Kitchen Faucet Trends

By Leah Hennen

Equally at home in a Tuscan villa or a country farmhouse (or a home striving for the ambiance of either), these fixtures have rustic bodies with an authentic, handcrafted look. It's a variation on the vintage look, but also ties into the current green movement with its reverence for natural materials and warm wood tones.

Rustic fixtures are typically rendered in dark, timeworn finishes like oil-rubbed bronze, weathered pewter, wrought iron or antique copper. "'Living' finishes that patina over time are increasingly popular," says Richard. "People are embracing oxidation — it's warm and natural and more organic in terms of how a product wears." Also driving the Old World trend: The increasing availability of farmhouse and apron-style sinks, as well as sinks crafted from stone and copper, which call for more substantial, rough-hewn faucets in deeper tones.

Downside: The darker finishes and more rustic style of these faucets work best with coordinating hardware and natural materials like stone and stained wood, so you'll probably want to replace cabinet knobs and light fixtures to match — and you may be tempted to re-do your whole kitchen in a more rustic style.

Photo: Victorian by www.deltafaucet.com