Kitchen & Bath Faucet Trends

Thanks to new technology and an increased appreciation for practical design, the faucet has become an integral part of a kitchen and bath's décor. Now any sink in your home offers you the opportunity to introduce a new and unique design element. Whether it's a prep sink, dual bathroom sinks, wet bar, powder room or main kitchen, there is a wide range of styles and finishes to choose from.

Today consumers can choose from a brass, copper, chrome, nickel, gold-plated, oil-rubbed metals, matte or shiny finish in all price ranges. When it comes to aesthetics the big trend is to customize the look of a faucet by using special finishes such as brushed-nickel and oil-rubbed bronze. Since a faucet is something you touch and use quite frequently each day, why not pick a finish that makes you feel good. An unimpressive and inadequate faucet will quickly disappoint you, so when building your home spend the extra money to buy a product that will outlast, shine and outperform a basic chrome faucet.

Aside from the finish, you'll also need to consider the style and design of your new faucet. If you're looking for an Old World or rustic look, you'll want to consider an oil-rubbed finish. For a richer, more elegant look nickel adds a nice touch to your bathroom or kitchen design.

Aside from the shape and finish of the faucet, be sure to take into consideration the shape of your sink, look and color of your countertop, light fixtures and cabinetry to ensure that your faucet's finish complements the entire room, especially in your bathroom. Most homeowners and designers recommend choosing a suite of finishes for your bathroom fixtures. Almost every faucet manufacturer offers a wide range of collections for the bath and kitchen.

While it is hard to put a finger on one overriding trend in faucets, there are several developments in design and functionality that are growing in popularity. Here are some popular trends:

• As homeowners look to make a more dramatic design statement in their kitchen and baths, you'll find a growing popularity in contemporary and transitional faucets.
• Mixing and matching of contemporary and traditional products in the kitchen is growing. For example, it's not unusual to mix a professional looking pull-down kitchen faucet with a farmhouse apron-front sink.
• Undercounter sinks are growing in popularity and so is the classic bridge design. This is due to the fact that undercounter sinks are ideal for deck-mount bridge designs.
• Deck-mount faucets remain popular because of the added functionality of an integrated or separate spray option. Wall-mount kitchen faucets are also gaining popularity because it offers easy cleaning of the sink and it adds a smooth, uncluttered aesthetic to the room.
• As homeowners look to create a cooks kitchen, you'll find an increase in secondary sinks and faucets, be it for food preparation or entertaining.
• When it comes to functionality, the pull-down and pullout models remain the most popular choice in faucets.

	When it comes time to choose your kitchen and bath faucets, be sure that the finish appeals to your senses. If you prefer smooth or shiny, you may want to choose a chrome finish or for a more textured feel, an oil-rubbed faucet would work better. If water spots drive you crazy than a matte finish can solve that problem. Also look for faucets featuring physical vapor deposition (PVD), which is a new technology that bonds a finish to a standard brass faucet. With PVD, the finish becomes an integral part of the faucet itself, resisting tarnish, scratches and corrosion to help keep your faucet maintain its original appearance.