Carron Phoenix’s new Dante Spiral tap pays homage to a professional style catering tap, with an ornamental wire spiral detail complementing the curves of the classic arc-shaped spout. The tap is one of the nine new styles launched during the summer as part of Carron’s portfolio update for 2011.

As the year draws to a close, the market remains much the same as twelve months ago: the top end is holding up and so is the value-oriented bottom end, but it’s the middle that’s being squeezed the most. Manufacturers are locked into a constant cycle of promotions to tempt the customer into parting with his or her cash.

Building on the continued success of the classic HydroTap, instant boiling and chilled filtered drinking water systems, Zip Heaters, the world market leaders in instant boiling water, has increased its range appeal with the HydroTap All-In-One. The ultimate in convenience, and with a stylish look, this range delivers instant boiling and chilled filtered drinking water PLUS hot, cold or mixed warm water for sink use, all from a single tap.

The British manufacturing heritage is the central theme of the new luxury kitchen taps range by Abode. Inspiration for the collection comes from the classic era of British design and manufacture – refined and distinct! The dual lever Astbury Bridge mixer tap reflects a golden era in brassware design, with its curvaceous shapes and fluid lines forged in the past, but with the technology utilised in its manufacture, very much today.

Echoing the latest trend for minimal design in the kitchen, the new Slate brassware range from Damixa has a single lever ceramic cartridge to ensure smooth, effortless operation. With its high quality chrome finish and slate grey lever handle, this range is packed with special functions. Featuring Damixa’s innovative X-Change system, enabling the look of the tap to be changed in seconds without the need for any special tools, its built-in Eco-Save function which offers a physical resistance to full flow helps households to save water.

Hudson Reed launches Strike, a new range of bathroom brassware featuring a stunning slot spout. Strike is a mixer range for today that echoes the clean lines of the minimalist movement, yet tempered by the subtle curves that meet the needs for greater comfort in the bathroom. The slotted spout featured across the range adds a new look and in use, produces a glittering cascade of water that is a pleasure to use.

The latest tap innovation at the forefront of the Astracast brand is its Springflow® concept. The leading sinks and taps brand has developed a range of easy to install designs that produce healthier, cleaner and tastier water. Astracast’s Springflow® collection is comprised of a selection of stylish designs, all of which offer hot, cold and filtered water. The technology works to reduce levels of chlorine by up to 99% along with traces of unwanted pesticides.

Worthy of a place in any modern bathroom is the stylish Lush tapware – one of several new additions to the Deva Contemporary Collection from Methven – sure to turn heads with its sophisticated blend of sharp lines and smooth curves in polished chrome. The eye-catching Lush range includes two mono basin mixers; one standard, and one tall, offering perfect proportions for bathrooms small and large.

Three new mixer taps in chrome from BLANCO have distinctively different designs but they all feature a practical pull-out head on a flexi hose, with temperature controlled by the tap. The hose adds to the flexibility of the taps, making it very easy to wash fruit and vegetables, fill buckets and tall flower vases and reach every part of the sink for cleaning. It also makes all three new taps a perfect choice for use with undermount bowls.

Intrinsically British and respected the world over for harnessing innovative design talent, Triflow Concepts is proud to launch the Triflow Quadro System; a revolutionary 4-way water-delivery system. The patented single spout system is capable of delivering not only hot and cold water, but also hot and cold filtered water through a dedicated waterway thus avoiding cross-contamination.

Roca is the leading global bathroom brand, not only renowned for its cutting edge design and technology but also for its commitment to the environment which puts it at the forefront of the industry. Brassware is a key element in Roca’s extensive product portfolio, water saving technology is integral to their design and all Roca’s single lever taps come with a lifetime guarantee on the ceramic disc cartridges.

Perrin & Rowe is a UK manufacturer of the finest quality brassware for the kitchen and bathroom and has recently extended its portfolio by producing a collection of premium sanitaryware. With an offering that is completely governed by its prestigious heritage, all Perrin & Rowe products are manufactured to exacting standards only in the UK.

The sleek new digital Identity range from VADO is a guaranteed talking piece for any installation, be it at home or in a commercial property.

The flow and temperature of the water is operated by a digital touch screen control. The colours of the display also dictate the temperature of the water so as well as looking amazing there are also major safety benefits. The range also boasts a very large selection of styles from flat to square, waterfall spouts to closed spouts, deck mounted to wall mounted and complete with thermostatic shower valves; Identity has a style for everyone’s personality.

Leading taps and showers expert Bristan has announced the launch of ‘Rare by Bristan’, a new range of showers, taps and shower accessories, which will be exclusively available to independent specialist retail customers.

Featuring seven new co-ordinated jewel-themed ranges, the Rare collection offers distinctive yet affordable designs that represent a range of contemporary bathroom style trends from across the world.

Axor Citterio M has been unmistakably designed by the precise hand of Italian designer and architect Antonio Citterio: the design language is highly sophisticated and well-thought out right down to the finest details, and harmoniously links soft curves with flat surfaces.

The latest tap in the Frances Pegler portfolio is the Panacea.  Appropriately named after the Greek goddess of healing, Panacea has a distinctly and unashamedly European vogue, to deliver a design and a look that is new to the UK market. Yet despite its innovative design, Panacea still keeps its simple functionality, it operates on low to medium pressure and retains adjustable flow straighteners and click action waste.

The new range of Reign brassware from Hudson Reed introduces an elegant cascade of water from an open curved spout.

Reign takes the everyday action of filling a bath or basin and changes it to the new sensory pleasure of a tranquil cascade of water falling through a gently curved open spout.  This soothing sensation of flowing water adds a new dimension to bathing pleasure, the trade mark of Reign mixers.

Carron Phoenix has unveiled its elegant Tulipano Grande tap - one of the eight new tap additions to the company’s portfolio for 2011.

The epitome of contemporary styling, Tulipano Grande is pitched to appeal to the discerning mid-top end consumer looking for a statement tap without compromising on functionality.

The TIPUS P pillar tap from SCHELL combines fashionable minimalist elegance with touch control and water saving features; it is equally suited for use in domestic, commercial and public situations.

Activated simply by touching the top of the pillar to operate the piezoelectric control - integrated into the body of the tap to make it vandal-proof - flow can be terminated by a second pressure on the button or with the fail-safe of an electronic timer that can be set at anything from four seconds to two minutes flow time.

The new Tahi Twin-Lever tapware range from Methven has been awarded the ‘red dot’ seal of quality for design. Tahi Twin-Lever tapware with its signature individual lever control of hot and cold water, can reduce the unnecessary use of hot water with resulting energy efficiency.

The Alvero brassware range from Crosswater offers a contemporary spin on a classic tap design and is designed to coordinate with any of today’s exciting bathroom designs.

The traditional model, which features the ever-popular cross handle, brings together style and functionality to offer a practical yet fashionable collection.

Leading sink and tap specialist Caple introduces the industrially styled Robo tap from its comprehensive portfolio.

Meticulously designed, the bold and masculine lines of the Robo tap create a striking statement in any kitchen.  Tough and dynamic, the stainless steel Robo tap can take on the daily demands put upon a frequently used tap.   

Damixa’s Profile brassware range adds faultless elegance to any kitchen or bathroom, with a thoroughly contemporary design that is characterised by a smooth, flat surface, perfect cylindrical body and chrome finish. Profile is one of many Damixa brassware ranges that features the manufacturer’s innovative X-Change system, enabling Damixa mixer taps to be swapped for a whole new look in under 20 seconds without the need for any special tools or having to switch off the water supply.

Advancements in technology over the past few years mean that taps are now much more than simply a source of water and modern brassware is now a design feature in its own right.

The UK’s largest designer and manufacturer of kitchen sinks and taps, Astracast, has launched Finesse to its collection of Springflow filtered taps.

Using filters positioned in the base unit below the sink, Astracast’s Springflow taps offer hot, cold and filtered water by purely changing the direction of the lever or in some cases, by using a third handle.

Responding to the growing awareness of filtration taps within the hospitality market, Carron Phoenix has introduced the Dante model at a competitive price point, aimed at opening up filtration options to the specifier. Dante is the first filter tap within Carron’s range to offer two different filter options with one specifically for hard water areas.

Designed for easy fitting, the TF10 single lever filter tap from CDA delivers hot, cold and filtered water. It is fitted with a ceramic disc cartridge so the lever moves smoothly and easily. The tap operates at a minimum pressure of 0.5 bar so is suitable for most installations. Water is filtered by a cartridge unit that is installed beneath the sink.

InSinkErator’s stylish steaming hot water taps provide instant 98° filtered hot water at the touch of a lever – producing up to 100 cups per hour; the HC1100 also provides filtered cold water.

An unobtrusive design, the hot taps feature an instant self-closing water valve that ensures automatic shut-off and can be mounted on the kitchen work surface or sink.

Intrinsically British and respected the world over for harnessing innovation and engineering excellence, Triflow Concepts launched two new ranges of products in 2010: the Triflow Quadro System, a revolutionary 4-way water-delivery system and the Triflask, a portable and sleek water flask.

Dispensing 100°C water, the Quooker tap speeds up many of the functions carried out on the hob including boiling eggs, cooking pasta, blanching vegetables, reconstituting soups and gravy granules or sterilising a baby bottle. It is invaluable if boiling water is needed for cleaning tasks.

Convenient, healthy and kinder to the environment – let the Franke Little Butler 2000 cold filtered and hot water tap ease the pressure in the kitchen. On-demand hot water taps are obvious time-savers in the kitchen but few consumers realise that they are energy-savers too. Once the water is 88ºc, the Franke Little Butler 2000 keeps it hot via its super-efficient insulation, meaning it uses a fraction of the energy of a regular kettle which heats from cold every time.

GROHE Blue® is the new filtered water solution that will provide you with delicious tasting water straight from the tap eliminating the need to buy bottled water. It is equipped with a carbon filter which removes hard metals such as lead and copper from water to make it taste and smell better, even in hard water areas within the UK.

The new Zip HydroTap All-In-One range delivers instant boiling and chilled filtered drinking water plus hot, cold or mixed warm water for sink use. A longer reach, 120o swivel spout allows greater siting flexibility.

The use of counter mounted taps to provide instant boiling and chilled filtered water can save both time and energy whilst eliminating the need to buy expensive bottled water, says David Bradbrook, Marketing Director of Zip Heaters UK.

Triflow Concepts is launching new product ranges at 100% Design this September including the Triflow Quadro System - a revolutionary four-way water-delivery system