Shopping for Bathroom Faucets

Finding the right bathroom faucet is easier said than done.

“Very often, there’s no middle ground between ‘Downton Abbey’ and ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’” said Frances Merrill, the founder of Reath Design, in Los Angeles. Many fixtures seem yawningly old-fashioned, she noted, while others are too futuristically modern.

For those looking for something in between, however, there is good news: The current trend is toward faucets with simplified, classic shapes and a subtle industrial look.

Another promising development: The recent craze for brass taps has helped break chrome’s headlock on bathroom hardware.

“It really opened people up to looking at different finish options,” Ms. Merrill said, from unconventional metal colors like copper, titanium and matte black to handles in contrasting materials like crystal and stone. “It’s now a place where you can dig in and find some fun things.”