How To Match a Faucet to a Sink (Tips and Tricks)

Giovanni Valle is a licensed architect and LEED-accredited professional and is certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). He is the author and managing editor of various digital publications, including BuilderSpace, Your Own Architect, and Interiors Place.

Choosing the correct faucet for your sink is essential for the overall look and feel of your bathroom, kitchen, or washroom. There are so many options that sometimes it can feel overwhelming to choose just one faucet – but there are ways to make these choices a lot easier.

Here are a few ways you can match a faucet to a sink:

Ask yourself four crucial questions.
The size of the faucet must match the size of the sink.
Bear in mind the room where the faucet will be installed.
Take into account the color and style of the surroundings.
Know which faucet goes with a double-bowl sink.
Know which faucet goes with a single-bowl sink.
Consider using a pull-out or pull-down faucet attachment.
Understand your sink configuration.

The space where the faucet will be, the type and style you’re looking for, and your budget are all important factors to consider when matching a tap to a sink. In the rest of this article, I’ll detail how you can do this successfully, depending on your particular situation.

1. Ask Yourself Four Crucial Questions

Before you go through the process of purchasing a faucet for your sink, you need to ask yourself a few questions first. By doing so, you’ll get a better idea of your needs and how you can buy a faucet that matches every aspect of your preferred lifestyle.

Here are the most basic questions you should ask yourself before choosing a faucet for your sink:

Who will be using the sink the most? This is essential if you need to consider the needs of young children in the household or anyone with a disability or poor eyesight.
What kind of sink basin do you have? Your choice of faucet depends on the type of sink basin you have, how much space it takes up, and the limitations you have.
Do you have environmental considerations? Many people nowadays care about how much water is used in their homes, so if you have these concerns, your choice of faucet will dictate the amount of water waste.
What type of budget is available to you? There are great faucet options for every sink and budget, so tailoring your choices to your budget is an excellent way to narrow down the possibilities.

Once you’ve answered all these questions, you can choose a faucet. Bearing all these in mind, it will inevitably be much easier for you to pick one that will suit you down to the ground.

2. The Size of the Faucet Must Match the Size of the Sink

Your ideal choice of faucet should match the size of the sink basin (or basins). A wrong-size faucet will create splashback or make it difficult to wash your hands or plates.

Nobody likes inconvenience – especially in the home. Splashes will cause difficulties with keeping your home clean.

If you have a huge kitchen sink and don’t have a dishwasher, you should be prepared for washing big pots and plates in the sink. In this case, you’re better off choosing a faucet with a long neck to accommodate these big pots and other kitchen utensils.

Conversely, if your bathroom sink basin is tiny, a longer neck might cause splashback every time you wash your hands. That’s sorely inconvenient, so opting for a faucet with a short neck is probably the best choice in this case.

There are many different shapes and sizes, so don’t feel that you are limited. Just make sure you choose one that serves the room’s purpose well.

3. Bear in Mind the Room Where the Faucet Will Be Installed

If you choose a faucet for your kitchen, then your sink basin is likely one of the main pieces of the room. Selecting a lovely style that fits into its surroundings – potentially as an accent piece – is essential to the overall characteristics of the room.

On the other hand, if you choose a faucet for your bathroom, the sink may need to blend in well with the surrounding cabinetry. In this case, you may not want your sink to stand out as much – and the sink should be smaller in the bathroom than the kitchen as well.

Here are a few things you need to consider if you’re choosing a faucet for your kitchen:

Choose between one-lever or two-lever faucets. Having two levers will help you control the temperature better.
Choose from contemporary, vintage, or transitional. This will help you narrow down your choices and consider your room style.
If you have a dishwasher in your kitchen, your faucet will need a special valve for the dishwasher. Additionally, if the sink is in the bathroom, it will need a valve for the washing machine. Bear this in mind before making a choice.

Keeping these in mind will help you make the right choice for your needs. Choosing the wrong type of facet for your lifestyle can be irritating, time-consuming, and ultimately cost you more money.

Life in the bathroom is slightly different from that in the kitchen, so consider the following if you’re choosing a faucet for your bathroom:

Most bathroom sinks have deck-mounted or wall-mounted faucets. These faucets are attached either to the sink basin itself or directly behind the wall. Consider the practicality of these styles before purchasing a new faucet.
Choosing two separate levers for hot and cold temperatures or one integrated faucet that combines the two. If you want more control over the temperature of the water, it’s better to have two levers.
If health and hygiene are a significant consideration for your family, consider a touchless model. Bathrooms are places of pristine hygiene, and if you have small children, then touchless might be the way forward for you.

Since bathrooms and kitchens have different practical applications and are used for very different purposes, it makes sense that the faucet you purchase needs to accommodate these applications.

4. Take Into Account the Color and Style of the Surroundings

If style and personal characteristics are essential to you and your family, your faucet – whichever room it’s in – needs to complement them. If your faucet is the wrong color or style, it may make the room look odd; however, this may not be a priority for you. In this case, you can choose your faucet based on practicality alone, since aesthetics are purely optional.

There are several different options for faucet finishes, all of which have their own advantages and disadvantages depending on what is important to you.

Here are a few of the options available to you:

Chrome. It’s one of the most popular choices because of its price and long-lasting nature. It also fits well with most designs. The only issue is that hard water can change the look of a chrome sink.
Bronze. This material is a great option, and lots of people love it because it doesn’t scratch easily and has a very tough nature. The only problem with a bronze finish is that it’s a bit like marmite – you either adore it or despise it.
Enamel. It’s a popular option because it comes in a wide variety of colors and finishes. Because of this diversity, it can go with many different kitchen styles. However, it damages easily if you use the sink to wash metal pots or other heavy things.
Stainless steel. It’s excellent for modern kitchens and looks great in a colorful room. However, if there isn’t a lot of color in the room, it might make it look dull.

These are just a few of the options available to you – but it just goes to show that there are so many options out there depending on your taste. Choosing the right color and type of faucet can change the outlook of a room.

5. Know Which Faucet Goes With a Double-Bowl Sink

Double-bowl basins are incredibly popular in kitchens, where washing up large pots and pans is the primary concern instead of just having a place to wash your hands.

If you love double-bowl sinks for their practicality, you need to choose a faucet that matches this. In a kitchen, double-bowl basins tend to go great with pull-down faucets, or detachable types, because they can reach a wider surface area.

If you don’t fancy a detachable faucet, you can always opt for a high-arc (or long-necked) faucet that you can move from side to side, reaching each side of the sink easily.

6. Know Which Faucet Goes With a Single-Bowl Sink

Unlike kitchens, most bathrooms have single-bowl sinks. It could be a space consideration, but it’s also likely because bathroom sinks are generally only used for washing your hands and face.

For a single-bowl sink, you generally don’t need a high-arc faucet – a short neck will do perfectly fine in a shallow bowl. You can decide where on your sink your tap will be sitting.

Generally speaking, you can decide your new faucet’s exact location and parameters by looking at the installation holes on your sink. The number of installation holes points to different types of faucets, so you must bear this in mind when choosing which one suits you.

7. Consider Using a Pull-Out or Pull-Down Faucet Attachment

For very modern kitchens, having a semi-detachable faucet is essential. If you choose a faucet for your bathroom, you probably won’t need one of these because of the nature of the sink and how you will use it – but for a kitchen with a more oversized sink, these can be invaluable.

Here are a few benefits of using a pull-out or pull-down faucet attachment:

If you prefer a vintage or more traditional style, having a detachable faucet won’t change this factor and may easily hide in the tap when it isn’t being used. That way, you won’t compromise the room’s look if you prefer a traditional environment.
Pull-down faucets are exceptionally simple to use, and the stream of water can be adapted to what you want to use it for. It’s excellent for washing dishes, filling a water glass, or cleaning out the sink itself.

It can be rotated in any direction you want, making it ideal for any purpose. This ensures that you can use it for whatever you like – even if it’s as simple as watering the plants on the windowsill behind the sink.
Detachable faucets make it very easy to clean the sink itself and the surrounding surfaces. This might save you time in the future.

Understand Your Sink Configuration

All sinks are different; with different shapes and sizes, different ways of fitting into a room, and varying numbers of holes where your faucet should go. To work out which faucet will go best with your sink, you will need to understand how your sink is configured.

To understand your sink configuration, you need to work out how many holes are available for your faucet, how far apart the holes are spaced, and how the sink is attached to the wall (if at all). This needs to be worked out for aesthetic reasons as well as for practical reasons.

Ensuring that your new faucet fits all the holes neatly is a good way to make sure that it will work the way you want it to. If there is a mounting plate already present on the sink, then you will need to choose a faucet that matches this.

The number of bowls you have in your sink is also a consideration when choosing an appropriate faucet. Make sure you know how your sink is set up, its size, and its structure before going ahead to choose a faucet.

Finally, you need to consider for what purposes your sink will be used. Your faucet is a reflection of its usage, so the design of the tap needs to complement this.

Conclusion

Choosing a faucet to match your sink doesn’t have to be difficult – as long as you keep in mind what room it will be in, what it will be used for, who will be using it, and what color scheme you want it to complement.