Kitchen Faucet Trends

By Leah Hennen

When it comes to faucets, shoppers suddenly seem to have a choice of everything, well, for the kitchen sink. "There's been an explosion of kitchen faucet offerings, with all kinds of new styles, features and finishes," says Susan Serra, a New York City-area certified kitchen designer who tracks faucet trends on her blog, The Kitchen Designer, www.thekitchendesigner.org.

How has the faucet evolved from a common necessity into a high-art fixture with space-age engineering? Designers and marketers point out the kitchen is the center — and the showplace — of the home. Walls are coming down to make way for more open-plan living, and entertaining is centered in the kitchen by design rather than by accident. "We're so busy, and cooking is something we can share with friends and family," explains Richard Landon, a certified master kitchen and bath designer in Bellevue, Wash. What's more, "The kitchen is becoming the cooking room, dining room and living room in one, and you want the nicest fixtures in the room where you spend the most time."

The hottest trends include the rise of modern, minimalist designs and utilitarian-chic faucets worthy of professional kitchens. On the flipside, there's a renewed interest in classically cool models as well as rustic, farmhouse-style faucets. Making the array of choices even more confounding, the newest faucets feature better functionality, more novel shapes and a broader assortment of finishes than ever before.

Confused? Don't be. We've got the latest kitchen faucet trends on tap, plus tips to help you zero in on the styles, finishes and features that will work best for you.