Fancy faucets add proper finishing touch

"Seize the moments of happiness, love and be loved! That is the only reality in the world, all else is folly." Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), Russian writer and philosopher, "War and Peace"

It's odd how things we use or see every day -- and never pay any attention to -- suddenly become top of mind. Very often you never really think about something in your house or your daily life until it doesn't work or is causing you some inconvenience. And then, it's all-consuming. You can't think about anything else until the situation is resolved.

So, I'm consumed this day with my bathroom faucets. They still work fine, but I just don't want them anymore. The finish is not what I would buy now, the style doesn't suit me anymore and, quite frankly, they're just annoying. Poor faucets, they continue to do their job, but that's not enough. I want something new, glitzy and more stylish.

In my quest to upgrade this little bathroom accent, I've been searching around in home stores, looking online and just window shopping. There are literally thousands of faucets and thousands of price points. Prices range from less than $100 to literally $1,000 plus. And this is just for the garden variety, not the souped-up ones.

One such souped-up one that I found is manufactured by THG; it features "Bernardaud porcelain decorated with butterflies, stamped with metallic accents and even drizzled with garlands of black and gold bay leaves." Yippee! The literature goes on to say that what is most striking about this particular collection is the design maxim they represent, which is clearly "anything goes." Other faucets manufactured by THG are "swathed in Hermes leather and Lalique crystal."

These are clearly uptown faucets and, sadly, they would be out of place in my bathroom. However, there are thousands of others to choose from.

In browsing the Web for faucets, one little bit of wisdom jumped out from www.millinnealliving.com. "The good news is that all, except the cheapest faucets, can last a lifetime and rarely leak. Take a little time and find a faucet that you like since it's going to be with you for a long time." That's very good advice.

Millinneal Living went on to say that American manufacturers like Kohler, American Standard and Delta offer a good selection, and that even the more expensive European faucets by Grohe, Hansgrohe or Porcelanosa can be found on the Internet at deeply discounted prices so look around.

Here are some tips the site offered when shopping for a faucet, regardless of your budget.

* Look for a ceramic cartridge, ball or disk valve faucet if it is in your budget. If not, look for stainless steel and brass since they also last a long time.

The faucet box generally will tell you the kind of valve the faucet has. If the box does not reveal the composition of the cartridge, don't buy it. Most manufacturers will go out of their way to say their product is ceramic, ball or disk valve. If they don't, it's probably not a good faucet.

* Say no to plastic. Plastic has no place in a sink fixture. Look for brass metal construction and avoid plastic on handles, which over time turns yellow. Good faucets feel heavy and very solid.

If you are not sure how heavy it should feel, ask the salesman or clerk to see a hose bib (the outside faucet your hose attaches to). These are almost always heavy, solid brass. Your faucet should be at least this heavy.

* Turn the handle or handles fully on and off in the showroom. The operation should be smooth with no hitches, and certainly no scratching or grinding noises. Try a very expensive faucet and then a cheaper one. You'll notice the difference.

If the handle seems to bind or stiffen in certain positions, there is probably a problem with the faucet. Don't buy it.

So there you have it; you are now fully armed to go faucet shopping.

Meanwhile, I'm still looking. I wonder if that porcelain number comes with monkeys ... in a tree ... wearing red vests? Now that would make me happy. I'll keep you posted.

Carolyn Muse Grant is the founding president of the Architectural & Decorative Arts Society, as well as an interior design consultant/stylist specializing in home staging. Her Inside Spaces column appears weekly in the Home section of the Review-Journal. Send questions to creativemuse@cox.net.