One of the new looks in lavs is glass. "An exciting direction at Porcher is their Glacier Glass Bowls and Pedestals," says Linda Jennings, public relation agent for Porcher. "These are a special kind of glass...they have an etched bottom so spots don't show up."

Kohler also offers lavs made from hand-spun glass, highlighted with the air bubbles and imperfections characteristic of hand-blown glassware. Steve Bissell notes, "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, these start at about $800; aqua marine and cobalt are closer to $1100.

These are produced as part of Kohler's new series called the Vessels(tm) Collection. According to Steve Bissell, "There are a lot of different influences feeding into this line, including Greek, vase design, Japanese and even some traditional American look, reminiscent of the pan and pitcher."

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