The Victorian era is not just a period of the time. The Victorian era is a decorative style, vintage chic, steampunk vogue. It is about luxury and magnificent regality, a monarchial exemplification of status that cannot be duplicated by uncouth ruffians and penniless lowbrow artists. Nothing better represents this attitude more than a Victorian bathroom, where the most defiling, baser acts of the human condition are perfumed, gentrified and sublimated into floral scents and soapy delights. The crown piece of this ensemble being the most used appliance in the bathroom. We use it to wash our hands, to brush our teeth, to shave and to pluck. It stands over the mirror like the herald of hygiene and cleanliness. For little can match the stylish contour of Victorian bathroom sinks.

A good sink is an elegant sink. For centuries, bathrooms around the world have given to a sumptuous style befitting of the gods. The bath, after all, was a religious practice for the Greeks, and a luxury to the early Italians. Thus, a truly vintage bath should not be limited to rancid and moldy tiles and cheap thermoplastic countertops. Most Victorian bathrooms feature sinks that are shaped like pedestals, with either a traditional round basin or a contemporary square one. The pedestal itself can be corrugated to simulate the colonnades of Athenian architecture, or smooth like a ancient Roman sculpture.

The base molding can also be customized to fit your particular needs. If a single column pedestal is not your style, a two-legged table sink design is also available, in both a double console design for the master bedroom, or a wide countertop made of marble, with brass or iron legs to add that special vintage ambiance. There are also plenty of Victorian sinks that plug in directly to the wall with no stand. Underneath these basins is usually a brass pipeline, sinuously entering the wall like the stem of a metal rose.

Victorian era bathrooms also require a lavish number of fixtures. Sinks in particular are typically decorated with elegantly curved faucet heads made of stunningly luminescent brass. Used in conjunction with a clawfoot bathtub, your bathroom sink and complete toiletry experience will be a triptych worthy of a turn of the century queen. With people spending an inordinate amount of time in their homes, and in their bathrooms, it is more important to make that time spent in an enjoyable and luxurious environment. A Victorian style bathroom sink can help fill out your world in style.