Kitchen Taps

In the gallery:

1 Villeroy & Boch’s Ritmo Canto with single-lever mixer and hand-spray fitting, £204 (020 8871 4028)
2 Astracast Agena, available in a chrome or brushed finish, costs £398 from Magnet (magnet.co.uk)
3 Carron Phoenix’s Aros tap in brushed nickel costs from £201.50 (01324 638321)
4 Rangemaster’s Traditional Spa Filter Tap, from £200 (0870 755 6485)
5 Pegler/Brita three-way titanium filter tap, £391.43 + VAT at Pegler Yorkshire (0800 156 0010)
6 Second Nature’s Cox chrome tap with spring and swivel magnetic spout, from £280 (01325 505539)
7 Blanco’s BlancoZenos mixer tap features a chrome base, POA (blanco.co.uk)
8 Carron Phoenix’s Argenta chrome pull-out tap, from £311.23, has two spray options (01324 638321)
9 *Editor's Choice* GROHE Blue filter tap costs from £600. An LED light indicates when a new filter is required (
10 Deva’s Mini Slinky Mono Basin Mixer, from £169.35 (0870 848 8400)
11 Astracast’s Ocean three-piece available in a chrome, £222, and brushed finish, £235 (01274 654700)
12 The Mimas from Brass and Traditional Sinks costs from £235.50 incl VAT (01384 220030)
13 Astracast’s Triom Springflow® in chrome costs £295, or £320 in a brushed finish (01274 654700)
14 *Budget Choice* Caple’s Trinity tap in Duraform – a mixture of quartz and acrylic resin – costs from £133 (0117 938 1900)

Expert View: The Latest in Style

Michael Swan, Villeroy & Boch (villeroy-boch.com).

“In the last decade, the kitchen tap has evolved from a simple utility item to become an integral design statement in the British home. A vast colour range is now available, allowing consumers to create a colour accent with a feature tap or complement the colour palette of the kitchen.

“Environmentally savvy kitchens are becoming increasingly desirable — thus many kitchen suppliers have introduced water-saving fittings that allow consumers to control the level of water they are using. Intelligent taps and mixers can reduce a household’s water consumption by up to 35% — they use a clip mechanism to manage water flow at the touch of the lever.”

Further reading:

• A Buyer's Guide to Contemporary Kitchen Units
• A Buyer's Guide to Kitchen Worktops
• Choosing Kitchen Sinks