If you’ve ever paid attention to the way a restaurant’s dishwash areas is designed, you’ve probably seen that those high-volume sinks come with special wash equipment — a retractable, pullout spray wand comes standard. No one says you can’t have that in your own kitchen at home. Those high, special-design arched faucets allow large, bulky pots in when you need to wash them sometimes, and those spray wands can be useful for everything from awkwardly shaped pasta bowls to babies and pets.
If you’re planning on a quick spring kitchen makeover, this is the kind of creative choice that you should look for. These are improvements that bring you excellent returns on your investment, simply because they tend to be inexpensive, and are quickly able to add a touch of easy glamor to your kitchen.
Get a side spray
Spray ware is big in kitchens today. If you feel that a full-fledged pullout spray wand would look too flamboyant in your kitchen, you can simply have a side spray installed — a little retractable hand spray that sits right alongside the main faucet, fully folded in. When you need a little extra firepower in your dishwashing, you simply yank it out.
You should probably get chrome
Your kitchen duties can eat up a lot of your time. You don’t want to design anything into your kitchen that makes it harder to maintain. Beautiful, heavy brass kitchen faucets are one such idea. While brass can look golden and pretty at first, it can quickly tarnish. You’ll have a job on your hands trying to maintain the shine. Brass faucets contain lead, as well. If you do get brass, you should make sure that the manufacturer’s safety declaration states no more than 8% lead; the less the better.
Standard chrome plating tends to be far more durable, and easier to maintain. If you really love the golden hue, though, many vendors offer artificial brass finishes. You could also consider getting powder-coated faucets. These brightly colored units are the latest in faucet design.
A little tech can’t hurt
Sensor-activated faucets can be more than just convenient; they can save water, and allow for greater independence. Whether you have elderly parents who come by or little children who find it hard to reach the faucet handles by themselves, these automated devices offer freedom, and more than a little fun.
Look into accessorizing
If your kitchen sink has more than one hole, you could add a few useful automated accessories. Ideas for useful sink fixtures could include a soap dispenser, an air switch for the garbage disposal, or even a switch for the water filtration system.
The idea with kitchen faucets today isn’t just to get something that looks pretty. It’s to get something that looks like you’ve been creative. Luckily, with the range of products available, it isn’t hard at all to do this.