Does your powder
room need a shake-up? Has your guest bath overstayed its welcome? If you've decided
to master a master bath--or any bath--you're in for a surprise. In recent years,
plumbing fixture designers have penned a pack of pedestal sinks and high-style lavatories
that turn what was once a mundane fixture into a piece d' resistance. It's time
to say "au revoir" to your washed-up washbowl.
But 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, "lavy." 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 bowls and pedestals are made from vitreous
clay or fire clay, but you'll also find a variety of lavs made from glass, metal
or any material that holds water. Of course, some materials are better than others.
Rohl Corporation, for example, prides itself in the beautiful, high-quality porcelain
its Allia pedestal and vanity bath fixtures are made from. "The primary manufacturer
of Allia is in Limoges, France. It can draw on the wonderful, fine ceramic material
they have to work with there," says Marketing Manager Greg Rohl.
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 at different price points.
"For us, a good price would be about $200 for a pedestal," says Greh Rohl. "We have
a better fixture at $365. And our best, classic style with an ionic column pedestal
and a large squared sink that has a generous surface area around the outside of
the bowl, nice detail on the side, and very clean, sloping lines would be more like
$695."
The myriad of lavatories are categorized by their support method: the familiar pedestal sinks, wall-mounted lavs and countertop-mounted lavatory basins, as well as the popular new "consoles."
What is a console? Steve Bissell, Sr. Product Manager for Sanitary Wear at Kohler,
refers to their new Memoirs Console table as "a cross between a pedestal lav and a bath vanity. We take a large pedestal lav basin, remove the pedestal, and put legs on it like a table would have." Starting at about $900, this particular model is reminiscent of the washbasins prevalent in homes during the 1920s.
In related styles, Porcher's Bajade is a large, white ceramic lavatory set on chrome legs. Two cross bars double as towel racks, and the Spoleto Vanity by Hastings has a white Carrara marble top, china undermount basin and chrome or gold leg stand--a corner version is available, too. Though most consoles provide little or no hidden storage, Kohler's Revival console table offers an optional fabric skirting attachment.
The Furniture Look
Consoles are in keeping with the hottest trend today: lavatories that look like
furniture. Watercolors offers wonderfully avante-garde European imports that, as
owner Joyce Blum puts it, "are more like furniture than a sink." She adds, "We try
to do things that nobody else does." Among both quirky and striking offerings, they
have intricately curved wrought iron frames, finished in a variety of tones. These
support china--or even terra cotta--surfaces and bowls that have been given beautifully-glazed
finishes. How pricey? According to Blum, "We are upper middle to high end, about
$1200 and up."
Eljer Plumbingware's new 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 pedestals and
consoles that utilize chrome, glass, polished copper and more. "Most people would
consider our products to be contemporary," says Marketing Manager Mike Homola, "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 pieces run from $1000 up to $6000.
Clear Thinking
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. ... Continued.
For the continuation of this article and more free expert advice from Don Vandervort,
visit www.HomeTips.com
Don Vandervort, the author of this, is nationally syndicated and a familiar face
on television. For more about him, please click here.
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