Slippery Rock Gazette

Sharon Koehler

Artistic Stone Design

Does that come in glass? Why, yes it does. Glass faucets are one of the unexpected materials energizing faucet design.
Travertine and marble faucet by Marti.
This retro faucet-plus-sponge dish was last year’s hot item, and no longer the height of  contemporary faucet design. Look for voice and motion activated faucets as the new tech-enhanced gold standard.
Functional and elegant pull-down faucet with an Art Deco aesthetic that echoes the Roaring 1920’s.  Touchless and even voice-activated faucets are becoming a must-have in upscale kitchens.  Touchless models retail from about $400 up to $1,000 or more, depending on the brand, the electronics, and the materials  used.

A while back I thrilled and captivated you with information on the current state of sinks. I am about to do the same with faucets. Faucets have come a long way in the last few years. Gone are the days of the chrome, two-hole, tall escutcheon, almost straight neck, some with a sponge holder faucet. (Although, if you have a retro kitchen, I’m sure you can find one somewhere.)

While the function of faucets hasn’t changed, the actual faucets themselves have gone through major changes. These days, faucets are made from a variety of materials including but not limited to stainless steel, bronze, enamel, nickel, gold and copper. 

Less expensive faucets can be made of plastic while more expensive faucets can be made from glass, wood or even stone. Although stone and glass faucets can be much more expensive, they do not have the touchless or voice sensors that faucets of more common materials such as chrome or stainless steel have. 

Back in the more recent day, in the kitchen, the standard was a three-hole faucet with a separate sprayer on the side. Then  along came the single-hole faucet with the sprayer attached.  Boom! One hole was all that was needed. Then there were touchless faucets. 

In the beginning, touchless faucets were mostly used in commercial settings like hospitals and public restrooms in rest areas, and restaurant restrooms. There are two different types of touch faucets. There is the style where all you have to do pass your hands under the faucet and water set to a predetermined temperature streams out.

The other type of touchless faucet does actually require touch, but you are not required to turn or move a handle. You just touch the faucet neck with your wrist or some other part of your body and the water will stream out. The funny thing is that all my life (and probably yours, too) we have always been told that water and electricity don’t mix.

However, touchless faucets either require batteries or ELECTRICITY to work. If plugging your faucet into an electrical outlet makes you a bit nervous, then make sure yours is battery operated. Plus, if you get a battery operated one and the electricity goes out, the faucet will still work. Just about every faucet manufacturer sells some type of touchless faucet.  

Now though, faucets have gone a step further with voice activation (aka smart faucets). Truthfully, you can’t actually talk to the faucet and tell it what you want. (Well, you could, but that’s not how it works.) You and your voice activated faucet need a middleman or assistant in the form of Alexa or Google.

You also need to “program” the faucet app with the presets you need. “Alexa, tell the faucet to fill the baby bottle.” Helpful if you have a screaming, hungry baby on your hands. Or “Google, have the faucet fill the sink with 95-degree water.” Great while you are wrestling a small, dirty dog into the sink. 

The success of these faucets depends on your presets, your Alexa or Google assistants on your phone, your internet and electricity (unless you get one with batteries or battery backup).

Losing any one of those things can affect how your faucet works, if at all. 

Now don’t think that kitchen faucets are having all the fun and getting all the upgrades. Soap dispensers, vanity faucets and bar faucets are getting tech upgrades, too. You can get touchless models in all these types of faucets, plus vanity and bar faucets now are available with pull down sprayers, as well. 

Faucets have changed a lot in the last few years. Just make sure that whatever options you think you want, do your research. If you have a customer inquiring or wanting one of these faucets, there is nothing wrong with being helpful and informative, but make sure they do their own research as well. Faucets may have changed, but not all faucets are created equal. 

Please send your thoughts on this article to Sharon Koehler at Sharon@asdrva.rocks.