We consider the bathroom a place of quiet refuge in a busy world (and home). An opportunity for self-care and place to relax. Typically the one space in a home where a busy and harassed mother can close and lock the door on her children (and any house guests) without feeling completely guilt ridden. I was actually speaking with someone this weekend who is so inundated with house guests that she moved her home office into her bathroom, so she can work and take her zoom calls in peace. This is no joke!
That’s why it is so important to make your bathroom an inspiring oasis that reinvigorates you. Not to mention the cost of renovating a bathroom adds up quickly, so making sure that you spend your money wisely to turn your dream sanctuary into a reality, is really quite important.
And since we are details people over here at The Home Studio, we do spend a lot of time discussing the pros and cons of simple things, such as – do you prefer your basin to sit on top of your vanity counter, or do you prefer your bathroom basin to be recessed into your vanity counter?
Today we are back in bathroom renovation land discussing whether counter top versus undermounted is the basin way to go.
Images Countertop basins are what we have come to know. Over the years they’ve gone from being large and very decorative (remember the green glass bowl phase?), but over the last few years we’ve moved into sleeker square, circle and oval shaped options. Then our options changed from mostly white to a whole selection of colours, starting with black which was ultra cool and inspired a lot of projects.
The countertop basin also gave us the opportunity to covert “regular” furniture pieces into bathroom vanities. A great option for all our vintage lovers and DIY-ers.
When renovating my own home and creating our family bathroom, I was (and still am) all about wall mounted fixtures. Then the housemate asked me a simple question – which is better for kids? Countertop or an undermount basin?
And I had to take a moment to pause and consider…. why wasn’t I using an undermount basinsin the bathroom? I love them in a kitchen for a sleeker, minimalist finish. So why not the bathroom too?
Once you ask yourself this question and start looking for reference images, you’ll soon see that nearly all bathroom basins are countertop mounted. Why is that? What are we missing? So naturally we did our research and asked around, and of course started with our Pro vs Pro list (we LOVE a list over here!). This is what we decided.
Countertop Vessel Basins + Pros
– Vessel basins are great because nothing can roll off the counter and accidentally fall into the sink. Quite relevant with small kids losing precious items down the drain.
– The many options and architectural styles available. We personally love the detail a countertop basin brings to the bathroom. Our preference is for a low-sided basin in a matt finish.
– The cost. Cutting into a countertop to template for an undermount basin is a lot more costly than putting your basin on top of the counter.
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Undermount Basins + Pros
– Less splashing around than countertop basins, especially when being use by small children. Also no sticky fingerprints and toothpaste around the side of the basin.
– A clean, minimalist look and empty surface.
Images With either option the final height of your vanity and counter is adjusted to work with your basin style. At the end of the day it really comes down to personal preference.
In our family bathroom I went with a counter top basin and a large floor standing vanity. Given the vanity was going to be a larger, feature pieces, I went with a countertop basin to help balance the overall height and scale of the vanity. If we went with an undermount basin, then the vanity would have to be higher, and had the potential of becoming too overbearing in the bathroom.
We felt that placing the basin on top of the counter on a large vanity has the desired effect of making the piece feel visually lighter in the space as a whole.
If you’re currently planning your bathroom refresh, we put together six combinations of bathroom countertop basins and wall mounted mixers that won’t break the bank.
BATHROOM COUNTERTOP BASIN
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WALL MOUNTED MIXERS COMBINATIONS
1. Cotto Round Basin from Italtile and Grohe Eurosmart Cosmopolitan Basin Mixer from Plumblink. Total R4,214.95
2. Cotto Round Basin in Black and Tivoli Prato Matt Black Basin Mixer, both from Italtile.
3. Belize White Oval Basin from CTM and Brass Mounted Wall Mixer from Trendy Taps. Total R3,199
4. Dado Mayo Basin from and Tivoli Acquario Basin Mixer, both from Italtile. Total R6,994
5. Disa White Didi Basin from Bathroom Bizarre and Nero Wall Mounted Mixer from Eurotrend. Total R3,145
6. London Basin from Bathroom Bizarre and Brass 3 Piece Mixer from Trendy Taps. Total R5,045
