This last weekend I had the opportunity to tour a very high-end home. For all the money spent, the only thing I saw that I wanted were the bathroom sinks.
The basin looked like any other, the rim flush with the countertop, but they had no drain – well, no readily visible drain. But how do you empty it?
The basin is on a horizontal pivot and essentially set in another sink. To drain it, you lift the bowl by a small rim in the front, and it dumps into the large hidden lower drain.
It stumped a lot of people.
Anyone know where to find one?
Spud
Replies
No, I don't actually know for sure where to find anything like what you describe. But I'll bet it can be found at the:
Seriously, if you have a Furgeson's in your area, check with them. They've been known to carry toilets that cost more than a good used car. With that in mind, they probably can get a sink just like the one you saw.
Dude, it's Ferguson, I like 'em and they're open Saturday...Dookies!?! EliphIno!
Oops -- sorry for the spelling error. I thank you for the correction.
BTW, I was surprised at how low the price was, in the linked sink in Kevin's post. I would normally expect something that wierd to be almost twice that amount.
Vast projects should not be founded on half vast ideas.
Honestly YesMa'am, I’m not seeing a down side to the unit I saw (other that the cost). In fact a kinda neat thing about it is you see exactly how much water you’re paying for.
Mechanically its just a stainless rod pivoting on a block of UHMW, and to an earlier thread about 1 ¼ vs. 1 ½ drain size, what I saw was even larger – very fast draining.
I think you'd have something a lot cheaper if you just buy a pitcher and basin and sit them on top of a vanity.
If I'm picturing it right, I have to agree with YM, that sounds like a horrible idea for a sink. Part of the allure of indoor plumbing is not having to empty it yourself. Anybody with children knows that the sink would overflow about the second time it was used, and if my child miraculously didn't overflow it, we'd get a ring from her (and my husband!) leaving water in it. It would become more hotly contested than the toilet seat. I'll take a passive over an active drain, thanks,
I'll just put my dinner plate in my wash basin ...look mom... no drain. I agree with you.
Tom
I've tapped all my resources and can't find a thing like what you describe, though I did find a couple more hidden drain basins. Is it possible the sink in question was a custom job by a skilled metal artisan?Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
If you're not seeing a downside, then I suspect that you are not a parent.
And that you use a stoppered sink for all sink tasks. I don't.
Make no mistake -- I didn't say that these sinks will not sell. In fact, I have worked with some decorator types who will buy/specify that sink, just because it is different. And I know some homeowners who will be calling their decorators just as soon as they hear about them.
I simply said that they are impracticle.
When I briefly rinse out my tothbrush, I don't want to have to empty the sink. I leave the drain open, and let it go all by itself. I shave with the faucet running into an open drain too.
Vast projects should not be founded on half vast ideas.
This is the most unusual sink I've seen. Actually, I didn't see it first hand. My sister took this picture. The sink is in a public bathroom near Tasman Glacier in New Zealand. The spigots splash down onto the flat surface of the long (granite?) slab, which is only about a foot deep, and is sloped ever so slightly to the end, where a small trough in the wall picks up the thin waterfall of water that drops off the sink. It supposedly didn't splatter much on the floor, but I do notice a floor drain right next to it.
Edited 8/28/2003 3:48:31 PM ET by DanRuff
I LOVE it. I WANT one. Who cares that not everything in the world is practical. Some things are just darn fun...they lift the spirit!
I don't have a picture but there is one similar in one of the local theatres here. Instead of a slab it's a shallow trough. There are no spigots, just a continuous thin waterfall. Here's my idea. Replace the spigots with a thin waterfall in your picture and we have a winner.
Tom
I'm trying not to imagine the crud that is already growing between the inner and outer bowls on that thing.
A good heart embiggins even the smallest person.
Quittin' Time
Ditto. <shudder>
Another shudder would come from the possible pinch points for little fingers in a sink with moving parts.
Dave
just because something CAN be done or made, does not necessarily mean it SHOULD be.... sometimes a seemingly good idea turns out to be just an idea- and sometimes a bad one at that.
m
Good grief, this sink is starting to look more and more like a custom hammered metal job with the beating it's taking here.
I would really like to see it personally. I'm sure the upper basin is easily removed for cleaning both layers. Sure, it's not for everyone and for every application but there are designs where the ultra clean look would be ever so nice.
For example, I think I would prefer to see something like this as a top mounted basin that looked like an antique wash basin sitting on top of the counter. I would adapt a large pitcher sitting next to it with a faucet rigged inside that would run water out of the spout into the bowl when the handle was pulled. Temperature would be controlled by twisting the handle side to side and flow would be controlled by moving it out and in. The added illusion of the missing drain in this scenario would be really cool.
Come on guys, not everything has to be practical. Some things can serve as semi-functional art that simply enriches our lives by its whimsical presence. Seriously, what is the practical application of pulling a rabbit out of a hat? It makes people scratch their heads and smile in wonder that's all. Like a hidden passage behind a bookcase or the disappearing tiger at the magic show, a little mystery can really brighten the day.
So quit peaking behind the curtain and admit it already - this one is kind of clever even if it really isn't all that functional.Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
Come on guys, not everything has to be practical. ...
Figures that aguement would come from an Architect.
;)If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.
Hey, that's what we're here for. Wanna see me pull a nickle out of my ear?Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
Whimsical was in my house designe untill we adopted our grandson. Now I gotta regress to practical old man.
Make it a quater, nickles are easy. All that education ought to be worth more<G>
Dave
That was just my warm up act... I pull my thumb off and put it back on next.Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
Kevin,
I just looked at your profile and understood why you seem to be the one most interested in this thread. I too am in the “Arts and Entertainment” field. My fancy title is “Master Scenic Carpenter” for Seattle Opera. The people who also found this sink so cool were my builders.
And probably it was a custom job.
Ken
Well, arts and entertainment is another way of saying that my abstract drawings are way too deep to understand but they sure make people laugh. :-)>
I'm actually an Architectural Intern and professional smart-alec. Sounds like you have a great job. You and Jerrald Hayes would probably have a lot to talk about. Coincidentally, Jerrald was one of the first Breatimers I took the trouble of adding to my "friends" list.
Your entertainment industry perspective is a welcome addition to this diverse forum. Glad to have you aboard.Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
Ah, I realise I confused you with Mr. Hayes - sorry.
Truthfully I’ve been lurking around here from the beginning of Breaktime, and a subscriber of FHB & FWW back when they were larger and in black and white.
I kinda miss the venting & cellulose wars.
Theatrically,
Ken
Edited 8/29/2003 12:53:09 PM ET by Spudwise
I wonder if the company that is marketing them has named them yet.
I think that the larger version -- for kitchens maybe -- should be called the Stalagtite. And the smaller version could then be the Stalagmite.
The docorator-types (we all love those hand-waivers, don't we?) that love this kind of thing, could then talk about them at parties, and show them off to their friends. And they'd be using a name, without realizing that they were also describing the scum formations between the layers.
Ick!
Vast projects should not be founded on half vast ideas.
Here is another hidden drain option from Linkasink:
http://www.designerplumbing.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=LINKASINK35&Store_Code=1
Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -