'Extreme' Sinks Become
A More Common Fixture

Dec. 17, 2003 -- It greets Stephen F. Jones first thing each morning, cheers him on sight, but needs so much attention that Mr. Jones had to promise his wife he'd be completely responsible before bringing it home.

No, not a puppy -- but a new, glass bowl bathroom sink. "It's a lot of work," says the Manhattan Beach, Calif., architect. "But it's a sacrifice I'm making for the sake of art."

From 11-foot long "troughs" to shapes so shallow they splash at every hand-washing, offbeat basins are increasingly taking center stage in American bathrooms. The odd looks are getting a big push from makers like Kohler, which introduced its Paradox model (it holds only 1 5/8 inch worth of water) and Porcher, with a 12-inch high cone-shaped sink. Over at American Standard, one of the latest is a $352 number that looks like a gargantuan flower. It's all an attempt by the $660 million sink industry to keep sales going at a time when remodeling is expected to start slowing -- and there are signs it's working. At Home Depot's Expo Design Center stores alone, sales of "vessel sinks" have increased 35% from 2002.

Cutting-edge homeowners, of course, have been installing offbeat sinks for a few years, but now it's boomers (higher, above-counter sinks are easier on old backs) and home-renovation fans who've turned bathroom remodeling into a $12.4 billion business, according to Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. Now that the looks are catching on beyond design mavens, makers are competing with ever more outlandish models -- like a $1,595 sunken pyramid from Porcher and an upcoming "upside down" sink by Sonoma Cast Stone (the water runs down an inverted bowl).

But some folks are already complaining the sinks can be more work than they're worth. Perhaps the biggest problem: keeping them clean. Glass models need a thorough wash after every shave, while one maker of cast-bronze basins recommends wiping them dry after use, plus a regular wax job (to keep the "patina"). And while there are a few less costly models, most start over $500, with custom jobs fetching $10,000 or more. Some don't even hold water that well: They're "really only good for finger-washing," says Marc Kaufmann, manager of a plumbing showroom in West Hatfield, Mass.

For years, sinks pretty much stayed out of the fashion fray -- at least in the home. If they popped up anywhere, it was in boutique hotels, which started hiring edgy designers a decade ago to add cachet to their properties. One of the first: the Delano in Florida's South Beach, which put Philippe Starck's enameled steel bowls in its bathrooms in the mid-1990s. In 1996, Kohler added its first above-counter sink for the home, with American Standard weighing in a year later.

Now, the offbeat sinks are making incursions with those same firms. American Standard now has four above-counter sinks, Kohler has 12 -- plus a television campaign touting the beauty of the vessels (in one, a guest at a party urges a friend to check out the bathroom). Susan Flamm sure likes hers -- a 5-foot long trough in white corian that's the most prominent feature of her Manhattan bathroom and is big enough to bathe a toddler in. "It makes the room look larger," says Mrs. Flamm.

But still, the question at hand-washing time is which of these sinks works and which is just another pretty bowl? For an answer, we assembled a panel of seven judges, including architects, interior designers, and one high-end realtor. While a few designs got a thumbs down for being impractical, one of the more radical looks got near-unanimous approval. Here's how they fared:

Petal Sink

Price: $352 to $440
Best Feature: Generous diameter
Worst feature: Pastel colors

We started with one of the leading looks, the above-counter sink. In San Francisco, big retailer The Bath & Beyond now has 100 models, up from five just two years ago, while Mother Hubbard's Custom Cabinetry in Mechanicsburg, Pa., says above-counter models now account for 20% of all powder-room sink sales, up from 5% two years ago.

Our panelists liked that American Standard's wide 'Petal' didn't splash as much as some others. But in the end they came out against it, saying the flower motif was too precious. Our architects worried the higher counter would pose installation issues, in terms of both faucets and existing medicine cabinets.

Others didn't like the pastel colors. The company says the hues are its regular palette, but acknowledges it sells "a lot of white."

Bottom Line: Faux flower isn't modern enough

Trough Sink

Price: $2,000 to $10,000
Best Feature: Long sculptural line
Worst Feature: Less room for counter

In Sonoma, Calif., Francis Collins bought his 6½-foot long trough because it was one of the few sinks he and his wife both liked. Still, Mr. Collins complains it took six men to install the 240-pound model and that he had to go through a lengthy search for faucets with necks long enough to fit. "It was trying," he says.

Indeed, between weight (many models tip the scales at 200-plus pounds) and space issues (some run up to 11 feet), trough sinks are still a niche business, though companies like Aquaware and Sonoma Cast Stone have added them to their catalogs in recent seasons. Even designer Clodagh, who makes the model we rated, says there's a limited audience. She's expecting to double her trough business this year...to nine sinks. Our panelists pointed out that the depth was practical, allowing owners to wash everything from lingerie to puppies.

Bottom Line: Better have a big bathroom

Cone Sink

Price: $1,695
Best Feature: Depth
Worst Feature: Doubles as Vase

Europeans have been using funky, minimalist shapes like this 'Cone' for years, says American Standard's director of design Gary Uhl. "They don't have a lot of space, so they want things more geometric and stark."

But the extreme end of the market, with its weird shapes -- in this case, a glass funnel that looks like a vase -- can be a hard sell. "Ideal for making mayonnaise or displaying flowers," says Barry Sloane, a Los Angeles real estate agent. Our panel thought the 12-inch height would be okay for a powder room, but would pose ergonomic issues, like forearm banging. Maker Porcher says the piece is "extreme" on purpose -- putting one in your bathroom is meant to "get a reaction," says senior brand director Dominique Facon.

Bottom Line: Form over function

Paradox

Price: $253 to $378 for sink, $297 to $440 for oval insert
Best Feature: Appears flat
Worst Feature: Almost is flat

Even in this part of the market makers need a gimmick. There are sinks that change colors like mood rings and others flatter than a TV dinner tray. Then there's the Paradox, which is only a sink part-time. Kohler says it came up with the idea after an earlier flat sink did well for them, and this seemed like a logical next step. It's got a cast-iron plate insert that converts the sink into a countertop for when the water's not running (assuming you can lift it -- it's 13 pounds). But some of the panelists were skeptical. "I can envision the kids turning on the faucet full blast and then completely soaking their fronts," says Steve Schoffman, a Portland, Ore., architectural designer. Paradox "isn't a one-size-fits-all product," and might not be ideal for a kid's bathroom, says Nicole Langel, a product manager at Kohler.

Bottom Line: Splish, splash

Structure

Price: $5,475 to $5,650
Best Feature: Clean lines
Worst Feature: Resembles a fish tank

Who would have thought glass sinks would be so popular? They show scratches, blobs of toothpaste and waterspots. Even the maker of this model says the transparent look isn't for everyone."If you're worried about cleaning, stay away from glass completely," warns Aquaware America Vice President Tony DeBrizzi.

Despite all that, glass seems to be winning over homeowners, with Home Depot's Expo Design Center stores carrying about 200 models, more than double the number five years ago. Our panelists liked to point out that a glass sink can lighten up a room and make it look bigger. And as for those pesky water spots? "I'm over 40," says designer Stephanie Stokes. "I don't see them."

Bottom Line: Worth the work

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