This unique plywood-and-slate combination makes a great choice for small bathrooms that require a corner bathroom vanity.

Prioritize either storage or easy cleaning. While extra storage is always nice, it is important to note freestanding vanities are also known for being harder to clean, since there are more corners and nooks where dust can hang out around them.

In the master bath, a custom raised Silestone sink is surrounded by a teak countertop and Porcelanosa glass tiles. Teak slats anchor the glass-enclosed shower.

The sink in the half bath was special-ordered from Home Depot and Pavonetti designed the base to give the basin a snug fit. He built it out of a steel rod and painted it with black shoe polish.

In the guest bathroom, Givone installed a hand-chiseled sink made of 17th-century marble quarried from the hills outside of Rome.

White walls, a luxurious marble double-sink, and an area rug give this bathroom an inviting atmosphere. “The natural light, open spaces, and light color palette make it a great place to wake up in the morning,” Flournoy says of his home. The sink is from Restoration Hardware and the rug is from West Elm.

Architects Anne Marie Lubrano and Lea Ciavarra limited the material selection in their renovation of a town house dating from 1899. The powder room on the first floor is located in a former waiting area (the previous resident used the level for his dental practice). It features a custom Alabastro marble sink and fixtures by California Faucets. The architects kept the original marble fireplace, paying homage to the structure’s history. Benjamin Moore’s Super White paint was applied to the ceiling and the White Dove hue to the walls. "Positioning the faucets on the side wall emphasizes the horizontal," Lubrano says. "Wall-mounted fixtures feel less grounded and materials can continue uninterrupted below. We wanted the spaces to feel light, spacious and light-filled."

A Dornbracht tap sits above a custom-built glacier white Corian countertop and sink. The sink is covered by a removable cutting board that can be kept in place for an added work surface, or removed for dedicated sink use. The cutout in the center allows water from the tap to flow straight through to the custom Corian drainer.

Custom shoji-inspired screens of Roberts’s design conceal the closet and extend to provide privacy for the adjacent shower and soaking tub.

Just off the bedroom, a restrained bathroom combines Duravit D-code sinks with Techno by Cifial faucets and a Toto Aquia toilet.

Counter and sink (€6,800), mirror (€680)

In the kitchen, which faces west to capture views of the San Jacinto Mountains, a large red work by James Jensen punctuates one wall. The induction cooktop is from Gaggenau; the sinks were sourced from Blanco.

Pros: Also known as composite quartz, engineered quartz comes in a wide range of colors and textures with the general durability of real stone slabs, but with the ease of manufacturing and installation of a man-made product. As a result, engineered quartz isn’t as expensive as other natural stone countertops. Cons: On the other hand, customers can expect to see these qualities reflected in the price of engineered quartz, which can be on the higher end. Quartz also doesn’t handle extreme heat as well as granite does.

The bathroom features a Duravit sink that was incorrectly ordered for a job by the contractor and then donated to Hale. The stools are from Ikea, the tub was salvaged, and the tiles were surplus from another project.

The kitchen's layout fosters socializing throughout the cooking and eating process. By placing the island facing the dining table, Serra ensures that someone washing dishes or preparing food can still talk to other people in the room. "The space should encourage those in it to cook up a storm if they choose, several people cooking at once if necessary, and it should provide visual beauty, culture, and a comfortable environment," Serra says.

The kitchen appliances are by Mora and the sink is by Franke.

Modex by Blanco, $1,750Rising only three inches above the countertop, the Red Dot Award–winning Modex features an integrated drainboard. The engineered material, which is 80 percent granite, is scratch- and stain-resistant.

Houle designed the ofuro tub in the master bath to mesh with the home’s tallowwood wall paneling. The Ikea sink is outfitted with Vola faucets.

In the tiled master bathroom, the boys get their own sink.

Sinks and a toilet from Laufen’s Il Bagno Alessi line add a sculptural presence to the master bathroom.

The focal point of the room is a glass fiber-reinforced concrete sink that weighs 460 pounds. The material is stronger then regular concrete, so the overall thickness of the sink is a mere two inches. By using GFRC, Archuleta was also able to create a more uniform surface with almost no pinholes—important both for maintaining the minimalistic appearance of the room and to avoid leaks in the areas that would be in direct contact with water. Concrete is also incorporated into the bathtub and shower bases.

Installed by a local vendor, the Corian sinks and bath combine to form a freestanding island in the upstairs bathroom, outfitted with fixtures by Ritmonio. A series of artworks by Tim, including a sculpture that emits a soft glow, accent the pristine space.

The bathroom includes a sink Bornstein discovered in a secondhand store.

Barbara Hill's Dancehall/House in Marfa, Texas September 14, 2010 Misty Keasler

Boffi faucets join sinks from Labour and Wait in the bathroom.

Selective D.I.YNix and Novak-Zemplinski made the narrow concrete sinks with tilted basins in the bathrooms. “We couldn’t find any sinks we liked,” says Nix. “So we decided to make our own. But those are the most expensive sinks ever, at least in terms of man-hours.” Novak-Zemplinski concurs—while they are happy with the way the sinks turned out, “one of the lessons we learned is that some things are not worth doing yourself.”

Laundry and Walk In Pantry

Though Jacobson initially wanted a completely open shower upstairs, Lee convinced him that a small lip would keep the splashes a bit more contained. The freestanding sink is from Canadian bath furnishings company Wetstyle.

Sink (price upon request)

The Japanese-style bathroom, which is clad in teak, features a matching tub and sink by Bath in Wood.

Pyrolave sink shown in citron vert.

Although the collection currently only consists of single sinks, Pyrolave hopes to expand into double sinks, as well as a circular bath collection. Shown in bleu.

All of the apartment’s fixtures are by Kohler, including the kitchen sink and faucet as well as the Tea-for-Two bathtub, Vox square sink, and Catalan mirror in the bathroom. The Thassos marble subway tile is by Ann Sacks.

A salvaged antique tub stands beside a sink by Waterworks. Town and Country Surfaces supplied the Malaga cement tiles that color the floor.

Don't neglect the faucet. It’s important to remember that faucets aren’t always included in a new vanity, which may require a bit of research and coordination.