Hmmm, touchy subject. I'd be very leery of purchasing a vessel sink, think this trend is going to burn out soon. If your decor is eclectic, it might have a few more years in shelf life before it his its "best before date". I confess, I'll be interested what other posters thoughts and views are on the issue.

I remember the first time I saw a vessel sink...oh about 16-17 years ago...Yikes! I thought it was so weird, still do. I would just do a regular sink, instead consider a wall mounted faucet for a little novelty with some great wallpaper for your powder room. This is probably personal preference, but this style has never grown on me. Hope that helps.
Charmean Neithart

Wow, it looks like we are all going to pile on against vessel sinks. I too am very skeptical about this trend. I think many of them look absolutely beautiful, but I find them a bit awkward to use, and I vastly prefer the ease of a continuous surface, undermount sink. And I do think that once the trend passes, they are going to look dated in ways that a more classic style won't. Having said all this, there are a couple of styles that are wide and low enough to tempt me just a little.....


But if I were redoing my bathroom right now, I'd choose this more classic design:

I don't feel vessels are out but that they are less functional. More splash, less counterspace. I'd suggest a hammered copper sink from Elkay. They patina well and are available in many sizes. They can be self-rimming or undermount. I believe I have a picture of one in my profile under the basement project.

HI -- Vessel sinks have been around for almost twenty years now. I would only use a vessel for a powder room- Not a main bathroom . I don't think they are going out of style anytime soon. The idea is very old going back 100's years -- remember the water pitcher and bowls they had before indoor plumbing ? If the bathroom vanity is fairly small - I would use an undermount sink. Actually for all bathrooms - just a better look.But powder rooms are different . As for your question - I think the copper vessel sink will be lovely for your powder room ,providing you know what else you are doing with the room decor. It's a powder room so you can go bold - this room does not need to be the same as the rest of the house. Copper is very in right now. Have fun with it !

Poor vessel sinks. I don't care for the function of them either.

I would only use a vessel sink in a powder room. They are a splash mess! If you will have lots of little ones using it, fuhgeddaboudit!!!
The right faucet- proper height, water exits straight down not at an angle, and proper extension so water is near center- can help with potential mess.
Copper is classic, I wouldn't be too concerned with trend since with that material.

I think if you're going to stay in your house for some time, you should do what you like and not be concerned with what's "in" or "out". It's your house that you paid for and should reflect your sensibilities.

If, however, you plan to sell any time soon, you may want to think about what will appeal to the greatest number of buyers and install that.

I like to think of the vessel sink and sculptural faucet in my powder room as art. It is beautiful to look at but not entirely practical.

Whenever I have customer asking about vessel sinks I gently point out that they will be cleaning twice the surface area of the sink now...inside and outside; they will loose more counterspace and the height of the sink is an issue for anyone under 5'6" That's usually enough to help them make a decision either way.

agree with bay - who wants to have to clean the outside & the hard-to-reach edge where sink meets counter is going to get gross over time. I'd put my time & money into finding a nice antique or other unique dresser/base & have a custom top made w/ undermount sink.

We remodeled our powder last year and installed a hammered copper sink in a piece of painted furniture that we already had. We're very happy with the overall look and are generally happy with the setup as most of the time it's just me and my husband. The trouble begins when we entertain and some of our youngest guests tend to slop water everywhere.

Youngest guest tend to slop everywhere despite the type of sink ; ))))

We bought a home with 2 stone vessel sinks in the master bath -- and they're lovely. I've never had one before and was suspect when we bought the home -- but I love them -- easy to clean...more counter space and beautiful.. Now we're about to sell the home and one realtor said that they're 'dated' -- and I said, "Only to snobs." In my opinion, if a style works for you, use it. BTW, I'll probably install another stone vessel sink in a new home we just bought in CA -- I'm designing the master bath w/a zen flavor -- and I think it's going to look fabulous. And if someone say's "it's dated" -- they won't be invited back. :)

It’s difficult to hear criticism but easy to give it. I agree if someone doesn’t like something they should politely reserve judgement. You should put stone sinks wherever you want them.