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If you’ve begun shopping for bathroom sinks, you may have already become overwhelmed with the sheer breadth of choices available to you. From pedestal sinks to vanity sinks, from porcelain to stainless steel, the options and consequences of isolating a single choice are endless.

Bathroom Sinks Style: Pedestal or Vanity?

The first choice you must make involves the most fundamental of sink choices: do you want free-standing bathroom pedestal sinks or do you want bowls set in an enclosure? Both the vanity sink and the pedestal sink will hide your plumbing and drainage and both come in a wide variety of shapes and styles.

Vanity sinks are great for giving you plenty of space for both grooming and storing your assorted bathroom accouterments, such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, hairbrushes and more. Vanities with vessels also give you an opportunity to establish a color and style for your bathroom. If you decide to go with vanities with bowls, make sure they match your mirror. You also want to make sure the material of your surface top matches the materials used in the rest of your bathroom.

Pedestal sinks are especially great for smaller bathrooms, such as powder rooms. While they don’t provide the working surface of a vanity, they can fit into much smaller areas and still provide both function and elegance. However, a pedestal style can’t provide the storage capacity of a vanity, so if you need to store toiletries or the like in that bathroom you’ll want to make sure you have a separate cabinet available. Pedestal vessels by their nature create a bold statement of style. While that style can still be quite diverse, from classic and ornate to sleek and modern, you still have the basic look of a free-standing vessel upon a stem or column.

Undermount, Overmount or Solid Piece?

Another fundamental consideration you will want to weigh is whether you select an undermount sink, an overmount sink or a vessel where the surrounding material and bowl are all the same in a single solid piece sink. If you choose a pedestal vessel, in a vast majority of the cases you will be limited to a single solid piece.

But if you choose a cabinet with an inset bowl, you can either have the bowl installed into the cabinet from the top with a lip around the top (an overmount sink), or installed upwards from the bottom to create a smooth surface from the vanity sides right up to the dip into the bowl (an undermount sink). Undermount sinks provide a more bold appearance and are great if you want a clean, flat surface all around your vanity. Overmount sinks can be easier to install and are really the most common style of bathroom vessel you’ll see.

Solid piece sinks are when you have the vessel sculpted into the same piece of material as the cabinet surface. These are great for creating a seamless look and feel. While they limit your material choices and give you less flexibility for changing your appearance in the long run, they are also very easy to clean and maintain. With a seamless solid piece vessel and vanity design, you never have to worry about the germs and grime that can become trapped in those creases between the vessel and cabinet surface.

When you’ve decided between a vanity sink or a pedestal sink and then from undermount, overmount or solid piece sink vessel designs, you’ve greatly narrowed your choices. This makes shopping for bathroom sinks much more simple and intuitive.

To learn what you must know about buying and installing an undermount bathroom sink or any other type of bathroom vessel, please visit my new and comprehensive guide: Bathroom Sinks

When it’s time to update a bathroom and give it a new look, one of the easiest places to start is with the sink. If a regular, plain vanity is taken out and bathroom sink cabinets are put in, the resulting change can be phenomenal.

Unlike the basic box pattern of a typical vanity, bathroom sink cabinets provide their own distinct look. In many cases, these cabinets are created to appear “freestanding.” This means they often sit slightly off the ground and tend to have decorator feet to add an extra touch of elegance to the design.

Most bathroom sink cabinets that are freestanding are designed to mimic the look of a chest of drawers or other similar bedroom cabinet creations. With this in mind, these cabinets tend to also offer a few other features a regular pressed wood or laminate design does not. The perks include:

* Actual wood design. Unlike laminate cabinets and counters, which can look awful with their seemed designs and “average” appearance, these cabinets tend to be made from solid, real wood. This wood is treated, generally, to handle the moisture content of a bathroom, but it’s still wood through and through.

* More holistic design choices. Many bathroom sink cabinets are designed with a full look in mind. This means everything from the cabinet itself to the recommended sink, counter, faucet and mirror work together to create a fully, completed look. The end result can be a bathroom that drips with elegance without a huge investment necessarily. Some cabinets, for example, come with framed mirror attachments to complete the look of a beautiful wooden chest of drawers.

* Less boxy. Many of these creations offer sleek and precise lines. Rather than a plain old box cabinet, these designs can be rounded for a more pleasing look.

Bathroom sink cabinets come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some of the most common design themes include:

* Antique. Many of these cabinets are designed to mimic the appearance of antique chests of drawers. Inasmuch, they often boast elaborate designs, scrollwork and even engravings.

* Modern. Some of these cabinet designs go a bit beyond the norm by offering wall-mounted designs that are ideal for a modern setting. Providing lots of space underneath for storage of laundry tubs, step stools and more, these creations can provide a very neat use of space.

* Country. Country charm can come alive with some of the designs available in oak and pine. Add the right accessories to the mix and a modern-day bathroom can quickly transform into a room that might be been found on Grandma’s farm years ago.

* Regal. Some of the hand-painted designs can give the throne room a completely royal look. With extensive gilt work, these creations go above and beyond in transforming a room.

When new cabinets are in order for a bathroom, there’s no reason to think boxy and boring is the only way to go. Bathroom sink cabinets designed with personality in mind can really transform the look and do it quickly.

For more information on bathrooms, try visiting http://www.bathroomdetails.com – a website that specializes in providing bathroom related tips, advice and resources including information on bathroom sink cabinets.

Bathroom sinks come in many shapes and sizes designed to complement any bathroom size and style. Listed below are the most common bathroom sink styles.

Self Rimming Sinks
Also called countertop sinks, these sinks are come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and hole configurations. They are mounted from above the counter with a visible rim that fits in the hole of the counter top. When ordering this type of sink, be sure to take into consideration whether your faucet requires a single hole, 4″ center set or 8″ widespread configuration and be sure to order the sink in the same corresponding configuration.

Undermount Sinks
Also known as undercounter sinks, are installed from underneath a solid surface counter top, such as granite, stone or manmade material and does not have a “rim.” To install this style of sink you may need a mounting kit.

Pedestal Sinks
These are freestanding sinks that sit on their own bases. They are usually generously sized for everyday use and are beautifully styled. Pedestal sinks are perfect for small bathrooms and powder room because they save space but they don’t offer any underneath storage space. When selecting a pedestal sink, be sure to consider the finish of the exposed plumbing items underneath.

Vessel Style Sinks
Also known as above-counter sinks, vessel sinks can be mounted on ornate stands that brilliantly hold their own in your bathroom design. This style offers new exciting shapes, designs and colors, and stands freely on cabinets to make a big fashion statement. Wall-mount faucets work well with this style sink, however some manufacturers offer a tempered glass faucet stand which butts up to the glass vessels and hides the base of deck-mount faucets. Some vessels are manufactured with an overflow but most are without an overflow, so a grid drain must be installed to prevent accidental over filling.

Console Sinks
Console Sinks combine the style of a pedestal while at the same time providing larger counter areas. The sink and countertop are one. Because of the larger counter area, console sinks come complete with either (2) or (4) legs for support. This style offers a lot of choices in size and style of sink; oval, rectangular, square and round, and you can choose a single or double bowl. They are easy to clean and offer extra counter space. Standard sizes are available and custom orders can be placed.

Wall Hung Sinks
Installed on the wall, they save both floor and cabinet space. Like Pedestal lavatories, they are very popular in smaller bathrooms. They can be installed at any height and are usually offered with an optional towel bar.

Visit Faucet.com for a wide variety of quality bathroom sinks. Call and speak with one of our product specialists to find the right bathroom sink for your home.