When considering your fittings and countertops if you have an idea of the overall style you are trying to achieve it will make the selection process easier.
Never look at individual pieces when putting a bathroom together. You need to think of a style for the whole room and use this to choose individual items such as faucets and vanities. With so much choice in the market place this is not a bad thing as it is easy to get overwhelmed with the entire product available. Being able to eliminate some options at the start will help speed up the design process.
Counter Tops and Vessels
As far as design and shape goes, make sure you have enough landing space around your basin or vessel. Some basins come with a flat area for putting soaps and other items on, but if your vessel does not make sure you mount it on a countertop that allows for landing space. If you countertop is narrow make sure it is deep, and if you have an awkward space consider getting a custom unit or top made to make the most of any nook or cranny available.
As long as there is an element of water resistance almost anything goes with bench top materials. Pretty much anything you can use in a kitchen will work as the wear and tear in a bathroom is much less.
Countertop Materials
Corian is a great product as it can be shaped and moulded. It is easily repairable and it is great for bathrooms. Granite gives a hint of luxury, especially when combined with tiles and marble.
Laminate tops are fine and so is solid timber. Laser Grain is a new product from New Zealand and it combines strips of timber and Perspex. This has the ability to be lit with LED lighting for a feature and is good way of incorporating mood lighting into the bathroom. Of course porcelain benchtops with bowls included makes for a simple and stylish solution.
As a general rule only under mount a bowl where it is going into a solid surface bench top like granite, corian, timber or stainless. For laminate tops you should over mount the vessel.
Basins and Vessels
The choice is can be overwhelming but, by sticking to a single style will help make the decision making process a lot easier.
White and big is both the current trend and the traditional favourite. Basins and vessels are also being installed on the counter top rather than in it as they are beautifully designed and this allows them to be shown off.
There is resurgence in the popularity of pattern in design. This is even being seen in the design of bathroom basins and vessels. A good example is from Catalano in Italy which has basin in the shape of the pacific island of Samoa as well as a range of “Roma” basins with patterns and shapes fired into the glaze.
Remember that trends and fashion change quickly. If you are going to make a bold statement make sure you have thought about it carefully and that it works with the overall style and feel of the entire room. This way you are sure to maximise its design life.
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