I am doing a vessel sink in my powder room, so perfect question for me too! I have seen pictures of several master baths with vessel sinks - I am considering either semi-recessed or vessel sink. I don't think they will be out of style if the overall look is good.

I don't think that kind of sinks might get out of style. Some modern designs (like the crazy ones) but more classic ones shouldn't get out of style.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mexican Vessel Sinks

It's really an update of the old fashioned pitcher and wash basin come around again. I think they are a bit of a fad, but like any fad, you can do it trendy or you can do it with good taste. If it's done well, it won't matter if it goes out of style.

We installed a vessel in our Powder Room when it was updated a couple years ago. We like the look and functionality for that space. Most guests comment favorabily.

Not sure if we would want a vessel (maybe a partially recessed one) in the master. Due to height, there are some water runs onto the outside edge which must me wiped following use.

I've linked some before and after photos.

Here is a link that might be useful: Powder Room

I think hate is a strong word, but I'm still going to be the odd man out here. I believe in the saying function before form, and in that regard, I don't see them as being very pratcial. At just under 5 ft, a vessel sink would not be very easy or comfortable for children or shorter adults to use. Especially the ones that are set on taller cabinets which are gaining popularity in master bathrooms. I've had others disagree with me on this issue before, which is fine, but as a shorter person, I'm just saying in my own personal experience...taller sinks in general ARE a problem. I do think they're a fad and as styles change, they will soon fade away too. If resale is a concern for you, height issues should definately be a consideration in your decision making process, especially in a master bath. As a realtor I can tell you, buyers tend to be very picky about their master suites. Good luck!

ITA, they are impractical. Water management is a big part of bathroom design, and vessel sinks create issues there. Also, they can create some counter use issues...do you really use the counter just around the vessel?

We never considered them for a minute, honestly.

I like how they look, but they are going to time-stamp a bathroom as surely as the beige/ brown tile and espresso cabinet that is undoubtedly nearby.

If you love a contemporary look-go for it, but go for it with the understanding that 20 years from now it will be the equivalent of an oak-trimmed cabinet w/ gray or pink formica.

I have installed vessel sinks in my 2 previous homes in the powder rooms only. The vanities in each of those spaces was small and the vessel allows for a little more breathing room on the countertop. Plus,they always get comments from the guests, especially the copper oval bowl that is in our current home.

For our family baths (including the master) I am going with white porcelain undermounts. I didn't want the whole house to be committed to vessels because I think they might look dated in a few years.

A guest powder room that isn't for every day use seems like an ideal place to satisfy a trend like vessel sinks. I see a lot of really pretty ones in show homes and on tours. However, what strikes as a negative for me is that I don't need to be cleaning both the inside and outside of a sink.

Those talavera vessel sinks are beautiful, but spendy! I think that I paid about $80 for my drop in talavera sink.

Thanks all for your posts.

Very informative! I am doing vessel only in the powder room. The guest/kids bath will have undermount, and master will have semi-recessed-- the semi-recessed should be fine, right, for the master bath?

I really like ours. I was unsure as our other bathrooms have regular sinks but I have to say that they work really well. First, I'm fairly short (5' 4") and the height is great. Another added bonus? My mirror is staying much cleaner than when I had a regular sink - less splash! I can see what people mean by them being dated at some point but I can't see a bathroom staying as is for more than 10 or 15 years anyway. I figure we live once, if you like the look go for it!

I have a vessel sink in my powder room - and shopped for a cabinet made for a vessel sink, which is about 5" shorter than a standard cabinet to make up for the difference. I am 5'0" tall and the height is very comfortable. I am not sure that I would put them in a master, however.

What I *would* do in a hearbeat is what mongo did in his bathroom. It's an overmount sink that is to DIE for (Kohler Memoirs I think he said. It's a very substantial overmount sink. Check out the link and pictures he provided below.

Here is a link that might be useful: mongo's amazing bathroom

We re-did our only bathroom about 4 years ago when vessel sinks were just starting to be popular. We picked a vessel sink to save room in our tiny bathroom and also for the look. Certainly we get compliments from guests and I hope it will be a selling point when we sell our home. However I wouldnÂt recommend a frosted glass vessel sink because it is very hard to keep clean. Even right after I clean it, if a drip of water runs down the exterior frosted part it leaves a visible streak. It looks dirty a lot which I donÂt like. Also now that I have a young child, he canÂt wash his hands there even with a step stool. I donÂt plan to do any vessels in our new home for these reasons.

We put one in NINE years ago in our downstairs powder, and we love it! VERY easy to keep clean. NO splashing. And yes, the countertop does seem to stay cleaner...

I'd agree with posters who caution to adjust the countertop height to factor in the sink height. Ours is only 4" or so above counter, so we didn't change anything. Any taller and we would have.

I'm going to go against the majority on this. I think they are going to become a very dated fad and I dislike using them.

I'm a short person and with the taller vanity plus sink height, they aren't comfortable to use. They also only give an optical illusion of more counter space plus every time you reach for something on either side of it on a smaller vanity, you whack your knuckles on it.

My powder room is unbelievably tiny and I only have 14" between the wall and the door for a very shallow vanity. A vessel sink would help, but I can't bring myself to do it. I actually like the way they look, but I think they are already starting to look dated. Also, they just don't seem sanitary to me - isn't it hard to clean behind them? Although I guess if you've got 24" of counter to work with instead of 14", it sure would be easier to clean!

I personally have written quite a bit about vessel sinks, because I think they are one of the more exciting design concepts for bathrooms, especially small bathrooms which I happen to be cursed with. I'm a cabinetmaker who will soon be remodeling our kitchen and bathrooms, doing as much of the work as I can. I know other cabinetmakers and am close friends with a general contractor, so that helps a lot. But because I will be doing my own cabinetwork, it frees up my budget for other considerations, one of which is doing something different from what others have done. I absolutely do not want the same thing everyone else has. If all I am going to do is haul out the old fixtures and cabinetry and replace them with new stuff that looks pretty much like the old stuff, then there seems to me very little point to the exercise. So, that is my own particular bias. I am looking for something different.

That said, I do believe that vessel sinks can add a lot to a bathroom, as I've already stated. Some time back I wrote a blog on Julie Wawirka, who makes absolutely stunning designs for bathrooms. She calls them "sculpture for the bathroom," and they really are. There's a link to that blog at the bottom of this, if you're interested.

The other point I would make is to choose wisely, to choose something that really us a work of art. Because, as they say, a thing of beauty is a joy forever.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinet & Furniture Trends & Informatin

Hate vessel sinks. I think they look okay sometimes, but they are going to be very dated in 15-20 yrs.

We have 2 vessel sinks (semi-recessed) in our vanity and really love them. Cleaning has not been a problem at all.

I agree that if the vanity is standard height then adding a vessel sink could be an issue for shorter folks. If properly planned the height issue should not be a problem.

Depending on the style of the vessel sink, I don't think becoming "dated" will be an issue.

There are some really ordinary vessel sinks that will, I think, look pretty bad in 15 years.
But then there are some sinks that are functional works of art.
Tell me this sink will look dated...

Won't most bathrooms designed today look dated in 15 or 20 years? Travertine is another hot trend (and I know it's been around thousands of years) I think will probably smack of the early 2000's in 20 years.

Live for the moment.

Sweeby,

That is one hideous looking sink and I think it will rapidly become dated looking.

people are worried about something getting dated in 20 years! that is pretty long for fashion... I will be happy if my choices dont look dated in 10.

go with vessel sinks. they look fab now. forget about what others say. you will be ohh and ahhing for at least a few years...

I don't think they're very functional, say for a guy like me or my teens -- for everyday bathroom use...

But I think some of them look great -- and I would put them in a half bath for sure.

Realistically, counters, fixtures, etc go out of style -- should that happen with vessel sinks, then in 10 years you or the next owner will put in something else!

IMO -- do what you like, vs what you think will appeal to the "general public" (as long as you're not selling too soon!)

I am planning to put two vessels in the master bath I'm remodeling. They will be oval, ceramic sinks that will mimic the shape of the oval, drop in tub. My decision to go for vessel sinks goes along with what monicae says in her post--I am hoping that the vessel, being closer to my face, will mean more water in the bowel when I wash my face. Also, I have arthritis in my neck which makes bending down to get close to a recessed sink painful.

My old vanity, a custom job built by the previous owners, was 38" high and I found that too low with recessed sinks. I still haven't given my cabinet maker the final dimensions--he's busy on another job but expects to be ready to take on my cabinets within the next few weeks.. After reading this I'm wondering if I should go with a standard height?

Wrighthouse forget what the other say.... if your saying that the counter at 38" which is pretty tall is still not tall enough and causes you daily pain then isn't it more important that you make YOU happy now and be comfortable and hopefully pain free and let the next guy swap out the sink to fit them. Forget the next guy! After seeing one HGTV show after another I have seen them put something in on one show and rip out an identical on another. What I gathered from this is..... the next guy is probably going to change it anyway. And besides there are so many sink/counter/faucet/vanity combo's now that are fairly inexpensive it makes change outs easier if the space permits it.

I think they're trendy and I also think some of them are really cool - love Mongo's. It wasn't practical for us in the remodel of our master bath, because DH is not a tidy person when he washes up (think seal, otter or other happily frolicking water mammal) and I knew there would be a mess to wipe, every time.

Thanks jjaazzy. I was already leaning toward the comfort height vanity. My cabinet maker regards them as standard for master baths. And it will be easier for the next owner to have change the countertop than have a new vanity built. It's going into a alcove and measurements are not standard--same for linen cabinet which is why I need to go custom if I want to take advantage of the limited space for storage.

In our current mstr. bath reno, I chose an undermount because of cleanability factor. Hubby isn't the neatest when shaving and who wants to chase down razor stubble outside a vessel sink when you can wipe it into the undermount. In contrast, I do like the looks of some vessel sinks, but that sink above is definitely not one of them. Way to bizarre for me.

Hello all,

We have had a blown glass vessel sink in a powder room for over 10 years - one of the first out there. ...it still has a "wow factor" and has not become dated. ...however, if it ever did, we could replace it in 5 minutes with something else. Why? The hole in the countertop is just 4". Not a specific shape dictated by whatever drop-in or undermount sink you are using (this makes replacing later a lot more difficult).

We also have two teak wood sinks in our master bath and have been living with those for 4 years. They work well for us. We find that we actually have more counter space with the vessel sinks than "regular" style. These sinks are pretty cool.

Obviously there are some strong opinions here, but having lived with vessel sinks for so long, for us, we have been very happy with our decisions.

Good luck!