Vessel sinks add artistic touch to baths

“It were not best that we should all think alike; it is difference of opinion that makes horse races.” Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), American humorist, lecturer and writer, “Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar,” Pudd’nhead Wilson (1894)

In what is generally the smallest room in the house, the busiest room in the house and sometimes the most cluttered room in the house, there lies a lot of confusion. For such small rooms, they generate a lot of interest.

Using this space to talk about bathrooms also gives me an opportunity to air two of my bathroom pet peeves. I appreciate that this is the most private room in our homes, and it’s for our personal use, but even private spaces should have some limits, for the sake of good taste.

In my opinion, there are two absolute no-nos for your baths.

First of all, do not put carpet in your bathroom. I remember a time when putting carpet in the bathroom was the thing to do. The carpets came with a little paper pattern; you traced the outline of the room and then transferred that pattern to the carpet — and cut away. It was supposed to fit around the sink and the toilet and nary a square inch of flooring could be seen. I’m not sure about the initial thought process behind this trend. I’m just glad it passed. This type of floor covering may feel warm on a frosty morning, but it also harbors germs. Smaller rugs can be tossed in the washer easily; fitted rugs cannot.

My other really big peeve is what some of us put in our bathroom windows. For goodness sake, you have a 2,000- 3,000- 4,000- or 5,000-square-foot home and there’s not room for the shampoo bottle other than on the little bathroom window sill? Put the shampoo bottles away. We can see them from the street.

Okay, now it’s your turn.

Q: I love the look of the vessel sink. We have a standard bathroom counter with the contractor-issued bowl sinks. We would like to switch them out for vessels. How do the vessel sinks compare in price and can we use the current cabinet?

A: Vessel sinks do rock! The price points are all over the place, ranging from around $100 at a home-improvement store up to thousands if you have one custom made for your space. Regular undermounted sinks are clearly less expensive. However, if budget is not an issue, a custom-made vessel sink is an outstanding addition to your décor. They truly are works of art.

The cabinet you currently have will work, but you will have to replace the countertop since vessel sinks sit on top of the counter. Again, if you have the budget, take your cabinet out and install the vessels in a small chest. It then looks like a piece of furniture (well, because it is!) and warms up the space more than regular stock cabinets.

If you use a small dresser or chest, the plumbing will just take up the center and you can still use side drawers and the open space in the bottom for storage.

There are so many beautiful vessel sinks on the market you are sure to find one to fit your budget and style.

Follow up: Regarding my column featuring indoor wall fountains, I had several letters asking where to buy them. Home-improvement stores generally have a small selection of wall-mounted fountains, specialty design stores carry them and, of course, you can browse the Web for multiple vendors.

Carolyn Muse Grant is the founding president of the Architectural & Decorative Arts Society, as well as an interior design consultant/stylist specializing in home staging. Her Inside Spaces column appears weekly in the Home section of the Review-Journal. Send questions to creativemuse@cox.net.