Phoenix Nostalgia Tapware

Phoenix Nostalgia tapware buying guide

Phoenix Nostalgia is a traditional tapware range, with a shepherd's crook or gooseneck spout, a crosshead or lever handle and a solid brass body. This page holds the Nostalgia basin mixers, sink mixers, exposed shower sets, bath fittings, three piece sets and the matching towel rails, robe hooks, shelves and toilet roll holders, in chrome, brushed nickel and black, with a white handle option. The guide below explains the look of the range, how to choose the spout and its reach, how the handles work, what the range includes, and how to look after it.

What the Nostalgia range is

The Nostalgia is made for rooms that lean to a classic look, such as a Hamptons bathroom, a farmhouse kitchen, a heritage home, and a room with a vintage vanity or a freestanding bath. The shapes come from traditional taps: a long curved spout, a handle with a cross or a lever form, a round base and a plain, rounded body. The body is brass, and most of the range is chrome, with brushed nickel and black as alternatives.

It is a style choice more than a technical one. The cartridge and the connections are the same kind as in a modern mixer, so the tap works like any other single lever or handle tap. What differs is the look, and the way the handle sits in the hand. If you want a plainer, modern shape from the same maker, see Phoenix taps and Phoenix tapware for the other ranges.

Shepherd's crook or gooseneck

The two spout shapes are the signature of the range. A shepherd's crook spout rises from the base and curves over in a smooth hook, like the crook of a staff, and it ends pointing down into the basin. A gooseneck spout rises in a tall, narrow arch, with a more upright line. The crook has a softer, more traditional look, and the gooseneck is taller and more open, which suits a deep sink or a basin where you fill a jug.

Both come in different reaches, and the reach is how far the spout stands out over the bowl. A shorter spout, near 120mm, suits a small basin or a narrow vanity. The mid length near 160mm is the usual choice for a standard basin. The longest, near 220mm, suits a kitchen sink or a deep laundry tub. Check the reach against the bowl, so the water lands near the drain, and many of the crook spouts swivel, so one tap can serve two bowls.

Cross handles and levers

The Nostalgia uses crosshead handles on its tap sets and wall assemblies. A crosshead handle has four arms and turns through several turns, and it looks like a classic tap. The mixers use a lever, and a lever is quicker to use with a wet hand, so it suits a sink or a basin that is used often. The handle can be metal or have a white insert on some models, which gives a heritage look with a clean contrast.

A cross handle and a lever do different jobs. A lever controls flow and temperature with one hand, and a pair of cross handles controls the hot and the cold separately. Choose the handle for the way the tap is used, and for the room. A lever mixer suits a family kitchen, and a pair of cross handles suits a vanity where the look matters more than speed.

Nostalgia in the bathroom

A hob mounted basin mixer stands on the vanity or the basin, and the Nostalgia basin mixers come in crook and gooseneck forms. See basin mixers for the wider group. A three piece set has a spout in the centre and a handle on each side, and it suits a basin with three holes. See three piece bath sets and three piece sink sets for those from all brands.

For the shower, the range has exposed shower sets and wall showers, with the pipework on show, and the wall top assemblies that sit on the wall beside a bath or a basin. See wall top assemblies and shower mixers. A bath filler, in a freestanding or a deck form, completes the set. See bath fillers for those. The basin and bath outlets in the range are shepherd's crook shapes, and see Phoenix spouts.

Nostalgia in the kitchen

The sink mixers are the practical side of the range. They come as gooseneck mixers, with a fixed spout, and as pull out mixers, with a head that draws out on a hose. The 220mm reach suits a deep sink, and the shorter reach suits a bench with a window behind it. See sink mixers, gooseneck sink mixers and pull out sink mixers, and classical sink mixers for traditional mixers from all brands.

A kitchen sink mixer should clear the window sill and any overhead cabinet. Measure the height of the spout against what is above the tap before you order, particularly with a gooseneck. Check that the sink has a hole of the right size for a single hole mixer.

Planning a traditional bathroom around the taps

A traditional tap looks right when the room around it agrees with it. A freestanding bath, a pedestal or a furniture style vanity, panelled walls, subway tiles and a framed mirror all suit the Nostalgia shapes. A flat, handleless vanity and a large format tile suit a plainer modern tap better. Decide the room style first, and choose the tap to match, not the other way round. See Hamptons style for the wider look.

The spout reach matters more on a traditional basin, because many of them are shallower than a modern bowl. A long crook over a small basin throws water against the back. Measure the bowl, and mock up the spout with a strip of card before you order. On a furniture style vanity with a back panel, check that the handle has room to lift or turn without touching the panel.

Accessories in the range

The Nostalgia range goes beyond taps. It has single and double towel rails, hand towel holders, robe hooks, toilet roll holders and a glass shelf, all in the same shapes and finishes. Choosing the accessories from the same range as the taps keeps the room consistent, because the metals match and the details repeat. See Phoenix towel rails, Phoenix robe hooks and Phoenix toilet roll holders.

Finishes

Chrome is the standard finish, and the largest group. It is bright, easy to clean and easy to match to other fittings. Brushed nickel is a soft silver that hides water marks and fingerprints better than polished chrome. Black is a strong, traditional choice, and the black Nostalgia taps suit a Hamptons kitchen or a bathroom with white tiles. See black taps for more in that finish. A white handle with a chrome body gives a heritage look.

Match the finish to the other metal in the room: the waste, the shower rail, the handles and the light fittings. The traditional style suits chrome and nickel in a pale, light room, and black in a room with timber and white. See traditional style for the wider style group.

Materials

The body is brass, and a part of the range is lead free brass. A tap that supplies water for the basin and the kitchen sink is in contact with water you wash with and cook with, so lead free brass is the better choice where it is offered. Some accessories in the range are metal. Check the material and the compliance marks on the model you choose.

Water flow and installation

Taps sold in Australia carry a WELS rating for water efficiency, and it differs between models, so check the rating for the exact tap. An aerator mixes air into the stream, so the water feels full and splashes less. A hob mounted tap is fixed through the hole in the basin or the bench with a nut underneath, and a wall mounted tap is fixed to the wall with the pipes behind the tile.

Plumbing work has to be done by a licensed plumber. The installation sheet supplied with the tap is the reference for the connection and the fixings. For a wall tap or an exposed shower, the pipe position has to be set before the tiles go on. Give the plumber the details of the set early, and check the heights and the spacing before the wall is closed.

Care

Wipe the tap with a soft, damp cloth and mild soap, and dry it with a soft cloth to prevent water marks. Do not use abrasive pads, bleach or strong cleaners, because they can damage a brushed or black finish. Clean the aerator if the flow becomes uneven. A mixer that drips when it is shut, a lever that has become stiff or a temperature that is hard to control points to the cartridge, which a plumber can replace. Have the range name and the finish ready.

Questions to settle before you order

• Do you want a shepherd's crook spout or a gooseneck?
• How far does the spout need to reach to land the water near the drain?
• Do you want a lever mixer, or a pair of cross handles?
• Is the tap hob mounted or wall mounted, and has the plumber agreed the position?
• Which finish matches the rest of the metal in the room?
• Do you want the towel rails and hooks in the same range?

Related pages

For the Phoenix range as a whole, see Phoenix tapware. For the taps from every brand, start at taps.