Sink Into Artistry

Paint a Little Picasso in the Bathroom and Express your Creative Side

By Karen Weir-Jimerson

Faucet Anatomy
Here’s a quick lessson on the terms that will help you with your faucet selection:

Aerator: A device in a faucet spout that mixes air with flowing water.

Centerset: A faucet style that combines spout and handles.

Dual-control faucets: One handle for hot, one for cold, may
cost slightly more than single-handled faucets because you’re buying more hardware.

Escutcheon. Also called a faucet hole cover, this is a trim piece that dresses a pipe or valve as it penetrates the wall.

Handles: Turn on with either cross-shaped or lever handles (both come in traditional and contemporary styles). A single handle allows for easier use especially for kids or people with disabilities.

Lift rod: A rod inside the faucet that lowers the stopper into the drain.

Wall-mount: This type of faucet is mounted into the wall rather than on the vanity surface. A perfect solution for clutter-free countertops, wall-mount faucets are also frequently paired with vessel-type lavatories.

Water Filters: You can add a filtering system to your tap. Some faucets feature a system mounted beneath the lavatory. Others have a filter system inside the body of the faucet.

Widespread: A faucet style that features separate spout and handles. This distance between handles is usually at least eight inches from the center end of the handle. Widespread faucets come only one way—three components (one hot, one cold, and a spout) that can be installed over and 8” to 12” spread.

Infusing style in your bath is easier than ever with the new colorful vessel sinks, trendsetting vanities, his-and-hers options and waterfall faucets.

Style to spare
The traditional sink for the past 60 years was ho-hum—functional, serviceable and clearly boring. Now you can replace your drop-in white standard issue with a new personality-packed option.
But bold new designs have literally elevated the sink to new status. Vessel sinks—gorgeous bowls that sit atop vanities or tables—create exciting new looks for bathrooms. According to Donald Lapierre, president of Mr. Rooter® of Warwick, Rhode Island, vessel sinks are the favorite of interior decorators. His showroom features oval, round and square vessel porcelain varieties. New shapes offer remodelers more options to customize their baths.
Artisans and manufacturers are also experimenting with new color and pattern options. For example, add a blast from the 1950s past with a 16-inch round showstopper called Flying Boomerangs and Organics from modernartsinks.com. Or infuse a Hawaiian punch to your bathroom with a tropical icon decorated with split-leaf philodendron leaves and bamboo. Kreana specializes in painted terra cotta, polished stone sinks and granite countersinks.

A break for glass
Glass sinks are the hottest new thing in bathroom designs—a clear choice for an artistic upgrade. Case in point: Wells Sinkware’s artistic glass basins come in a wide range of shapes, colors and patterns—from the dreamy iridescent blue Northern Lights to the scalloped-edged jewel-toned Hacienda.
Glass lavatories can be both vessel-mounted (inset into the vanity top) or self-rimming (standing on top of the vanity). Blown-glass sinks offer a dizzying array of designs with swirling hues and a free-form, artistic style. Fused-glass technology offers bright colors with repetitive designs in brilliant color.

Handle on faucets
What’s one thing a beautiful sink needs? An equally impressive faucet. Freestanding or wall-mounted faucets create waterfalls where old-fashioned faucets simply dispensed water. Premier offers a contemporary single-handle faucet in their Essen collection that is the right height (13 inches tall) for filling a vessel-type basin. There are new color options too.
According to Lapierre, “oil-rubbed bronze” is a new color for faucets. This new finish features a copper-to-black cast that, according to Kohler, recalls the warm tones and complex craftsmanship of old-world artisans.

Pedestals for today
A modern recast of a classical base, the pedestal sink is available in a one-piece design that rivals fine artwork. For example, the “Sunburst” pedestal from Glass Artists Gallery is a luminous piece that commands attention—and sets the tone for a new bathroom look. Available in amber and gold, it is more sculpture than bathroom amenity. Also available in clear and semi-frost, the pedestal is priced like fine art.
Traditional pedestal sinks are still in vogue says Lapierre. “New England is very traditional,”
he says. And classical pedestal sinks fill that need. For small bathrooms, Lapierre suggests space-efficient options. “We recommend corner pedestals so we can use every nook and cranny in the bathroom to save space.”

Virtuous vanities
Many vanities offer sink-and-mirror ensembles that make primping for a night out both fast and fun. Choose from hand-carved, fine wood bases topped with marble to modern, ebony-and-stainless-steel bases with floating glass tops and sinks. Perhaps country French or a funky retro look is more your style.
Vanities are also sized to fit nearly any bath. Slimmer models can easily fit into a half bath. Special order a vanity for odd-sized spaces. For bigger baths, go lavish with a double-sink vanity: Room enough for the whole family!

Out of sight storage
A vanity also offers storage where you need it the most. Why install a minimalist vessel sink only to clutter up the clean look with soap dispensers and toothbrush holders? Drawers, shelves and cupboards offer ample room to stow cosmetics, towels and other supplies—keeping surfaces clear and tidy. Many vanities also come with matching storage pieces, such as towel towers or freestanding cabinets, so that you can create a unified look—the same way you do in your living room.

Essentials

Is your plumbing ready for a remodel?
Plumbing expert Donald Lapierre of the Mr. Rooter® Plumbing franchise in Warwick, Rhode Island, offers these tips about upgrades before remodeling:

Shop for fixtures first. Before renovation begins, select your sink and faucet. For example, if using a wall-mounted faucet, the plumbing needs to be installed before the drywall stage. And pedestal sinks require different supply and drainage lines than vanity models. Lapierre says that the essential parts of great plumbing are those you never see. “The most important part of plumbing is done behind the walls and under the floors.”

Let it “sink” in. Make sure the lavatory you select is drilled to accommodate your desired faucet design. Some fixtures require just one hole. But those with a spout and hot/cold handles require three holes and a spread of 8 to 12 inches. Other basins have no drillings to accommodate wall-mounted or countertop faucets.

Get the lead out. If remodeling the bathroom in an older home, it’s important to talk to your plumbing professional about removing old lead, brass or galvanized piping and waterlines.

Discuss drainage. Your plumber can address drainage upgrades if necessary—and bring a plumbing system up to current plumbing codes and standards.