A good kitchen faucet can be hard to find. To take the guesswork out of shopping for fixtures, we asked members of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory for their all-time favorite modern versions. Their picks run from high to low, some surprisingly affordable.
Above: For clients on a budget, Tim Whitehill of Alterstudio Architecture in Austin likes the clean lines of the Grohe Concetto faucet, which starts at $183.37 on Amazon. Cameron Helland of SF architecture firm Sagan Piechota seconds the pick, and Remodelista contributor Izabella Simmons chose the Concetto for her own kitchen (see High/Low: Dornbracht vs. Grohe Kitchen Faucet).
Above: Alice Park of Park McDonald architects in LA chose the made-in-Italy Paini Cox faucet as her affordable pick. (N.B.: Paini is also known as La Toscana in the US.) The faucet starts at $231 at Quality Bath.
Above: Jerome Buttrick of Buttrick Wong Architects likes the Wall-Mounted Pot Filler Faucet from Chicago Faucets; it has hot and cold lever handles and a double-jointed spout; $243.28 at Faucet Direct. (It's also the faucet Remodelista editor in chief Julie has in her kitchen; see 10 Easy Pieces: Editors' Favorite Kitchen Faucets.)
Above: Tim Whitehill of Alterstudio recommends the Blanco Alta Single Lever Faucet at the lower end of the price range; $284.11 at Quality Bath.
Above: Lauren Rubin of NYC firm Lauren Rubin Architecture always opts for function first in kitchen faucets. "Most of our clients are families and the faucet will get well used," she says. Her pick is the Hansgrohe Talis S 2-Spray Kitchen Faucet for its clean lines and functionality. (It's shown here in chrome; Rubin recommends the Steel Optik finish to keep fingerprints at bay.) Starting at $297.65 on Amazon.
Above: Cameron Helland of Sagan Piechota likes the Minta Touch pull-down faucet from Grohe, starting at $417.56 for the chrome finish from Faucet Direct.
Above: Jennifer Beningfield of Openstudio Architects in London uses the Axor Citterio faucet from Hansgrohe in budget-conscious projects; $440.64 on Amazon.
Above: Celeste Robbins of Robbins Architecture in Winnetka, Illinois, is a fan of Dornbracht's entire line of faucets—but her favorite is the Meta.02; $875.06 at Quality Bath. (For the wall-mounted version, see Faucets & Fixtures: Dornbracht Meta.02 Kitchen Faucet.)
Above: The Tara Classic Single Lever faucet from Dornbracht is the hands-down favorite of the architects we polled: It's the first pick of Tim Whitehill and Alice Park, and loved by Krista Schrock of DISC Interiors and Jon Handley of Pulltab Design for having "classic lines and being beautifully made." The Tara starts at $913.64 in polished chrome at Quality Bath.
Above: Arne Jacobsen's Vola Faucet is the choice of Openstudio's Jennifer Beningfield and SF architect Amee Allsop. Says Allsop: "It's a timeless classic designed in the 1960s." Above L: The Vola in an Openstudio project. Above R: A black-finished Vola in a kitchen by Allsop. Starting at $1,346.25 for the two-handled faucet at Quality Bath. For the Vola in living color, see 11 Favorites: Vola Faucet Color Splash, Kitchen and Bath Edition.
More faucet shopping guides to consider:
- 10 Easy Pieces: Editors' Favorite Kitchen Faucets
- 5 Favorites: Brass Faucets for the Kitchen
- 10 Easy Pieces: Best Budget Kitchen Faucets
- 10 Easy Pieces: Commercial-Style Kitchen Faucets
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