Five Trends in Bathtub Faucets in 2015

While much of the time spent in a bathroom can be harried and frantic (especially if you're running late in the morning), taking a bath serves a different purpose beyond simply getting clean. If you're into taking baths, you know the relaxation that can come from a lovely bubble bath or letting your sore muscles soak in the hot water. Though bathtubs seem to be less popular due to people's overall busyness, they're still a central part of most bathrooms. That's why it is important to make sure you have the best possible bathroom faucets installed. Here are five trends that will help guide your choice of bathtub faucets when upgrading or remodeling your bathroom:

• Finish. From chrome to gold-plated, oil-rubbed metals or plain, matte or shiny, textured or smooth, you've got a range of finishes to choose from when it comes to your bathtub faucets. While chrome tends to be the most likely to be purchased, custom finishes are more popular with people doing remodels. Be sure to blend finishes with other items in the room, and take into consideration the entire group of finishes there. Then select a bathtub faucet that matches or complements what you already have elsewhere.

• Style. Pay attention to the style you're looking to achieve in the bathroom as a whole, and select a bathtub faucet to continue the theme. For example, choose a sleek nickel faucet if you're going for an elegant, modern feel. Alternately, an oil-rubbed bronze faucet would perfectly complement an Old World-themed bathroom.

• Water-efficient. These days, sustainability and being environmentally popular are larger trends at play that can be achieved in some simple ways inside your home. For example, replace your old bathtub faucets with low-flow faucet alternatives, which can help you reduce your water usage by up to 35%. The cost to install them is often comparable to conventional faucets, plus you may actually save money on your monthly utility bill as well—a win for the environment, and a win for you.

• Functional features. All bathtub faucets are not created equal. Many people are now purchasing faucets with features that help them stay clean and prevent water leaks, such as integrated ceramic disks within the fixture that grind away the buildup that causes these leaks. Other popular faucets include those that kill bacteria and those that are motion-activated (although these are more likely to be used for sink faucets, not bathtub faucets).

• Natural shapes. According to HGTV, a big trend in bathtub faucets is those that incorporate nature's shapes and patterns—for example, one that copies how water arcs from a fountain, one that looks like bamboo cane, one that resembles the top of a pineapple, and much more.