In light of the recent trend toward enhancement of the “livability” quotient of kitchens and baths, a concomitant loss of functionality might seem a pervasive danger. And woe betide us should such an oversight prevail—speaking as a homeowner whose bathroom and kitchen taps are prone to bouts of low pressure and wild spray, I can affirm I’d take function over form, if pressed. But happily, as we’ve seen with recent kitchen and bath designs by Bazzèo and Hansgrohe, the dichotomy is false.

Tara Series. Designed by Sieger Design for Dornbracht.

But Dornbracht—”an internationally active manufacturer of high-quality design fixtures and accessories for kitchen and bath”—already knew that, didn’t they? Such is the evidence put forth by the recently re-visited Tara Series, anyhow, if a faucet can be said to adjudicate in such a matter. Debuting in 1992 by Dieter Sieger of Sieger Design, Tara’s vertical orientation and ergonomic handles expressed “an avant-garde vocabulary of form,” impressing such that it fast became one of Dornbracht’s most successful products. Now sold in over 60 countries, Tara for the bath has been the recipient of innumerable accolades, including the Prix d’excellence from La Casa/Marie Claire; the ADEX Award for Design Excellence from the Design Journal; and the Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum. Leave it to Sieger, then, to aim for an improvement on near-perfection: in March, Dornbracht and Sieger announced the new and improved Tara, “a contemporary interpretation for the kitchens of today—kitchens that are more lively, less archaic, and minimalistic.”

Tara Series. Designed by Sieger Design for Dornbracht.

Tara Series. Designed by Sieger Design for Dornbracht.

Variations of Tara for the kitchen include three-hole and pillar styles, as well as an unorthodox, asymmetrical three-hole wall-mounted number that’s a tremendous space-saver. Finish options include platinum matte and chrome, and, as always with Dornbracht, Tara’s insides are solid brass. On par with the streamlined aesthetic, the new Tara is ultra-functional, to be sure: the diameters of handles and rosettes have been reduced; the fixture body has been lengthened; and the palm grips have been made more genial to hands. Sieger also introduced a new plastic air jet to minimize spray and noise, as well as an anti-scaling system that increases spout life by protecting against calcification. These ecological innovations conform with Dornbracht’s avowal of “blue responsibility,” an affirmation to reduce the average water consumption of all fittings by 25 percent by the end of 2009 and by 30 percent during the next three years—”energy and water consumption will be minimized independently of consumer behavior without affecting the premium quality of the product and water experience.”

Streamlined and functional fittings that help conserve our most precious natural resource? How very refreshing indeed.