They`re sleek and European and expensive. And though most now come in a variety of colors, purists still go ga-ga for the models sporting lots of chrome.
BMW? Mercedes?
Neither. Try Grohe or KWC. Or Hansa, Franke and a host of other guttural- sounding names. This is the world of designer faucets in the 1990s, where new technology has given us safer, quieter models that you can actually pull out and take for a spin around the basin. And now, more than ever, it`s easier to find parts for these import models and their American counterparts like Delta, Chicago Faucets or Kohler, the Cadillac of spigots. It`s enough to make you rush out for a test drive.
Think about it. In the kitchen or in the bath, it`s one of the most-used components of the home. Water is life, scientists and philosophers alike tell us, and the makers of fine faucets are more than willing to spout off that reach, height, style and handle selection are vital to delivering that life source to you properly.
With prices approaching $1,000 for some faucets, it might even seem like they ought to have Evian or Perrier flowing out of them. But money is no object, really, because there`s something for everyone.
”When people shop for faucets, either they look for inexpensive to do the job every day without problems or they seek out a very specific look to fit into a design scheme,” says Michael Isaac, president of Hansa America, a subsidiary of the German manufacturer. ”You can buy an expensive faucet and have it be no better than the (inexpensive) one you buy at the neighborhood home center.”
Isaac likens shopping for a faucet to checking out new stereo systems or cars (there`s that car thing again), saying, ”Just like anything else, you have to go to people who have knowledge of the product and people you can trust.”
In the kitchen, the faucet is the essence of all things culinary as well as social. A teaspoon here and a dash there have frequently been replaced by the line ”just add water,” and it keeps you circling back to the tap. And at your next soiree, when your guests have gathered in the galley-as they always do-note that it`s not the refrigerator or the microwave they`re congregated near, but the faucet.
”People are realizing the faucet is the center of the kitchen. It`s changed completely from five or 10 years ago,” says Michael DiGiulio, who owns an interior design firm specializing in kitchens. ”You use it maybe 50 to 100 times per day, so the quality levels are much better, the engineering levels are much higher and the design now has to be taken into consideration. It`s become a beautiful water appliance.”
And like the food processor or toaster oven, the faucet has come a long way as an appliance. For instance, remember those little black sprayers that used to sit sinkside, right next to the faucet, for when you needed to cool off one of your troublemaking siblings? No more.
Pulling out the stops
These days the hottest faucets on the market are those featuring a head that pulls out and becomes a sprayer itself. Priced from $300 to $400, most of these newfangled pullout faucets have wound steel hoses-some reaching 48 inches long-that aren`t as likely to crack as their rubber predecessors. And because they`re the only source drawing water at any one time, they`re the ultimate in convenience when it comes to filling oversized pots or rinsing out the heretofore unrinsable regions of the sink.
Some, like the Allegroh and Uno models (Hansgrohe Inc.) or the HansaMix
(Hansa America), offer the option that allows users to switch from a needlelike jet for heavy cleaning to a subtle, aerated stream with the touch of a button or turn of a knob.
Others, like the Ladylux pullout spray kitchen faucet (Grohe America Inc.), take the trend a step further with an optional ”Click-Connect”
accessory set that includes a water filter, scraper/spray attachment for pots and pans, or a delicate brush/spray for fine crystal and china.
”I think people like the idea of the all-in-one (faucet) because it`s very convenient, but it also gives them a very clean look,” says Nancy Deptolla, spokeswoman for the Kohler Co., which recently introduced its own integral pullout spray head faucet.
Another look that`s very popular these days is the so-called ”goose neck” faucet, named for its arching, antique-style spout that`s often paired with wing-like hot and cold water handles.
Looks aren`t everything, though, and new faucets, especially the single-lever variety, bring increased ease-of-use, safety and ability to control what`s known as ”the splash factor.”
”Single-control-lever faucets should be easy enough so that people coming into your house for the first time should be able to use it to get a glass of water without making a mess,” says DiGiulio.
Soft touch
Gone are the days when an innocent tug on a single-lever faucet handle would send water splashing across your counter and clothes. The touch on many of the new single-lever faucets is feathery, a one-finger operation that lets you control water temperature and flow.
Other faucets, like the KWCdomo (from KWC Faucets), have built-in temperature adjusters and flow restrictors that can be easily set to individual energy conservation and safety needs.
Protecting children from ”liquid fire” has become an important issue, according to Reed Frey, marketing director for Western States Manufacturing Corp. (WSMC), which distributes KWC faucets in the United States. The National SAFE KIDS Campaign, which WSMC co-sponsors nationally, estimates that 150,000 scalding injuries occur each year, with as many as 5,000 of them caused by hot water coming out of kitchen and bath faucets.
In addition to safety features, flow restrictors allow homeowners to turn their faucet ”green” with a simple adjustment that reduces the volume of water that comes out of the tap, and helps in conserving water.
If you do want to get yourself in some hot water, without the hassle of boiling or microwaving, you might check out the Little Butler (Franke Inc.)
line of hot and hot/cold dispenser systems that can be mounted in the hole where your sprayer used to perch. The hot dispenser can churn out 60 cups of near-200-degree water every hour, according to company literature.
Hot or cold, what it boils down to in choosing a kitchen faucet is strong value, good looks and, especially, longevity, says DiGiulio. ”People don`t want to have to fool around with washers and they don`t want broken hoses after two years,” he says. ”I would expect a five- to seven-year life before you need to replace any parts. I would think an overall life of 10 to 15 years would be nice.”
Making a splash
If function is the buzzword in the kitchen, then form is the key in the bathroom. ”With kitchen faucets, you have two types-the two-handle and the one-handle-and it doesn`t get much more complicated than that,” says Deborah D. Howell, a manufacturers` representative for several kitchen and bath product lines. ”With bathroom faucets, things have changed drastically in the past few years and it`s become more of a designer market.”
The changes reflect an evolution of the bath from a practical, no-nonsense room to a luxurious room. And, according to Bill Partsch,
associate editor at the industry trade publication Kitchen and Bath Business, nearly 88 percent of consumers who remodel their baths add new faucets.
”People like to coordinate the tub, the sink and the shower so that all the bathroom fixtures are the same,” says Howell, noting that some fancy lavatory fixtures cost $2,000 or more for a set. ”Most people think it`s got to be solid gold for that much, but some are just very nice designs; they`re made of brass and they have no plastic.”
While the pullout spray head faucet for the washroom hasn`t caught on nearly to the extent that it has in the kitchen, some manufacturers do have similar items that are especially handy for the person who washes his or her hair in the sink, and one manufacturer`s study found as many as 60 percent of all women do.
In addition, coordinating faucet styles and colors with other accessories-towel bars, toilet tissue holders, shelves, cabinets and the like- is another bathroom expense.
Sound reasoning
While some manufacturers have created faucets with built-in noise reducers, based on the principle that faucets should be seen and not heard, others are designing spouts with both senses in mind.
”One thing that`s been significant for us is that people are fascinated by the sights and sounds of running water. We`ve introduced a number of styles that play on that,” says Kohler`s Deptolla. The company`s Alterna lavatory Flume spout has an open top that highlights the water flow with minimal splash, while their Cirrus bath spout produces a flat stream of water that cascades, like a waterfall, into the bath.
With all this state-of-the art stuff, there`s no way you`ll ever be able to install the hardware by yourself, right? Well, yes and no.
Many of the kitchen faucets, even those that have pullout spray heads, have been adapted for easy installation by the average handyperson who knows how to twist a wrench. Bathroom fixtures, on the other hand, might take a bit more doing, so don`t rule out calling a plumber.
Plumbers get an average of $65 to $75 per hour, and a kitchen installation should take about an hour; bathroom and shower fixtures will take longer. Some will come out and do free estimates. Take advantage of that, because ”plumbers don`t know what they`re getting into until they see a job,” says Dan Lydon, executive secretary of the Plumbing Council of Chicagoland.
Lydon also notes that consumers can save money by purchasing the fixtures themselves and by hiring a plumber who`s close to your home, so as to avoid paying for travel time. Call the Plumbing Council (263-6612), which will refer three plumbing contractors in your zip code.
And after it`s all done-from selection to purchase to installation-and you`ve got new faucets to work with, what to do then? That`s easy. Just sit back, and go with the flow.
