Retro style faucets: a fashionable old man in the bathroom

Retro mixers admire their original appearance, emphasize the wealth and respectability of the owners. In addition, they are pleasantly surprised by the functionality that meets all the requirements of modern plumbing. Those who managed to appreciate the beauty and charm of these products, leave rave reviews on the Internet.

The industry appreciated the population’s nostalgic styles of the past. Therefore, almost every well-known manufacturer has developed its own collection of retro mixers.

Choosing the plumbing in the style of "retro", pay attention not only to the appearance of the product. They attach importance to the design, type of control, forms, metal, color. To determine the choice, it is necessary to consider all these categories.

Under the presentable appearance with a touch of antiquity and aristocracy lies modern multifunctional plumbing.

She has different types of management.

• The single-valve mixer is endowed with one supply for hot and cold water.
• The two-valve, despite one spout, delivers cold and hot water. It is equipped with two cranes.
• Single lever, or joystick, can have ball valves. Pressure and water temperature is regulated by a lever.
• For supplying filtered water, the mixer can have two spouts.

• For the purpose of hygiene, models with a contactless spout have been developed, which works with a tray of hands.
• If the mixer comes with a shower, you should choose a watering can, endowed with an active diffuser. It will save water consumption.
• Faucets can be equipped with aerator, retractable spout, backlight, nozzle for hydromassage, touch controls. The appearance of devices that imitate old plumbing should have a modern "stuffing" and create the usual comfort for a man of our time.

"Antique" plumbing often perform in the form of a refined curved spout on a high leg.It can be decorated with animal figurines, patterned side by side, decorative elements of the past, it can look like a vintage telephone or a tulip. There are also shortened massive versions with a nostalgic tint of non-ferrous metals.

• Wall horizontal method involves the location of the mixer on the wall near the bath.
• A fully embedded version of the mask in the wall. In sight remain valve and spout.
• In large rooms, if this is required by the designer’s design, the bath is installed in the middle of the room. In such cases, use floor fasteners, the mixer is mounted on a long rack.
• Swivel spout suitable for use in the bath and over the sink.

There is an opinion that a retro mixer should have only a yellow-red tonality of non-ferrous metals. In reality, the color palette is more extensive. Brass, copper and other metals can surprise both with their pristine hues, and with a touch of oxides with an even more “aging” effect.

The market is well equipped with products in vintage style, which is made of various materials (copper, brass, bronze). It is impractical and expensive to use non-ferrous metals in their pure form, and in most cases they themselves are alloys. For example, bronze contains tin and copper, and brass consists of copper and zinc.

Most often produce faucets in the style of "retro", made by spraying technique for gold, silver, bronze. They win in cost and are not inferior in quality to expensive products from non-ferrous metals. Cheaper products are made of silumin and steel. The cost of luxury models rises because of the inlay of expensive stones, enamel, porcelain and precious metals (gold and silver inserts).

Let us dwell on the materials from which produce retro-mixers.

• Copper - not a good choice for the manufacture of sanitary ware because of excessive softness. It looks great in the interior, supports any style with a touch of romance and antiquity, but the practicality and versatility of modern faucets require a more durable material. Retro-style does not create plumbing of the past centuries, but only imitates it.Only modern technical devices made of reliable materials can contribute to a comfortable stay in the bathroom.
• Bronze plumbing reached us from the times of the ancient Romans. Beautiful, durable and durable metal with a copper-golden hue can create a rich classic interior. Who agrees to pay for luxury and good quality will choose bronze.

• Brass perfectly in contact with water, resistant to mechanical stress. It copes well with the loads of modern plumbing, it is easy to arrange "antique". Modern technologies allow to change the color range of material from light golden to almost black tones with a copper tint.
• Chromium is a low-cost material. If the product is structurally made "antique", it is quite possible to use it in stained glass styles. Steel and silumin are usually chromed. Steel belongs to more durable materials, and silumin is not prone to corrosion, as it is an alloy of aluminum and silicon.

Retro mixers will suit the classic, romantic style, “village” directions (Provence, Country), urban environment, which is an industrial variation of the last century. Each interior needs a special form of the mixer. With regard to colors, you should choose options that are in harmony with the environment.

In mixed styles, where the vintage orientation is not so pronounced, it is better to beat the retro mixer with a combination with other objects in the room, for example, with a lamp or a mirror in a copper frame.

Unusual shapes and noble shades of non-ferrous metals emphasize the magnificence of retro-style mixers.

• The original mixer, simulating the plumbing of the last century. Suitable for industrial styles.

• Hidden fastening form. Spout and taps are made of antique brass.
• Compact stylish black brass blender.

• Elegant retro bronze with a classic elongated spout.
• Porcelain in combination with copper gives the atmosphere a special home comfort.
• Beautiful brass product with floral patterns.

For a review of retro style mixers, see the following video.