Exotic Bathroom Sinks

 I could go for one of these exotic bathroom sinks — there’s no other way to describe them.

Exotic bathroom sinks can qualify as design-around features. They can kick off a color palette, suggest textures and materials, or even convey particular styles.  Sure, you can go with generic white sanitary fixtures. But investing in an exotic bathroom sink fits the aesthetic of our mix-and-match homes. And when I browsed around to see what looked cool, different and gorgeous, interesting choices ranged from traditional to ultra modern. As with many highly decorative fixtures today, most of these are costly. I’m including dimensions, and prices for reference when available.

One big surprise to me,is that Kohler is crushing bathroom sink concepts with elegant traditional products. Italian designers are still driving the modern looks. I fell hard for the Asian-inspired Serpentine bronze vessel sink [top], shown with Purist cross-handle faucets, wall mounted. The sink looks like incised metal as it is said to be inspired by a “Chinese bronze basin dating from 475-221 B.C.”  It’s actually vitreous china in the sandbar colorway (16-3/4” d). Whimsical turtles and fish are set into the looped design which is similar to interlacing guilloche bands. The fun is near the drain where the bands turn into serpent heads with long, decorative hooked tongues. The suggested price is about $1700.

The Motif Australian vessel sink from OmVivo is unusual and eerily beautiful. A hand-etched glass-bottom vessel with solid surface rim, it comes with three different glass designs, all inspired by nature. For me, this Kaleidoscope variation is most compelling with its daisy like pattern produced when light filters through the bottom of the 19-3/4” wide basin onto the vanity. The effect is obtained by having the sink sits on a chrome spacer that lifts it about 1-1/4-inches off the counter. Lighted sinks of any kind are one of my obsessions because to me, lighting a sink seems so obvious and is so rarely done. The price point appears to be $1200-1300.

Riding the crest of the Moroccan tile design trend is Kohler’s insanely beautiful and exotic Marrakesh suite. Marrakesh resembles a Moroccan tile masterpiece but it’s actually modular. Yes, modular. The exquisitely decorated cobalt and white vitreous china under mounted bowl (16-1/8” w. x 6-7/8” d., $1669 MSRP) is one component. Then there’s the vitreous china console vanity top ($2485 MSRP) with a design that showcases and expands the bowl. For me, the Bol sink faucet encased in a china spout is over the top ($1250) and looks like a nightmare to clean. Something like one of the Exotic Sink Faucets would work equally well. But for blue bathroom people — and there are plenty including myself — this sink provides as much bang for the buck as tile.

The bowl looks equally beautiful underset in Carrara marble with 1900 Classic Black porcelain handle taps from Lefroy Brooks. The flower shape drain cover is a nice accent.

Rejuvenation has imported this fabulous Alape enameled bucket sink from Germany. Deceptively small, it measures 20” wide and 13” deep, which is why it’s a bit dwarfed by the mirror and sconces. I like the look much better in the powder room I featured in my post on Statement Making Powder Room Sinks. But here’s the best part: the sink cost $250 and comes with either a dark blue or light gray rim. It pairs well with the handsome industrial style Tolson Wall Mounted faucet ($800 MSRP) which I haven’t seen before.

Sit down, seriously. Otherwise you will fall over from the price of Kallista’s Kasos Decorated Vessel sink designed by Michael S. Smith. Inspired by a Roman fountain, the sink is made of Calacatta borghini marble. Nearly 20-inches across and 6-inches high, it weighs 53.2 pounds the MSRP is $6150 — that’s $115.60 per pound. The vanity it sits on needs to be sturdy and well supported. Note the short backsplash behind the sink and the choice of a deck-mounted faucet in this bath. That’s to protect the handpainted Fromental wallpaper from splashing, no doubt. While Dornbracht’s custom finish Lulu faucet is exactly the right height, I’m not wild for it here. Kallista is, of course, Kohler’s luxury brand with fixtures by designers like Smith and others.

The Italian architect Claudio Silvestrin is one of my favorite minimalists. I showed one of his white interiors in my Whitewashed Rooms post. His egg-shaped I Fiumi sink was launched by Boffi in 1999! Even though it’s nearly 20, it’s still looks avant guard. The basin resembles an egg shell with the top lopped off and the sculptural quality is enhanced by having the vanity cradle it. The sink comes in stone or ceramic and is paired with the Cut tap, a wall mounted faucet with a wormlike spout and a lever on one end that must work the water. Hard to figure out what to push or pull. A pair of these sinks would be stunning for a master bath though not quite the thing for a guest bath — who could figure out how to work it in the middle of the night?

I don’t usually care for metal sinks but Kohler’s Lilies Lore is an exeception. Made of cast bronze it has undulating floral motif based on Art Nouveau design and a living finish that darkens over time. Bronze fixtures age gracefully ($2344 MSRP). The Margaux faucet ($925) doesn’t do much for this sink — so blocky — and I’d go with wall mounted to get it out of the way. The tone-on-tone stone vanity shows the sink off well. Alternately, I also could see it paired with black or white.

What’s killer for me is the delicate beaded collar and pierced drain. The sink fits a standard 17 x 14-inch oval countertop cut out for undermounting  As exotic bathroom sinks go, the Lilies Lore is exquisite and memorable — which is exactly the point.

(Source: Kohler, OmVivo, Apartment Therapy, Rejuvenation, Veranda, Boffi)

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