Free-Standing Basins Stand Out

Using a blend of time-honored and new techniques, two talented artists are creating handmade basins that are as beautiful as they are functional.

By Rosemary Sadez Friedmann

Perhaps the epitome of luxury is a glass bathroom sink. A work of art for the bath, these bowls are handmade, each unique and beautiful in its own way.

Though the process of heating and manipulating glass is an ancient craft, new twists on this old practice are being created by very talented artists, namely Michael Murphy and Steve Weinstock, through a company called Alchemy Glass & Light. What makes them so special? One reason is that they are made of a combination of random reactions of minerals and glass manipulated by hand and heat to create distinctly different bowls. Michael Murphy created a type of glass in which Murphy and Weinstock specialize; it's called Cienega (see-en-eh-guh), the glass which is made by fusing a mix of different minerals between layers of glass.

The organic patterns and colors that are sealed in the glass are determined partially by the way the minerals are applied. They also are affected by the chemical changes that occur during the high temperature fusing, so color and even shape cannot be predetermined. Hence, no two are alike.

Then there are the Monochrome Glass sinks. These are single layer glass sinks available in gold or platinum. Special? You bet.

And there are the Misto sinks, sandblasted to a heavy frost on the outside so that it glows beautifully when lit from underneath.

Glacier Glass sinks, however, are created in an old-fashioned way. The outer surface is subjected to the old stained glass art of glue-chipping, which 'peels' flakes of glass from the surface and leaves an organic textured pattern that sometimes looks like veiny leaves pressed into the glass.

In addition to the various methods of creating the bowls, there are also unique edge treatments. There's polished edge, which is smooth and flat. The eroded edge is a pattern of undulating bumps and valleys smoothed to a worn finish. And there is the ground and polished edge, a flat polished surface but different in that the edge of the sink is ground down first to a wide surface, then polished clear. This makes the edge appear as a window with a unique view of the inside of the sink.

Why would you use one of these bowls? The primary reason, of course, is their special and artistic beauty. They could be used in the master bath for daily use and admiration by the homeowners or in a powder room where guests will enjoy their exquisiteness. They can be mounted above the counter (best for showing it off) or they can be mounded under the counter. They can be mounted onto a pedestal of cast bronze or sit atop a counter made of chiseled stone or cast-glass. It can have a spotlight showing it off from above or, if the glass bowl sits on a glass countertop, it can be lit from below.

The creative possibilities are endless. Check out http://www.top10vesselsinks.com

Rosemary Sadez Friedmann is a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers. She is president of Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, Inc. in Naples, Fla.