Retro style faucets: old forms in new reading

Faucets in the style of "retro", made from bronze, copper, brass, look graceful and unusual. But in the modern kitchen with the usual sink these extravagant products will seem ridiculous. They place in the room, made in a classic, vintage, romantic style, where the present blends seamlessly with a nostalgic past.

Choosing faucets in the style of "retro", you need to have an idea what a model of this type is needed for. More often they are purchased for the opportunity to complement the stylized interior. Pay attention to the appearance, preferring a model for a vintage phone, "tulip" or "bamboo." In addition to visual preference, you should pay attention to the design, type of control and components. Under the old model view is a modern, functional plumbing.

Forms mixers produced to different tastes: arc-shaped (curved arc), straight and rectangular (spout forms an angle of 90 degrees). Types of spout are divided into classic and cascade. The most common classical type consists of a tube of a straight or curved shape, it can be angular, it has triangular, round or square sections. Cascade models look beautiful, in action resembling a waterfall. Water enters through a wide chute, has a high throughput.

Types of management:

• single-valve mixer is involved in the supply of cold or hot water, regulates the pressure, is equipped with one inlet;
• two-valve, has one spout and two taps, with water supply of different temperatures;
• single lever (joystick), pressure and temperature are adjusted using a lever (more difficult to adjust the mixers with ball valves);

• non-contact model is more convenient and hygienic, water enters when hands are brought under the spout, minus is the inability to regulate the process;
• faucets with two spouts supply ordinary water and passed through filters;
• models with a shower have water-saving technologies, complete with watering cans with an active diffuser.

• Wall mounted: mounted on the wall.
• Horizontal: fixes the mixer on the wall of the bath.
• The recessed is completely hidden in the wall, except for the spout and valves. In this way, space is saved, but it is not always possible to make a frame into the wall, pipes interfere.
• Floor fasteners are rarely used for the implementation of special design ideas. Bath should be in a large room and stand apart from the wall. A mixer is mounted on a high rack fixed to the floor.
• The swivel spout is usually attached from the side of the bath, but it also serves the wash basin.
• Auto-switching from the mixer to the shower takes place automatically when one of the taps is turned.

Choosing a mixer, sometimes focus on the shades of the product. Some people think that the mixers in the “retro” style always have the color of copper or bronze, but in fact, their color range is much more diverse.The tones of aged brass, copper or bronze with an oxidized effect are, of course, relevant in such stylization, but you can find models of chocolate and even black shades that have an expensive respectable look. Natural tones of materials are very popular: pink with mother-of-pearl, pearl, greenish or brown with a reddish tinge.

The main focus when choosing mixers is given to brands. Most of all, the German firms Hansa, Grohe, Hansgrohe (Germany together with the USA), the Swiss concern Gustavsberg, the Bulgarian company Vidima, the Russian company Varion, have recommended themselves in the plumbing industry.

Construction markets for the "retro" style offer products made from copper, bronze or brass. The use of metal in its pure form is impractical and rarely used, in most cases using alloys. Bronze is an alloy of copper with tin or other metals, brass is a compound of copper and zinc. The cost of faucets in the "retro" style of these materials is quite high (from 10 to 30 thousand rubles).Elite models, inlaid with inserts of expensive metals and stones, have a higher price. As a low-cost model is offered plumbing, made with a coating that simulates the aged non-ferrous metal. You can consider options for chrome steel and silumin.

Bronze in the faucets has a pleasant golden hue., looks antique, expensive and presentable. Not everyone can afford to buy more and wash from a similar material. Bronze is durable and strong, products from it reach us from the most distant ancestors. Copper looks great, it is plastic and malleable, but does not have a sufficiently strong structure. With daily use it can lose its aesthetic appearance, as it is easily exposed to mechanical stress. Scuffs and scratches will be visible on the surface of the product. In addition, copper is oxidized and requires special care.

Retro style faucets are also made from cheaper materials.For the manufacture of chrome products used silumin - an alloy of aluminum and silicon, it does not oxidize, but does not have sufficient strength. But products from this material are short-lived. By durable and more expensive materials can be attributed to stainless steel. Zinc is a brittle inexpensive metal, prone to corrosion.

Granite looks beautiful, it is multicolored, it is easy to pick up to the interior, has an antibacterial composition, durable, resistant to corrosion. Chromium covering the metal has an almost mirror appearance, does not oxidize, does not corrode, but fingerprints remain on the surface. Chrome with granite looks very attractive, used for different plumbing options. For the “Retro Lux” models the case of the mixer is covered with a yellow coating imitating gold. On such products are visible fingerprints, but they are easily removed.

Bronze, copper and brass faucets have good reviews, perfectly support retrospective in the kitchen and bathroom, but this effect completely disappears in combination with a stainless steel sink. Not everyone can buy a washbasin from non-ferrous metal,good ceramic wash or stone products (or its imitation).

Retro style faucets stand out for their original look and peculiar color. To place them in the interior you need to have good taste and imagination. Washing in a similar style enhances the accent. It would be nice to highlight the mixer and sink from the overall situation of the kitchen, place them separately from the working area. It is also possible to emphasize retro-products with the help of light or finishing material in the area of ​​their presence.

Even if you do not select the mixer and the sink from the general situation, they will still draw attention to themselves with a fascinating appearance:

• the mixer is made in the form of a vintage phone;

• options of mixers in the style of "retro" with a stylized sink;

• antique black bronze faucet;
• gold color, suitable for the styles of "empire" and classical;

• swivel spout brass blender;
• high single lever basin tap;

• faucet in the style of "retro" for the bathroom, fits the classic style, as well as the "loft";
• original bronze faucet for the kitchen.

Retro style faucets are suitable for special situations, they are out of place in ultramodern interiors. In the style of "retro" using natural materials, which creates warmth and comfort in the room.

How to choose a mixer, see the next video.