These days there’s a lot of cool new stuff going on in the bathroom design world, but one of the wildest new trends I’ve seen is bathroom sinks made out of wood. Sounds a little weird, right, or maybe even ill advised? But these sinks are not only well designed (read: waterproof!) but they’re also incredibly beautiful and unique. If you’re looking to bring a little natural touch to your bathroom, or if you just want an unexpected statement piece, a wood sink is an excellent way to get ahead of the Joneses.
Wood sinks can be made out of a variety of different types of wood. Bamboo and teak are among the most common by and large, but Whitehaus offers a whole line of sinks and wall mounts made of birch. This Aeri Large wall mounted sink is a really excellent example of something at the more modern end of the wood sink spectrum. And if you’re worried about the obvious problem that wood and water don’t mix, don’t be. Wood sinks are designed to be totally smooth and nonporous, meaning they won’t absorb water, and they won’t leak, warp, or stain – they behave just about like any other sink.
Browse Wall Mount Bathroom Sinks By Whitehaus:
I say just about because wood sinks do require a little extra maintenance. Depending on the type of wood the sink is made of and the manufacturers instructions, you typically want to rinse out your sink with a mild soap once a day and dry it to prevent spotting or residue buildup. Really, this is more like what you’d do for a copper sink than for a wood coffee table, though – not so much about the wood itself as preserving the finish and keeping from damaging the underlying material. As with copper, you shouldn’t use any harsh chemicals on a wood sink like this Aeri Double Shelf, like nail polish remover or bleach, or abrasive cleaners like ajax or steel wool – a soft cloth and mild soap will do the trick.
That said, a wood sink is an excellent way to help warm up a modern bathroom. Any type of wood has a warming quality on a bathroom, and light woods like birch are especially so because they literally help enhance the light and brightness of a space, intensifying natural light. In a modern design, with the modern palette of glass, chrome, concrete, and MDF, it can be a little hard to pull any part of the natural world into your space. But that’s part of the beauty of a wood sink – especially one with a very modern design like this Aeri Square. Though it’s shaped like an ordinary modern sink, it doesn’t look like one and doesn’t act like one, bringing a natural element into an industrial decor.
Better still, a wood sink has a bigger impact as a modern fixture for the simple reason that wood sinks are still so uncommon. Wood sinks have just the right amount of cutting edge flair – the interior design equivalent of the element of surprise. I can go on all I want about wood vanities or ones with wood accents, but these almost always end up softening and traditionalizing a modern space. But a wood sink like this Aeri Rectangular is more like an objet d’art than a functional fixture, and certainly doesn’t look like anything traditional, which only redoubles its stylistic impact.
Whitehaus actually offers full wooden sink/vanity/mount assemblies to help solidify your wood sink as a focal point in your bathroom. They range from solid wood (this Aeri All Wood is my favorite) to ones made with simple aluminum framing. The latter is one part utilitarian (the frame is lightweight, which makes it easy to hang, and rust free, which makes it ideal for a bathroom environment) and one part easy to coordinate with an otherwise industrial modern bathroom design.
Bamboo sinks are a little more rugged and a little more rustic, with an more obvious wood grain and visual texture. This Bamboo Farm Sink from Alfi is technically meant for a kitchen (though it would work for a really awesome twist on a farmhouse style bathroom), but can give you the idea of what you’re looking at. Bamboo has a high degree of natural variation in both color and texture, making this an excellent choice if you truly want to showcase the wood. Plus, this fast-growing materials is widely considered to be extremely eco-friendly, so in addition to working well in a natural neutral bathroom, it’s also well suited for a green home.
Why are you interested in getting a wood sink? Any questions you have that I haven’t answered here?
