Faucet for your retro reno kitchen sink

I did a ton of online searching to find the faucet that would be just right for my vintage Kohler sink. I had a one-hole installation, and wanted a single handle faucet as I think it's a lot easier to control the hot/cold mix better. One problem that I found with most other faucets was that the spout was too short - like only 8". This one -- from Chicago Faucets -- is 10" long. And, I'll tell you -- it's a wonderful faucet. It's not inexpensive, in the $300 range -- but it has a tremendous "feel" -- it's nice and heavy and substantial. And considering that you use your kitchen faucet gazillions of times each day, I've always felt it was well, well worth it! Highly recommended!

Here's a link to buy one, you might find better deals elsewhere on the web: http://www.chicagofaucetshoppe.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=831

Bathroom faucets that are hands-down 50s style winners

God bless Mac the Antique Plumber.

These are my two favorite lavatory faucets for 1950s bathroom restorations/renovations. The shape of the faucet escutcheons (the bases of the handles, yes that's what they are called) are the most reminiscent of the wrecked faucets I pulled out of my original 1951 bathrooms. Both of these faucets are from Mac the Antique Plumber -- http://www.antiqueplumber.com/. They are not inexpensive, each around $250 on sale, but I found the quality to be excellent and Mac's had great customer service, too.

A note on the 8" "Mississippi" lav (the second featured). It is much larger in scale than a 50s lav faucet. If you are purchasing a sink to go with it, ensure you have adequate "deck" space on the sink. The Kohler cast iron self-rimming sinks recommended in my Jan. 29 blog look great with this sink.

Regarding the 4" "Deco" two-hole-mixer faucet shown, I have never seen anything to match this one. It was not available when I renovated my bathrooms, and instead, I had the original faucet rechromed for $115. It leaks to this day and is a real pain. I wish this had been available then, and may end up with it yet. Ugh to the brass, though. Go for chrome, for sure, or nickel if you must.

BTW Mac the Antique Plumber has some great kitchen sinks that I will showcase in a future post.