The kitchen sink is the centre of activity in on of the busiest rooms in the house; the place where food is prepared, the washing up is done, home economy is discussed and much more. It only makes sense that you should choose a long-lasting, functional, and easy to maintain kitchen sink and matching mixers or tapware.

With the arrival of popular cooking shows, the kitchen and its sinks are more popular than they’ve ever been. If you’re serious about working in the kitchen, it’s crucial that your sinks, taps and drain boards are properly suited to the work you want to do in the kitchen.

Taps are bought separately from sinks. When you’re choosing taps, the first thing you need to do is find something that matches your sink. Generic sinks and taps are normally perfectly compatible, but as you move up in price and design, you’ll find that compatibility changes. Some sinks and taps just won’t match at all, and some are designed with an unusual diameter, exclusively to fit a single style of sink.

Beyond basic compatibility, you also need to consider the configuration of the tap in relation to the sink. If you have a single lever mixer, will it be installed in the centre, the right or the left? Will you have a tap in the centre and a soap dispenser on the right or left? Or if you’re planning on installing a pull out tap, where is the best spot to put it?

Today any sink in any given kitchen may have single lever mixer taps, pull-out taps, built-in garbage disposal units, wastes with in-built strainers, instantaneous boiling water on tap, under-sink water purifiers, filters or soap dispensers. All this, before you’ve even given a thought to the style you might like. How you want to use the kitchen will determine what else you need.

You would also have to look for the right design of both the kitchen sink and kitchen mixer taps that will compliment everything else that is already installed in your kitchen. Aside from the materials used in the sink and the mixer taps, you should also go for those that come with other essential accessories.

In choosing the right set of kitchen mixer taps for your kitchen, make sure that you consider not only its style and its added features, but also its finish. Mixer taps for kitchens are available in a wide variety of styles including single-level mixers and dual-control mixers.

In order for you to install the right set of kitchen mixer taps most appropriate for your kitchen requirements, you need to compare the features of the different styles available. If you plan to install a new multi-bowl kitchen sink, you should consider getting taps that have the ability of swiveling up to 180 degrees. High level spouts are ideal if you mostly use large pots and pans in cooking. These kitchen taps are also available in different finishes such as chrome, which are durable; polished brass; which are easy to maintain; and nickel, which are attractive but require more cleaning time.

So when choosing your kitchen tapware, make sure you take these tips into consideration. Make sure you discuss your ideas with the staff at the shops you visit to get the best information on their products and what might suit you best. Happy tap hunting!