Top tap tips from the experts
They may seem small-fry in the grand scheme of kitchen design, but taps feature heavily in our day-to-day lives, and there’s a surprising amount of options to choose from. We tapped up the experts for their top tips on current trends...
Designers are constantly coming up with ways to make products more efficient and user-friendly, with taps no exception.
It used to be that your biggest decision was whether to switch from having separate hot and cold taps to a single mixer – but the specs available have come a long way since then.
“The inclusion of swivel sprouts and pull-out hoses in our brand-new range enables you to easily wash pots without taking up too much kitchen workspace,” says Simon Cornelius, head of marketing at Methven.
Larah Kuziw, brand manager at Carron Phoenix, adds: “There’s a huge choice of taps now, that come with features such as pull-out sprays, directional nozzles, filtration and more, so there are models to suit all of your kitchen and settings, and Becca notes that multi-step operating features are designed to help ensure the taps are safe to use (so you can’t just accidentally flip on a flow of boiling water).
“Hot water taps give you so much more than an instant cuppa,” says Jeanette Ward of Franke. “Their ability to deliver hot, cold and instant boiling water means they have a myriad of uses, such as blanching, sterilising baby bottles or knives, boiling pasta or rice more quickly, or cleaning your pans after a Sunday roast.
“When you have a hot water tap, you don’t need a kettle any more, so you can achieve a more streamlined look in your kitchen and free up some worktop space.”
Still buying bottled water because you don’t like drinking straight from the tap? Having a filtering tap installed could help towards those single-use plastic reducing goals.
“Filtered water taps make a great choice if you’re looking for access to premium quality water. These taps remove the majority of chlorine from tap water, along with other impurities including particulates, rust, heavy metals and pesticides,” says Luke Shipway, product manager at Caple.
Advanced specs aside, if your kitchen is the heart of your home, then you’ll want to fill it with details you love.
“Don’t forget to look beyond the design and pay consideration to the colour of your tap,” says Simon Cornelius. “While chrome is still a popular choice, we are also seeing an increase in taps with colours incorporated, such as our Methven Gaston with black accent.
“This design will add a sleek contemporary touch to your kitchen and give you a base from which to create your interior scheme.”
This applies whatever type of tap you go for.
“The use of different materials, colours and finishes is still a strong theme in kitchens, which is why one of the big trends in hot water tap design is the introduction of coloured finishes, like black, copper, gold, bronze and gunmetal, in addition to premium solid stainless steel,” says Jeanette Ward.
“These alternative finishes really help to draw attention to the tap as a statement piece.”