1

You've fallen in love with a sleek designer tap - but chances are, if you go into a showroom and ask, "Can I have that?" the answer could well be "no". The shop staff aren't being difficult, it's just that there may be considerable work involved in incorporating such a tap into your bathroom. Key criteria are your water pressure and whether you want your taps wall mounted or fitted into holes in your basin and bath.

2

Water pressure is higher in the US and on the Continent than it is in the UK and Ireland, so those European taps that you've drooled over in magazines and catalogues - such as Hansgrohe, Phillipe Starck and Vola (all sold in Ireland at The Yard and by Shires) - may require a pump unless you want just a dribble from your taps. If you would like a tap designed for Irish water pressure you'll probably have to turn to one of the English manufacturers such as Armitage Shanks and Shires. "The water pressure is so strong in Europe that manufacturers put restrictors in their taps to soften the flow," says Helen Scott of The Yard in Belfast, which sells a range by Hansgrohe. Sometimes a boiler will produce enough pressure for the taps (ask a plumber); otherwise you will probably have to buy a pump. These come in various sizes and range from around £150 to £500 (E;190-E;635) depending on your requirements. "Customers are amazed to find they have to fork out hundreds of pounds for a pump if they fall in love with, say, a Vola tap," says Helen. Pumps are noisy, but can be placed remotely so you don't have to hear it every time you turn the tap on.

3

When choosing a tap think about who will be using it. The easiest taps to use are lever ones which can be operated with almost any part of the body - fist, foot, head, elbow and so on. Push-button taps are easy to operate but are associated with company and shop bathrooms where you have to be prepared to let an inanimate object ration your water supply. Cross-head taps are easy to get a grip on while the hardest to operate are the plastic round-headed ones.

4

Many contemporary basins and baths will force the issue as they are made with no tap holes so wall, or worktop, mounted taps are the only option. Some of the beautiful glass basins available now don't have tap holes and come complete with wall brackets - they are not designed to sit into a worktop so you are left with one option - to fit your taps into the wall. Now the issue is whether your wall can accommodate the pipe work involved; you'll need to ask a plumber. Otherwise you'll have to bring the wall out, creating a stud wall, to put the pipe work into.

5

Another option is to make a feature of the pipes by buying piping in chrome and exposing them on the wall as a beautiful industrial feature (α la the Pompidou Centre). And you just wanted new taps! Another reason you'll need to choose your basin before you pick your taps is that the Continental manufacturers have never really followed our penchant for two taps - hot and cold - so their basins will often have just one hole for a mixer tap. This narrows your choice, although mixer taps are certainly more useful, allowing your to wash your hands under running water without burning or freezing them.

6

Many baths nowadays also come with no holes in them so you can then have them drilled yourself, allowing you more flexibility - you can specify where you want the holes and you can choose any tap, or tap and shower combination you like (if you ever change your bath taps you will need to check that the new ones will fit the existing holes). The plumber who's installing the bath can drill the holes for you - make sure it's suitable for drilling because if you try drilling a cast-iron roll-top bath you'll probably wreck the enamel. Otherwise you can opt for wall-mounted taps.

7

Wall-mounted taps generally have two types of fittings that go behind the wall - one has the tap fixed in a certain position while the other allows you to position the taps where you wish. Make sure the tap reaches well into the basin or bath - taps that only just reach the inside of the basin are difficult to wash your hands under.

8

If you think you'll want to change your taps frequently you can buy them with interchangeable heads. Some manufacturers, such as Fantini, make the body of the tap and supply various heads with options such as a spherical or pencil head in various colours of glass or wood (available from The Yard).

9

If you are just changing taps in order to update your bathroom, the simplest option is to buy some that fit into the existing holes in the basin - most are of a standard size but do check that the taps will fit the holes before you hand over your money. Wall-mounted taps feature in many interiors publications and well-designed contemporary homes as they cut down bathroom clutter and offer clean (ha, ha) lines. These include very discreet ones by Vola, designed by Arne Jacobsen for IP Lund, which still makes the taps. Most of the hardware is hidden, leaving just the handle and spout sticking out from the wall (available through Shires Ireland).

10

Industrial ranges are a good source of relatively cheap, unfussy designs in chrome - these are made by domestic suppliers who also make fittings for institutions, such as hospitals and prisons, known as anti-vandal items. Architects, who have access to industrial catalogues for commercial buildings they design, often specify them for domestic use.

11

For no-nonsense, functional, solid designs go to salvage shops. You'll need to check whether the taps can be fitted to your sanitary ware and water supply or if they can be adapted. You'll also probably have to fit new washers to them and, unless they have been reconditioned, pray that the valve won't fail as it will be difficult to replace.