A sink that sits on the counter
A vessel sink rests on top of the vanity instead of dropping into it. The bowl becomes the focal point of the room, and installation is often simpler: you cut one drain hole in the counter rather than a full opening.
Almost everything here is natural stone, hand-carved in Turkey from travertine, marble, onyx, limestone and granite. Round 16-inch bowls are the most common size, with 18-inch rounds, ovals around 17 x 12 inches, and long rectangles up to 16 x 48 inches for double-width vanities.
Getting the heights right
This is where most vessel installs go wrong. The bowl adds 4 to 7 inches on top of your counter, so a standard 34 to 36 inch vanity puts the rim at 40 inches or more, which is too high for most people. A vanity around 30 to 32 inches tall brings the rim back to a comfortable 36 inches.
The faucet has to clear the rim too. Choose a tall single-hole vessel faucet, or a wall-mounted faucet with a spout long enough to reach the center of the bowl. Most of these sinks have no pre-drilled faucet hole, so you control the placement.
Drains and overflow
Stone vessels use a standard 1.5-inch drain. Because there's no overflow hole, you need a non-overflow pop-up or grid drain; a drain with an overflow slot will leak. Many listings include a hidden round drain cap that covers the opening for a clean look.
Seal the drain with plumber's putty or silicone, and set the bowl on a thin bead of clear silicone so it can't shift.
Choosing a stone
Travertine is the warm, earthy option, in beige, gold and noce brown. It's naturally porous, so most of ours are honed and filled, meaning the small holes are packed and smoothed. Hand-split travertine leaves the outside rough and the inside smooth, for a rustic look.
Onyx is translucent at the edges and comes in honey and beige. Marble gives sharper veining, from Carrara white to Toros black. Granite is the hardest and the least likely to mark. If marble is your first choice, the dedicated marble sinks collection has more shapes and colors.
Around the bowl
Because vessel sinks need a lower vanity, it's worth picking both together. Our double sink vanities and single models list counter heights so you can check the math before ordering. Wall-mounted lighting either side of the mirror, like the wall sconces collection, lights the face evenly without glare off the stone.
For undermount, wall-mount and pedestal styles, go to the main bathroom sink collection.
