt
This all-white Queenslander in Bundaberg was given a sunny transformation at the hands of a dedicated family. In the kitchen, a discarded table sits in the centre, while a gorgeous sink skirt runs under the timber bench.
Cloud River Farm kitchen sink skirt
This sensitively restored heritage home on Cloud River Farm in Tasmania features a stylish country-style butlers sink, whose plumbing is covered by an equally stylish sink skirt.
Vintage kitchen sink skirt
Vintage finds set the tone for this cute kitchen, which belongs to a pink lakeside cottage on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Under the butlers sink, a striped sink skirt continues the theme perfectly.
Marge’s Cottage kitchen sink skirt
This charming guest house in Poowong, Victoria, is the perfect country bed and breakfast experience. In the kitchen, open shelves host an array of vintage wares, and the timber benchtop is softened by the gentle waves of a sink skirt.
Old miner’s cottage kitchen sink skirt
Nestled within the landscape of Derby, Tasmania, this old miner’s cottage was restored and given a functional kitchen thanks to an outdoors-loving family. Under the bench, which continues from the kitchen into the dining space, a sink skirt eliminates any hard edges.
California bungalow kitchen sink skirt
This cute pink kitchen, within a country-style Californian bungalow in Ballarat, foregoes cabinetry completely, instead opting for the soft silhouette of a sink skirt.
Bungalow kitchen sink skirt
Adorned with the owner’s admirable collection of vintage wares, a kitchen sink skirt was the perfect addition to this restored bungalow home in Pomona, Queensland.
Weatherboard cottage kitchen sink skirt
This sweet weatherboard cottage enjoys sublime views over Port Campbell National Park and the Southern Ocean. The cosy kitchen features a bricked-in oven and a run of gorgeous sink skirts.
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