Does your powder room need a facelift? Is your guest bath worse for wear? Have you decided it’s time to master a master bath? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. In recent years, plumbing-fixture designers have created an array of high-style bathroom lavatories that turn what was once a mundane fixture into a show stopper.

First, let’s clarify the terminology. The correct term for a bathroom sink is “lavatory,” a word rooted in the Latin word lavare, meaning “to wash.” In the industry, “lavatory” is often shortened to “lav” or, in contractor lingo, “lavvy.” The term “sink” fits if the lavatory tops a pedestal, as in “pedestal sink.”

From white porcelain classics to colorful contemporaries, lavatories are made in hundreds of styles and finishes. Most are made from vitreous clay, but you’ll also find glass, metal, and almost anything that holds water. Hand-painting adds instant character to a bathroom.

Lavatories are categorized by their support method: the familiar pedestal sinks, wall-mounted lavs, and countertop-mounted lavatory basins, as well as console sinks, which rest on an open table base. The latter are popular for their vintage style and furniture-like look.

Prices for lavatories and pedestal sinks are all over the map. Low-end, value-priced fixtures can be purchased at home improvement centers for under $100. At the high end, the sky is the limit. Most large manufacturers offer fixtures in a wide range of price points.

Integral-bowl or solid-surface countertops are simple and low-maintenance since the countertop flows seamlessly into the bowl. These maximize workspace and minimize water splashing onto the countertop. Undermount sinks are also popular because they allow easy clean-up of the counter and sink.

Countertops and lavatory bowls usually cap a vanity cabinet, which hides exposed plumbing and provides hidden storage. This setup also allows for plenty of counter space, often enough for two sinks with counter to spare. Vanities come in all sizes, including corner models and compacts. A vanity is often called a “bowl-base cabinet” by manufacturers.

During a bath makeover, the challenge is to select fixtures that are both beautiful and appropriate. You may love the look of a pedestal sink, but if you have a bathroom that’s going to be used by several family members, seek out a style that offers enough countertop space to store everyone’s personal items. Save your design statement for your powder room or low-use guest bath. Pedestal sinks can be surrounded by any of the stylish modular bathroom cabinets and vanity light systems widely available.

It’s often helpful to get professional guidance from a designer, preferably a Certified Bath Designer (CBD), which means that he or she has met the guidelines established by the National Kitchen & Bath Association.

If you’re considering a bathroom makeover, it pays to become an informed consumer. Know your options, and study their differences. With planning and appropriate choices, you can assemble a scheme that’s both practical and a reflection of your family’s lifestyle.

Integral-Bowl & Solid-Surface-Countertop Sinks

“For the busy bathrooms that need strong functionality, I’m a big fan of Corian. We do a lot of integral bowls,” says designer Steven M. Levine of Euro-Plus Designs.

The nice thing about solid-surface countertop materials is that they’re low maintenance—the countertop flows seamlessly into the bowl. "I believe that most families are stressed to the max, so simplicity is key," says Levine. "An integral top maximizes the available work surface and minimizes the problem of splashing water spilling onto the counter because you don't have a raised lip on the sink to prevent water getting back to the drain. And the materials, if we’re dealing with Corian, are virtually stain-proof. You get the best possible combination of features for the easiest lifestyle.”

A stone-like acrylic, solid-surface material doesn’t fade or wear away, may be cleaned with a damp sponge, resists stains and scratches, and burns may simply be buffed out. You can also achieve a variety of looks with these products. Wilsonart Gibraltar, for example, makes three oval bathroom vanity bowls in three shades of white—almond, platinum, and ivory. These may be combined with 24 colors and patterns available in countertops.

Undermount Sinks

Undermount sink styles are quite popular because they allow easy clean-up of the counter and sink. They can be installed in practically any type of counter: tile, wood, marble, stone, laminate or solid surfacing.

Designer Sandra Steiner-Houck often specifies granite and marble countertops. "I like granite for its durability, marble less because it is not quite as resistant to staining. Tile is often used on countertops to create a very interesting look for less money than a stone product, and it tends to be durable. I try to avoid a white grout. We often work with warmer colors and blend the grout with the tile."

Console Sinks

More and more manufacturers are producing elegant console models.

Watercolors offers avant-garde European imports that, as president Joyce Blum puts it, ”are more like furniture than a sink.” Among Watercolors’ offerings are intricately curved wrought-iron frames, finished in a variety of tones. These support china and even terra-cotta surfaces and bowls that have glazed finishes. How pricy are they? According to Blum, “About $1,200 and up.”

Eljer Plumbingware’s Mardi Gras lavatory, which brings the flavor of New Orleans’ historic metal and wrought-iron detailing into the bathroom, is a console that features an intricate scroll design on its metal base and a generous vitreous-china basin.

Barclay Products Limited’s Versailles is an elegant, French-style wall-mount sink with two front corner legs.

Hastings Tile & Il Bagno Collection offers a variety of artistic console sinks that utilize chrome, glass, polished copper, and more. “Most people would consider our products to be contemporary,” says a company spokesperson, “but it’s really more of an eclectic kind of look. People are inter-mixing a variety of different mediums with these interesting pieces.” At the upper end of the market, these sinks run from $1,000 up to $6,000.

Glass Sinks

One of the new looks in lavs is glass. “An exciting direction at Porcher is the line of Glacier Glass Bowls and Pedestals,” says a spokesperson. “These are a special kind of glass. They have an etched bottom so water spots don’t show up.”

Kohler also offers lavs made of glass, which is hand-spun, highlighted by the air bubbles and imperfections characteristic of hand-blown glassware. Notes a spokesperson, “These imperfections give the glass an extra level of translucence. They capture light in the interior, creating more reflectance and refraction as light passes through.” In clear glass, they start at about $800; in aquamarine and cobalt, they are closer to $1,100.

These sinks are produced as part of Kohler’s series called the Vessels Collection. According to the spokesperson, “There are a lot of different influences feeding into this line, including Greek, vase design, Japanese, and even a traditional American look reminiscent of the pan and pitcher.”

A collection of above-counter ceramic lavatory bowls, Vessels cuts loose the imagination. You can combine these elegantly styled bowls with practically any type of countertop material, from natural stone to structural glass. The starting price is about $300.

Hand-Painted Sinks

Hand-painted bathroom sinks are increasingly popular for adding character to bathrooms.

American Chinaware offers a variety of hand-painted Old-World designs and thematic designs for various sports and interests.

Porcher will hand-paint family crests or other emblems on fixtures, based on sketches or photos customers provide. This costs from about $250 to $1,200, depending upon the intricacy of the design and the number of colors used.

In its Absolute Collection, American Standard features hand-painted countertop sink bowls with nursery rhyme themes, colorful fishbowl paintings, and classic ornamentation.

Barclay’s hand-decorated sink bowls are great for perking up a children’s bathroom with colorful hand-print designs, bi-planes, or yellow rubber ducks.

Bathroom Sink Color Considerations

Based on the latest fashion colors, American Chinaware has Citrus Color Basins, inspired by the brilliant colors of such fruits as mango, kiwi, lemon, lime, and tangerine. Priced at about $400, they're an effective way to brighten a powder room or guest bath.

Porcher has introduced a new finish—white matte. As a spokesperson points out, "This matte finish brings it into the next century. It adds an Old World look but, at the same time, is like something you’ve never seen before.”

American Standard has colors called Linen, Day Dream and Spring. Linen, a softened white, is a gentle, neutral color. Day Dream and Spring, with a hint of blue and green respectively, also capture the trend toward soothing hues. “The growing tendency is clean, clear hues that are gentle, ‘lifted’ and softened,” says color consultant Barbara Schirmeister.

Designer Sandra Steiner-Houck says, "White is always timeless, but Kohler has a biscuit color, a nice creamy neutral warm tone that I like. I try to design for timeless and classic, so those are the tones I've been using.” Chris Lohmann, General Manager of Kallista, underscores the point: “We’re focusing on English porcelain in three whites—Croquet, Stucco, and Linen.”