Mixer as a decor element

Recommendation points

• Basic selection principles
• Retro mixers
• Ultramodern models

Choosing a faucet, we most often worry that it is reliable, convenient and at the same time not too expensive, forgetting that this plumbing will become an integral part of the bathroom and kitchen interior.

In fact, the importance of the functional characteristics of the mixer cannot be underestimated, because, first of all, the crane must work, moreover, daily and many times. But you can’t neglect the external parameters of a bath or kitchen mixer..

Moreover, manufacturers, trying to attract buyers, offer such novelties, looking at which you begin to doubt – is it a mixer? Today you can pick up a faucet for every taste and wallet, but it is precisely such a wealth of choice that confuses an ordinary buyer – he just came to change the mixer in the kitchen, and here they offer some unimaginable, surreal designs.

Today RMNT.RU will help you figure out which mixer is best suited for a particular style of interior, what novelties are offered by well-known world manufacturers today, how much can cost not only a reliable and convenient, but also an elegant faucet.

In an ordinary bathroom, there can be as many as four faucets – for a bath, a washbasin, a shower and a bidet, so we strongly advise against neglecting their appearance, and even more so acquiring dissimilar taps that do not match in style with the interior of the room and with each other.

Basic selection principles

So, going to choose a new mixer for a shower, kitchen or washbasin in the bathroom, you should decide in advance on the most important criteria:

1. Purchase cost. Of course, domestic-made mixers are much cheaper than imported products. However, their external parameters usually do not differ in originality, although in terms of reliability they may not be inferior to foreign counterparts. If your budget is limited and you do not plan to spend more than $ 100 on the purchase of one faucet, you may not even go to stands with Italian or German-made faucets so as not to be upset.
2. In advance, you should decide on where exactly the mixer will be located – on the wall or on the side of the bath and sink. Remember that the installation of wall-mounted mixers should be given special attention – a leak in pipes that are built into the wall and are covered with tiles from above is simply unacceptable, since in this case you will not only have to change communications, but also make major repairs – to restore the one removed in search of a leak tiles won’t be easy.
3. If you already have a sink in the kitchen and a washbasin in the bathroom, you need to decide on the height of the faucet, the length of the counter and other important points. The mixer must ideally match the depth of the sink and kitchen sink, otherwise washing dishes and performing hygiene procedures will be simply inconvenient.

Mixer for shower and bath with changeover. This option is most often installed in a regular bathroom and allows you to take a shower directly in the bath. However, this model cannot be called trivial, as its design is very attractive and original. German Axor Carlton 17410090 model. Price – more than 26 thousand rubles, available in two versions – in chrome and gold

We decided on three important technical selection criteria at home. But the design of the mixer is a little more complicated – often the buyer simply cannot imagine what variety awaits him, so you have to deal with it on the spot..

However, two main design directions can be distinguished at once, breaking all mixers by external parameters into two large groups: retro and ultramodern models..

The height of the sink tap in the kitchen must be coordinated with the depth of the sink – it should be convenient for you to put and wash the dishes, turn the mixer in the other direction, and so on. If the sink is double, it is sufficient to install a mixer with a longer spout in the middle so that it can serve both halves

Retro mixers

Of course, the vast majority of bathrooms today are decorated in a modern contemporary style. However, the good old classics still have many fans. It is for such conservatives and lovers of antiquity who decided to install a Victorian bathtub in their bathroom on massive curved legs, which should not be hidden under any circumstances, that retro-style faucets are intended.

Most often they are golden in color, copy the shade of copper, brass or bronze, but in terms of their technical characteristics they are in no way inferior to more fashionable models..

Although, today even an ordinary valve with two chrome-colored valves already looks like an attribute of the past, since it is increasingly being replaced by single-lever ball models. Therefore, the traditional two-valve mixer can also be classified as “retro”.

Such wall-mounted mixers with two valves have long been recognized as classics and are often found in “Khrushchevs”, where repairs were made at least ten years ago. This Polish-made KFA Armatura Retro model costs only about two thousand rubles.

A retro faucet with a shower, which looks more like an old telephone set, is the best fit for such a solid bath on unusual massive legs. A similar model from the Polish company KFA Armatura costs about 29 thousand rubles, it can be made in two colors – chrome and bronze

Elite, incredibly beautiful mixer from the French factory THG. Its main feature is crystal butterfly-shaped taps of the famous brand Lalique. The faucet is attached to the washbasin; remember that these models require three holes, so the washbasin must be suitable. Such an exclusive mixer costs at least 150 thousand rubles

Shower faucet, model Jacob Delafon Fairfax E71095-CP. Such an original mixer costs about eight thousand rubles, it is positioned as a retro model, however, thanks to its streamlined shapes, it can fit into both the modern style and the more modern interior

In the kitchen, retro faucets are also very appropriate, especially if such design directions as country or conservative English style were chosen for the decoration of the room..

By the way, two-valve mixers, which we attributed to the retro style, are literally taking on a second wind today and are becoming popular again. Manufacturers do not focus on the technical side and the spout, but on the design of the mixer and control knobs, creating them in the form of a cross, a cone, a triangle, a cylinder, and so on. These stylish control knobs can be crafted from crystal, gold, silver, wood, and even precious metals. It is clear that such luxury, which is ideal for a Baroque bathroom, will simply cost fabulous money and are affordable for units..

Of course, these are not diamonds, but ordinary crystals, but such a mixer looks very expensive, and a model from a famous designer can cost no less than a diamond ring

Retro kitchen faucet from the Italian company Apell. Available in two shades – copper and brass. It costs at least 10 thousand rubles. Best of all, these faucet models are combined with a metal sink of the same color or solid sinks made of artificial stone

Delicate bathroom in a palace baroque style. All taps, and there are many of them here, are designed in the same style and are perfectly combined with unusual sinks and other plumbing fixtures. Equipping a similar interior in the bathroom is not a cheap pleasure

Interestingly, among the retro mixers, as you can see, you can find both very expensive and more affordable models. Although inexpensive options are not so much a skillful imitation of products of the early twentieth century, they are really just outdated models, not so long ago out of fashion, but have not yet become valuable antiques.

Ultramodern models

Plumbing novelties today may be completely unlike a regular tap – it is not clear where the water flows from here and how to operate such a mixer. In fact, upon understanding, it turns out that everything is quite simple, but at the same time incredibly beautiful and functional.

Chrome-plated taps of the most unusual shapes fit perfectly into the modern interior of the kitchen and bathroom, ideal for high-tech, contemporary or minimalist rooms.

Most often, trendy faucets are built-in, sometimes they literally float above the sink, striking with their original design solution.

A laconic mixer model from the Dutch architect Vilém Aretsom. The simple, comfortable shape will look great in a minimal bathroom. The Oras Alessi Dot 8610F model costs about 15 thousand rubles

A novelty from the German company HANSGROHE, a recognized leader in the production of mixers. The Axor Massaud model is created in the style of organic design, the mixer is cascade, there is a mirrored shelf at the top, so it is difficult to immediately understand where the water is coming from. This model costs more than 44 thousand rubles

It should be noted that innovative models of mixers from foreign manufacturers today not only unquestioningly obey the human hand, but also possess the rudiments of artificial intelligence. For example, the model from Frattini electronic is equipped with a temperature control system, controls the amount of consumed water and is even able to control the rest of the faucets in the house..

Many modern models turn on independently, as soon as you bring your hand to the spout, they do not need control knobs and valves at all. Others are equipped not only with thermostats, but also with pressure compensators, turn off the hot water supply if cold water is turned off so that the owner does not get burned, set the water supply rate, save its consumption, and so on..

Of course, such technical innovations could not but affect the appearance of the cranes. New products often come with a real control panel with numerous buttons that let you set the water temperature and indicate how long it should flow. Thus, you do not have to worry – did I turn off the tap – the flow will definitely stop after a specified period of time.

Another deliberately simple mixer model with a rectangular spout for sink and washbasin. Model Hansa Twist 09092285 costs about 4.5 thousand rubles

For a tiny sink in the bathroom, the German manufacturer offers the Axor Citterio 39015 model. Despite the seeming simplicity and small size, this mixer costs a lot – more than 17 thousand rubles

Today you can choose a faucet for a basin in the form of a basin, an unusual glass washbasin, for a huge double sink in the kitchen or a tiny washbasin in a cramped bathroom..

Designers unanimously advise choosing shower, bath, washbasin and bidet mixers from the same series offered by the same manufacturer in the event of a major bathroom renovation. This purchase option will allow you to maintain a single design style, otherwise it will take a long time to select taps and mixers, at least approximately similar to the already installed model.

Of course, if one of the faucets in the bathroom fails, you will have to change the model to the same or very similar – from the same series so as not to disturb the harmony of the interior.

A bidet of such an unusual shape requires the same original mixer. In general, it is best to purchase plumbing in one set from a series from one manufacturer.

And finally, two main tips for choosing mixers:

1. Buy what you like best. But before that, don’t just admire the faucet’s sophisticated shapes and enjoy its affordable price. Turn all the valves and levers, make sure that it is convenient to operate the crane and everything suits you. And remember about the basic principle of a beautiful interior – harmony, do not choose an ultramodern model for the bathroom, which you decide to tiled with delicate tiles with bas-reliefs and gilding, following the principles of Baroque.
2. There are an incredible number of fakes on the plumbing market today. Chinese faucets perfectly imitate models of famous brands, but they do not differ in reliability. It’s a shame to pay several thousand rubles for a fake, agree? In order to make sure that this is a fake, it is enough to compare the cost of this model in different stores – if in one place such a mixer costs 10 thousand rubles, and in another – only three, obviously something is wrong with the second option. Although, if you liked the model very much, and the prospects of changing the crane not in five years (this is the guarantee given by European manufacturers), but after two years you are not frightened, then you can save.

The more unusual and modern furniture and sanitary ware installed in your bathroom, the more original the mixers should be.

Modern mixers can be called big dandies – every year manufacturers offer more and more unusual and bright models. But you should not blindly follow fashion trends, since your mixer, we hope, will serve you for at least five to seven years and no one will change it just to please the new product that has appeared. And yet, the external parameters of the mixer are an important selection criterion that can fundamentally change the interior of your bathroom..