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How to choose the right taps for your bathroom

A tap’s a tap, right? So choosing a set for your bathroom, cloakroom or en suite should be a cinch, surely?

 

You’d think so wouldn’t you? But we’re often seduced by aesthetics and ignore the practicalities when we’re caught up in the excitement of designing and choosing our bathrooms.

 

To avoid making hasty on-the-spot decisions that you may regret every time you wash your hands, consider the following when choosing your taps.

 

What are your taps for?

Obviously for dispensing water, but are they for the sink or the bath? Taps for the sink can be wall, countertop or basin mounted and are also available as freestanding floor options too. So it’s important to consider which type of mounting will work best with your bathroom.

 

Wall mounted taps can bring a contemporary feel to your design, allowing modern sinks to flaunt their effortless form and clean lines. Equally so, countertop taps positioned to the side of the sink or freestanding floor taps can also make a pleasing design statement too.

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Depending on the design of your sink, you could consider a mixer tap instead of independent cold and hot water taps which are available in both modern and traditional styles.

 

monobloc-tap

Coox Monobloc Mixer Tap

 

Taps for the bath can be wall, deck, bath or floor mounted. The latter works particularly well with both period style and modern freestanding baths. However, depending on your bathroom layout and plumbing restrictions, you may find that one option is more suitable than another.

 

Again you need to decide whether you want independent hot and cold water taps or a mixer tap with a handheld shower attachment. If you already have a separate shower in the bathroom, you may not need or use the bath’s shower attachment, which could ease your budget when choosing your taps.

wall-bath-tap-with-shower

REM Wall Mounted Bath Tap with Shower

 

Who will be using the taps?

Hopefully anyone who visits your bathroom, but will the primary users include children or family members with limited hand movement or grip? If so, not only does the positioning of your taps need to be taken into consideration so that they are easily accessible, but also that the taps are easy to operate and the temperature easy to control. Wall mounted taps might look the business, but will they be within easy reach?

 

Many modern tap designs include easy-to-use levers or twistable tops, but for an even easier way to turn your taps on and off, why not consider electronic sensor taps? Users simply place their hands in the sensor area to turn the tap on and the tap automatically turns itself off when their hands are removed. Sensor taps use the latest technology to help you save water and are available for sinks and baths.

 

And if you’d like more control over the temperature of your water, thermostatic taps allow you to do just that and are suitable for both baths and sinks.

 

 

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What style will complement your bathroom design?

Are you aiming for a totally contemporary feel or are you enhancing a period bathroom? Modern takes on period style taps work well in traditional bathrooms and have the added advantage of being new and reliable unlike some reclaimed authentic taps of the period.

Whether you’re looking for contemporary or traditional taps, you’ll find a huge range of designer taps in various finishes at Livinghouse to suit all styles of bathrooms and the needs of those using them. Keep it modern with chrome, stainless steel or black taps, or stick to tradition with nickel, copper or gold taps.