And you thought a sink was just a sink, Ha! In fact, there are more than half a dozen sink styles and each one has its pros and cons. Choosing a sink for your Chicago bathroom remodel requires a small question and answer session with yourself or your family.

How big is the bathroom? What style are you going for? Who will be using it? What level of cleaning and maintenance are you interested in? The answers to these questions will help you narrow your selections a bit.

Here is the lowdown on the most popular...

Chicago Bathroom Remodel: Review Your Sink Options

Some sinks are purely utilitarian - think standard, white porcelain undermount sink. Others are all abut style, think pounded copper vessel sink that sits boldly on top of the counter. Thus, it's worth reviewing the available options so you can narrow your focus.

Undermount sinks. These are one of the most common sink styles for both bathrooms and kitchens for many reasons, one of the most important being that they make it easy to swipe countertop debris right into the sink and down the drain. While a white porcelain version may be hum-drum to you, there are plenty of stylized options available. Keep in mind that colored or stylized sinks could potentially date the bathroom or be harder to work into future design changes. Undermount sinks won't work with a laminate or softer-surface countertop because they won't provide the right level of moisture protection.

Drop-in sinks. Also called top-mount sinks, this version is installed with the sink edges overlaying the countertop and can be used with any countertop material, including laminate. They add a bit of style punch but will make clean up just a tad more time consuming, being careful to eliminate grime around the edges. This may be better for master or guest baths rather than the kids' bathroom.

Vessel sinks. Vessel sinks are very popular right now and range from simple clear glass to colorful, metallic or custom adapted. Either way, they are designed to be a visual focus, as well as a utilitarian bathroom fixture. Clean up is a little trickier here as well so unless the sink is installed in a lesser-used space, work with your designer to find one with easy-to-clean surfaces.

One-piece or pedestals. Pedestal sinks are ideal space savers so we recommend them in hall baths or a smaller master where you may prefer his-and-hers sinks. You can find them with enough edge-space to hold a few toiletries but you'll still be sacrificing storage space.

Wall-mounted sinks. Wall-mounted sinks are becoming increasingly popular. As plumbing has been simplified and creatively hidden in interior wall spaces, wall-mounted sinks yield a very minimalist look. If you don't add a vanity, you'll be sacrificing storage space, the addition of a wall-mounted vanity will change that.

Trough sinks. These used to be more of a commercial or industrial sink, wall-mounted where more than one person will be using the sink at a time. 

Now, trough sinks are popular in modern and contemporary bathrooms - multiple faucets can be plumbed to accommodate the selected width. They can be sleekly wall-mounted or installed on top of a vanity.

Deliberating between a few different sink choices? Overwhelmed by all the big and little details you have to juggle when designing a Chicago bathroom remodel? Schedule a consultation with Kitchens & Baths Unlimited.