Although trends in the decorative plumbing and hardware industry are slow moving, they first show up in bathroom faucet fixtures. Faucets are the focal point in the room and the faucet sets the tone for everything else around it. There are thousands of faucets available and selecting the right faucet that reflects the personality of the owner and goals for the room can be a time consuming task.
Design Trends:
For both traditional designs as well as contemporary designs, there has been a trend toward "clean" designs. Ten years ago, traditional had to have lots of ridges and bumps. Those bumps are working themselves out and getting fewer and smoother. The same thing with contemporary. The faucets of 10+ years ago looked like Lego sets. Lots of ridges and angles. The new "clean" look is one that has the fewest bumps, angles, ridges, or any other design that interrupts the smooth flow from the deck or wall to the water outlet.
This is the thought that explains the fast rise in popularity of the single hole, single control faucets. The 4" center-set has never been a factor in the decorative field and still is not. The 3 piece spread set faucet by definition has multiple components and hence can not be as clean looking as a single hole. This leaves single hold deck mount and single hole wall mount as the cleanest look to start with.
At my store, Union Hardware, we have seen a rise in popularity of these types to an estimated 20% - 40% of our sales. We currently display over 125 of these types of faucets. We are also experiencing a trend toward contemporary styles and this works well for single control faucets.
Finish Trends:
Currently, Chrome is King. Brass is at its lowest interest level in bath that I have ever seen. Within traditional, finishes that are popular in order of popularity (my opinion): chrome, satin nickel, all the bronzes, polished nickel, and there is a slight up tick of antique brass. For contemporary: chrome, polished nickel, satin nickel, and nothing else worth mentioning. Formal you have less percentage chrome. This category has been so slow for us, I am not sure of the proper order, but there are rumors that gold finishes are coming back. I have always liked the antique and highlighted finishes that show off the workmanship in these more detailed fixtures: antique brass, pewter.
Although this posting was about trends, keep in mind that trends are just a part of a much larger puzzle. I wrote about this in my March 22 posting.
Other great looking single hole faucets:
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