The cabinetry may set the style and tone for any kitchen or bath, but when it comes to the bath or powder room, it’s often the sink that’s the crowning jewel. A modern sink with clean lines can help emphasize a contemporary space, while an elegantly detailed selection complements a more traditional room.

By Holly Berecz

The cabinetry may set the style and tone for any kitchen or bath, but when it comes to the bath or powder room, it’s often the sink that’s the crowning jewel. A modern sink with clean lines can help emphasize a contemporary space, while an elegantly detailed selection complements a more traditional room.

Choosing a bathroom sink can be a challenge. There’s such a dizzying array of options to navigate. Imagine how your clients feel. Do they prefer undermount or drop-in? Does a vessel sink fit their bathroom routine? Do they want a standard oval shape, or do they desire a cantilevered creation or statement-making circle? How about material? Are they okay with porcelain or vitreous china, or do they think outside the box and want a more personalized bathroom centerpiece? Is storage an issue? If not, how about a pedestal sink? The options are endless, and the choices are as unique as your clients.

There are a number of new and unusual materials, shapes, colors, and designs available in sinks today. Here is a list of my favorite new sink options to help you and your clients make a powerful and personalized design statement in the bath.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel may be old hat in the kitchen, but it’s new and unexpected in the bathroom. A stainless bath sink offers a great contemporary feel in a product that’s durable and easy to clean. The Prevoir Collection from American Standard includes an array of innovative shapes. Their high-quality stainless sinks feature deep bowls and they come in undermount or drop in styles.

Elkay is another great source for stainless steel sinks. The curvy Asana Mystic undermount sink reminds me of flowing droplets of water.

Looking for stainless steel vessel sinks? Check out Decolav. They offer a fun “inverted pyramid” style (1285P) in addition to square and circular choices.

Stone

Drawling inspiration from the beauty of nature, Lenova has introduced a new Sand Stone vessel sink. It begins as a solid block of 100-percent natural stone. Skilled craftsmen hone and polish each sink to its final form, which weighs 30-pounds. They’re crafted to show off the stone’s exquisite grains and spectacular hues. Since they’re hand-made, each sink is a one-of-a-kind work of art.

When it comes to stone, you can’t get any more natural than a stone sink made of petrified wood. Although it’s called petrified wood, and it actually was natural wood at one time, thousands of years of fossilization has replaced all of the organic materials in the wood with minerals, essentially turning it into stone. Eden Bath’s petrified wood sinks are carved from the trunk of a petrified tree, making each one a true original. Each has the tone of natural wood, but features its own unique color variations.

Glass

The modern-day bath masters at Xylem found inspiration in ancient Cholula pottery for their new Aztec vessel sink. Part of the Reflex™ sink collection, it features a traditional Aztec pattern seen through Reflex Architectural Glass, a fusion of glass with metallic foils and stone. The gold-, copper-, and coffee-hued pattern is bonded to the underside of the tempered-glass vessel to create a distinctive look that adds an exotic flair to the bath.

Glass is popular not only because it’s pretty, but also because it’s a hygienic surface that is easy to clean. The glass sinks created by JSG Oceana Decorative Glass are made in the USA from “Hard Roc” — a non-porous glass that’s scratch, stain and thermal shock resistant. Their new Pebble vessel sink  looks like hundreds of tiny glass stones melded together. But it’s actually a one-half-inch thick piece of solid glass that’s impervious to common elements as well as many chemicals.

Outrageous Color

Color adds a vibrancy and energy that can really bring a bath to life. It’s also a perfect way to let clients express their personality and explore their individuality. Adding an exclamation of color in the bathroom is as simple as replacing a white sink with an unforgettable pop of drama. Kohler Colors Featuring Jonathan Adler  for the Bathroom offers an array of eye-popping shades to add personality to any bath. Adler’s collection includes bold hues such as Piccadilly Yellow, Greenwich Green, Palermo Blue, and Annapolis Navy.

In addition to a-typical materials, there are also a plethora of funky sink shapes to be found. If you’re looking for something different, but not too outrageous, Decolav offers a nice selection. You can flex your “flower power” with this sink comprised of four petals. With its semi-recessed design, it appears to “grow” from the vanity top. They also offer this organic, non-symmetrical design that makes a great focal point as well as this low-profile triangle, which can be installed in any direction.

Infusing just a little bit of unique style with an unusual sink can go a long way into adding original flavor into any bath or powder room. What’s more, swapping out a sink is usually a fairly easy, inexpensive update. So even if you choose something totally trendy, your clients will always have the option to make a change.

What’s the most unusual sink you’ve ever included in a bath design? We’d love to know. holly.berecz@me.com.