The bathroom basin is perhaps the most important feature of your bathroom.
Used by everyone who goes into the room, if not by every visitor to your home, it must be resilient so that it does not easily mark or scratch, and it should also embody your personal style.
If you're planning to replace your current basin there are a number of considerations, and principal among these is how much space you have available.
A small bathroom does not have to mean a small basin, although if you wish to fit a grand basin in a relatively small room, you will need to compromise elsewhere - installing a smaller shower cubicle, for example, or omitting a bath.
You'll also need to take a critical eye to your choice: be sure that your partiality to the design hasn't blinded you to its unsuitability - will the room look all basin? There are a variety of styles available when it comes to basins, and some of them are great space savers.
In particular, a person who is short of space in their bathroom would be well advised to look at the range of corner basins that are out there.
Fitting your basin neatly into a corner frees up the straight wall space you have available for larger items such as baths or showers.
A countertop basin, which sits on top of a washstand or vanity unit and is 'invisibly' plumbed in, can be a practical and beautiful addition to a room: with the benefit of storage space beneath the basin in the drawers or cupboards of the washstand, you will need fewer shelves elsewhere, and with a wide range of shapes, sizes, colours and textures available, the basin itself can really become a focal point.
Available in square, circular, rectangular, or oval, and in a great number of slanted, skewed and twisted variations on these basic shapes, countertop basins may be made from white or coloured porcelain, clear or opaque glass, stainless steel or copper, natural stone, marble...
the list is endless and the variety of what's on offer is equally so.
If you prefer a traditional look, you may wish to stick to a white porcelain pedestal basin or a console basin in a Victorian style; lovers of the contemporary, meanwhile, will prefer a modern wall-mounted, semi-pedestal, or semi-countertop item.
With printed basin designs available, you can add interest to a plain bathroom: brushing your teeth over a New York City skyline, perhaps.
Whatever basin you choose, make sure you choose it in conjunction with your tap or taps.
The range of taps to choose from is as wide, if not wider, than the range of basins, and the two you buy must complement each other both in form and function.
Your basin and tap must be both practical and aesthetically pleasing, if you are to be pleased with your final choice.
Used by everyone who goes into the room, if not by every visitor to your home, it must be resilient so that it does not easily mark or scratch, and it should also embody your personal style.
If you're planning to replace your current basin there are a number of considerations, and principal among these is how much space you have available.
A small bathroom does not have to mean a small basin, although if you wish to fit a grand basin in a relatively small room, you will need to compromise elsewhere - installing a smaller shower cubicle, for example, or omitting a bath.
You'll also need to take a critical eye to your choice: be sure that your partiality to the design hasn't blinded you to its unsuitability - will the room look all basin? There are a variety of styles available when it comes to basins, and some of them are great space savers.
In particular, a person who is short of space in their bathroom would be well advised to look at the range of corner basins that are out there.
Fitting your basin neatly into a corner frees up the straight wall space you have available for larger items such as baths or showers.
A countertop basin, which sits on top of a washstand or vanity unit and is 'invisibly' plumbed in, can be a practical and beautiful addition to a room: with the benefit of storage space beneath the basin in the drawers or cupboards of the washstand, you will need fewer shelves elsewhere, and with a wide range of shapes, sizes, colours and textures available, the basin itself can really become a focal point.
Available in square, circular, rectangular, or oval, and in a great number of slanted, skewed and twisted variations on these basic shapes, countertop basins may be made from white or coloured porcelain, clear or opaque glass, stainless steel or copper, natural stone, marble...
the list is endless and the variety of what's on offer is equally so.
If you prefer a traditional look, you may wish to stick to a white porcelain pedestal basin or a console basin in a Victorian style; lovers of the contemporary, meanwhile, will prefer a modern wall-mounted, semi-pedestal, or semi-countertop item.
With printed basin designs available, you can add interest to a plain bathroom: brushing your teeth over a New York City skyline, perhaps.
Whatever basin you choose, make sure you choose it in conjunction with your tap or taps.
The range of taps to choose from is as wide, if not wider, than the range of basins, and the two you buy must complement each other both in form and function.
Your basin and tap must be both practical and aesthetically pleasing, if you are to be pleased with your final choice.