When it comes to bathroom sinks, porcelain is passé. Get in the design flow with a stunning sculptural vessel sink. Inspired by the china basins of old, these sinks are finished on all sides and mount on top of the countertop.

But it’s not just the unusual shapes that turn these into design statements; many are crafted from surprising materials like glass, stone or even bamboo. Be warned: Once you turn on this particular faucet, you’ll want to redesign the whole bathroom around your new basin.

Perhaps the most gloriously whimisical is this lollipop of a freestanding basin, the Crosswater Watercolour (right), with its candy-striped glass bowl suspended from a stainless-steel stand with integrated faucet. Sweet! The downside? It seems to be available only in the United Kingdom ($2,625 for the double-armed stand; $1,567 for the basin) but you could try to convince them to ship across the pond.

Go bold with a fire-red Galaxy rectangular glass sink from KRAUS with a coordinating waterfall faucet ($270; below). It’s the perfect antidote to boring white porcelain. And just think of the color combinations!

Show your metal with the unusual Artemis bronze vessel sink ($571 to $687; left). With its handles and tureen shape, it could almost do double-duty on a dining room credenza. On the more affordable end, Lowe’s offers a simple yet sleek hammered-copper oval basin from D’Vontz ($284).

Or get the best of both metal and glass with the Valencia mosaic copper vessel sink ($301), a round copper bowl clad on the exterior with multicolored glass mosaic tiles.

Bring the outside in with this stunning Zoom bamboo sink ($332)

or Stone Forest’s Zen-like natural Wabi sink ($432 at Low Cost Plumbing.com, above).

Acqua Terra’s mimosa stone sink is hand-carved from a single block of stone into an elegantly flared bowl that comes in honey or green onyx,  marble, and granite ($760 to $1,015 at Home & Stone).