Sink into the world of color and light in the most private part of your world. Alchemy Glass & Light, based in California, makes an exquisite line of glass sinks that bring jewellike beauty to the normally porcelain-white world of bathrooms. As with any artistic original, no two Alchemy sinks are alike as nature itself determines the ultimate result. Each is created from the combination of random reactions of ground minerals and metals fused between two layers of glass. One of the 11 designs in the line appears to have fish fossils swimming around the drain; the illusion is created by the fusion of etched metal pieces resembling the real thing within the glass. The sinks are available in an 18-inch-diameter, 5 1/2-inch-deep above-counter version or a 19-by-14-by-4 1/2-inch under-mount version. Existing countertops can be used, but a special mounting donut is needed; if using an Alchemy countertop, a nesting area for the sink is built-in. Sinks cost $900 to $4,000 and are available at Aquaworks, 2308 Main St., Evanston, 847-869-2111.
— Mary Daniels
GETTING THE BRUSHOFF
The task of scrubbing the toilet may literally be going down the drain with the development of a revolutionary new glaze, SanaGloss, by TOTO. By sealing the ceramic with an ionized barrier, SanaGloss creates an ultra-smooth surface that repels the waste, bacteria, molds, stains and lime buildup that otherwise adhere to the bowl of this bathroom fixture. All it takes is a flush, instead of a brush, for a thorough cleaning. Two leading styles, the Carlyle ($599) and the Vespin ($379), are the first to come off the TOTO manufacturing line with the SanaGloss glaze, but by the end of the year all TOTO toilets will feature it. Community Home Supply, 3924 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-281-7010, carries the TOTO toilets.
— Mary Daniels