Faucet Trend: Nature-Driven Design

Meanwhile, says Jeff, Sonoma Forge
is about as earthy as a company can get. "They make very unusual faucets that take on the appearance of hand-forged. The gentleman who owns the company is an artist and these faucets are very labor intensive."

The CIXX collection by Sonoma-Forge offers rustic, hand-finished fixtures with distinctive cross-shaped handles; no two faucets are exactly alike. Their WaterBridge faucet is a simple, contemporary design with a metal bar that bridges the handles, giving the faucet the look of a covered bridge. Keep in mind, however, that craftsmanship isn't cheap. These faucets range in price from $1,200 to $1,400.

One division of the company, Sonoma Cast Stone, also makes concrete sinks, which couple well with the hand-finished faucets. "We sell a number of them," says Jeff, "and where we have sold them, nothing else would come close to filling the design the customers are trying to achieve. It hits the mark on that style, which I guess I would describe as earthy. They really look like natural products."