Even if I ignored your entire post about utility and hygiene that Infection Control Sink is the loveliest sink I have seen with those delightful curves!
In my experience, the worst holdover from the "sink as basin" era are the egregiously short faucet spouts that make it almost impossible to wash one's hands without smushing them against the back end of the sink. I'm not sure what the use case for such short spouts are today, since they're too short for even the smallest sinks.
On a more positive note, it seems like the easiest way to get the most "functional" sink would be to install a faucet over an urinal!
Hi, Interesting post, as always. Our bathroom sink has the pull out and turn dial from hot to cold ... an increasing problem for our much older friend who lived with us until she passed away last summer. It is, however, just large enough so I can wash most underwear and light sweaters in it. I'd love a new sink which is even larger so I can wash my heavier sweaters, otherwise they have to be done in the bathtub, with me on hands and knees (with a cushion under my knees). Bathroom sinks in shops these days are really small, or on pedestals which expose awkward-to-clean extra surfaces. Never thought before about different sink styles and shapes for medical settings. Best regards, Maureen
I’m surprised no one has commented about shaving. While I think sink as a drain is a huge majority of the use case, those secondary functions like infant bathing, shaving, hand laundry, really impact how you’d tackle this. There isn’t enough room in the hall for single task sinks for all these uses, which may have slight variations to be considered most optimal. That said, low faucets need to go.
Interesting - but there are special people with special needs.
My wife has an ileostomy and a colostomy, so she has a urinal and a conventional disabled person's toilet (higher seat than 'normal') and a bidet toilet seat addition.
For hand washing - she has a Kohler washbasin with a projecting lip and an offset drain in a conventional bathroom countertop. The Delta faucet is intended for a bar, with a high arching spout and pull-out stream or spray head which will move side-to-side. Splashing is a minor issue, and the water delivery can be moved to one side to keep spittle off the spout! The water supply is by a single lever - up or down for cold or hot respectively, pull to the right for volume. There is also a touch facility for on-off, provided the lever is set for 'on'. The washbasin is set in the centre of a counter originally designed for two sinks, so there is ample space to keep the ostomy side separate from the other side for sterile procedures. Under the counter there are ample cupboards for storage of her particular needs, but under the sink is a removable panel which accesses the water supply and drains, and also provides space for knees if she needs a wheelchair or walker (nick-named Johnny).
This bathroom was designed for her needs 11 years ago, and we would change - nothing. In addition there is a large mirror by Redwell (infra-red room heat and no condensation), no longer available in N. America, ample light over the mirror, and a walk-in bathtub with hand-shower. The whole project was triggered by her inability to get to the toilet when using 'Johnny' because one of those plastic boxes masquerading as a shower-stall didn't allow access to the toilet, and the bathroom door was also too narrow (at 32"). The cork floor also provides comfort, and there are more than the requisite hand-holds / grab bars.
I would post pictures, and will do so if asked, and someone tells me how!
All this seems to be leading to some sort of frictionless, seamless life where water never splashes, messy tooth-brushing people never intersect, where there is a place for everything, especially toothbrushes, preferably out of sight. And yet, the most beautiful washbasin is the complicated, manual Malmohus Castle set requiring lots of work, servants no doubt, many surfaces to clean, but which is so very beautiful: a full toilet set (for that is a chamber pot at the very bottom) in one piece of furniture. I’d take that one any day, do all the filling and emptying of water myself, just for the pleasure of it.
One bathroom topic to look at is the aerosolization of the toilet water when flushing - this makes anything left on the counter badly contaminated!
Living in France we had a separate room for the toilet (complete with a wall-mounted ashtray!!) ; but that created other issues - if your hands were dirty you had to open two other doors to get to the sink...
Despite the huge industry dedicated to bathroom fixtures & finishes, I think we did not progress much in the last fifty years!!!
While I cannot disagree that many sinks are pretty poorly designed for purpose, I do find myself unable to imagine that focusing a lot of energy on the topic is a best use of time exercise. The problem with sinks usually arises when we let form trump function when choosing. There are plenty of available options that work just fine. Spending too much effort creating the perfect sink will just result in us spending more time in front of it admiring, criticizing or photographing ourselves in the mirror, something ten minutes on Tic Toc will demonstrate conclusively we definitely do not need to be doing :)
My annoyance with bathroom sinks has just started now that my eyesight is going. If I'm not wearing my glasses (washing face, putting on makeup), the sink is too deep for me to get close enough to the mirror to actually see what I'm doing. Admittedly, I'm on the short side, but who needs a bathroom sink that extends to almost 2 feet from the wall?
Even if I ignored your entire post about utility and hygiene that Infection Control Sink is the loveliest sink I have seen with those delightful curves!
In my experience, the worst holdover from the "sink as basin" era are the egregiously short faucet spouts that make it almost impossible to wash one's hands without smushing them against the back end of the sink. I'm not sure what the use case for such short spouts are today, since they're too short for even the smallest sinks.
On a more positive note, it seems like the easiest way to get the most "functional" sink would be to install a faucet over an urinal!
Hi, Interesting post, as always. Our bathroom sink has the pull out and turn dial from hot to cold ... an increasing problem for our much older friend who lived with us until she passed away last summer. It is, however, just large enough so I can wash most underwear and light sweaters in it. I'd love a new sink which is even larger so I can wash my heavier sweaters, otherwise they have to be done in the bathtub, with me on hands and knees (with a cushion under my knees). Bathroom sinks in shops these days are really small, or on pedestals which expose awkward-to-clean extra surfaces. Never thought before about different sink styles and shapes for medical settings. Best regards, Maureen
I’m surprised no one has commented about shaving. While I think sink as a drain is a huge majority of the use case, those secondary functions like infant bathing, shaving, hand laundry, really impact how you’d tackle this. There isn’t enough room in the hall for single task sinks for all these uses, which may have slight variations to be considered most optimal. That said, low faucets need to go.
Interesting - but there are special people with special needs.
My wife has an ileostomy and a colostomy, so she has a urinal and a conventional disabled person's toilet (higher seat than 'normal') and a bidet toilet seat addition.
For hand washing - she has a Kohler washbasin with a projecting lip and an offset drain in a conventional bathroom countertop. The Delta faucet is intended for a bar, with a high arching spout and pull-out stream or spray head which will move side-to-side. Splashing is a minor issue, and the water delivery can be moved to one side to keep spittle off the spout! The water supply is by a single lever - up or down for cold or hot respectively, pull to the right for volume. There is also a touch facility for on-off, provided the lever is set for 'on'. The washbasin is set in the centre of a counter originally designed for two sinks, so there is ample space to keep the ostomy side separate from the other side for sterile procedures. Under the counter there are ample cupboards for storage of her particular needs, but under the sink is a removable panel which accesses the water supply and drains, and also provides space for knees if she needs a wheelchair or walker (nick-named Johnny).
This bathroom was designed for her needs 11 years ago, and we would change - nothing. In addition there is a large mirror by Redwell (infra-red room heat and no condensation), no longer available in N. America, ample light over the mirror, and a walk-in bathtub with hand-shower. The whole project was triggered by her inability to get to the toilet when using 'Johnny' because one of those plastic boxes masquerading as a shower-stall didn't allow access to the toilet, and the bathroom door was also too narrow (at 32"). The cork floor also provides comfort, and there are more than the requisite hand-holds / grab bars.
I would post pictures, and will do so if asked, and someone tells me how!
All this seems to be leading to some sort of frictionless, seamless life where water never splashes, messy tooth-brushing people never intersect, where there is a place for everything, especially toothbrushes, preferably out of sight. And yet, the most beautiful washbasin is the complicated, manual Malmohus Castle set requiring lots of work, servants no doubt, many surfaces to clean, but which is so very beautiful: a full toilet set (for that is a chamber pot at the very bottom) in one piece of furniture. I’d take that one any day, do all the filling and emptying of water myself, just for the pleasure of it.
Too much minimalism just encourages anomie.
Thanks as always for a good post!
One bathroom topic to look at is the aerosolization of the toilet water when flushing - this makes anything left on the counter badly contaminated!
Living in France we had a separate room for the toilet (complete with a wall-mounted ashtray!!) ; but that created other issues - if your hands were dirty you had to open two other doors to get to the sink...
Despite the huge industry dedicated to bathroom fixtures & finishes, I think we did not progress much in the last fifty years!!!
I love when you do deep dives like this on bathroom (and other) fixtures, Lloyd! Loved the bidet piece and this one is equally as good!
While I cannot disagree that many sinks are pretty poorly designed for purpose, I do find myself unable to imagine that focusing a lot of energy on the topic is a best use of time exercise. The problem with sinks usually arises when we let form trump function when choosing. There are plenty of available options that work just fine. Spending too much effort creating the perfect sink will just result in us spending more time in front of it admiring, criticizing or photographing ourselves in the mirror, something ten minutes on Tic Toc will demonstrate conclusively we definitely do not need to be doing :)
My annoyance with bathroom sinks has just started now that my eyesight is going. If I'm not wearing my glasses (washing face, putting on makeup), the sink is too deep for me to get close enough to the mirror to actually see what I'm doing. Admittedly, I'm on the short side, but who needs a bathroom sink that extends to almost 2 feet from the wall?