Ceramic sinks offer high-end inspiration even in small spaces

It is no surprise that in modern cities everything seems to be smaller in size: small bedrooms, small kitchens, small closets and even small bathrooms. But this is what urbanites are used to and their creativity has helped them make the best use of such prime real estate. The same holds true in places such as Boston, where designers have been quite busy trying to figure out the best way to overcome the size limitations of apartments by looking for high-end inspirations in the most peculiar ways.

That is the story of Randall Kramer, a designer at Kramer Design Studio based in Chicago and who took up on a personal challenge of designing a picture-perfect bathroom at an exclusive apartment building in Downtown Chicago, close to the spiffy Trump Building, near the Chicago River.

He based his design on a ceramic bathroom sink. But this wasn’t any kind of bathroom sink but rather an impressive Kraus ceramic sink that he saw featured in a trade publication he subscribes to.

“[After learning of] Kraus from K+BB magazine I thought ‘I can show them something better than that!’,” he says. And so the idea of designing a “Kraus Bathroom” was born.

His challenge was quite a feat that he as able to pull off by making small adjustments, utilizing limited space and marrying all of the elements in a way that would not be overwhelming to the eyes, but rather made the white Kraus ceramic sink –model KCV-121– the center of attention in an understated fashion.

“One of the reasons we chose a Kraus vessel sink for this project was for its clean, timeless look,” says Kramer, who was looking for a minimalist design that was not only functional but also elegant.

To accomplish this, Kramer used an IKEA cabinet as the vanity cabinet measuring 15 inches long and that would hold the Kraus ceramic sink in perfect harmony.

He later found that it was the best use of the elements as the sink was the right size in both height and in length. “We needed to find a sink vessel that wouldn’t ‘overwhelm’ the balance of the bathroom by its volume,” a balance that added personality to an otherwise plain and unattractive room.

The final product was exactly what the designer was looking for and one that he is proud to describe as innovative.

“I believe that the finished bathroom expresses a fusion of leading edge technology and an eye towards a fresh design approach,” he adds.