Living with an Iconic Design - The Ionian Kitchen Tap

The Ionian (eye-oh-nee-an) was designed in 1979 and set a new standard for bridge style tapware. Original bridge mixers were very “agricultural” with heavy couplings and unrefined proportions. Perrin & Rowe’s co-founder and lead designer, Bob Perrin took advantage of the precision manufacturing techniques available from the developing CNC machining technology.  Knowing that he was to be producing the Ionian completely in-house, he designed the model with fine detail and the closest of tolerances between moving parts of the tap. This gave the Ionian the very distinctive lines and precise feel for which it is renowned.  

See how our top Australasian designers use the Perrin & Rowe Ionian tap:

Katie Lockhart Studio feature the Ionian tap in their Franklin Rd project

Above: Pittwater House by Alexander & Co - Perrin & Rowe Ionian Kitchen Tap with Crossheads in Satin Brass

Above: Moss Home by Natasha Levak - Perrin & Rowe Ionian Kitchen Mixer in Satin Brass

The Perrin & Rowe Ionian became a benchmark which other manufacturers and designers aspired to.  Many have tried to copy it to add to their range but in every case they have failed to replicate the intricacy of the detail that goes into Perrin & Rowe design and manufacturing and which Bob Perrin championed.

Above: Salisbury Villa by Trove & Julian Guthrie - Perrin & Rowe Ionian Kitchen Tap in Pewter with Black Levers

The discerning designer and homeowner appreciates that a Perrin & Rowe Ionian kitchen tap imparts a special presence when it is placed as the centrepiece at the heart of the home. This is why the Ionian became Martha Stewart’s tap of choice, is found in articles and advertisements in leading interior design magazines throughout the world and is specified routinely by top UK and US kitchen designers.

It is not surprising that top designers in Australasia also specify Perrin & Rowe Ionian taps.  They are the bees knees of kitchen and laundry tapware and sometimes the Ionian is the first and ONLY decision a client has made when it comes to renovating their house.

Above: Edwardian Laundry by Stephan Akehurst - Perrin & Rowe Ionian Bridge Style Laundry Tap

Above: KWD's Biscayne Kitchen - Perrin & Rowe Ionian Kitchen Tap with Porcelain Levers

Above: Tamsin Johnson's Darling Point Kitchen - Perrin & Rowe Ionian Bridge Mixer Tap in Nickel Finish

So next time you are looking at tapware options, consider this:

Would you select a particular tap for your own home?  With so many look-alike copies in showrooms and offered cheaply on the internet, it pays to look and feel closely and ask yourself:

Are the handles real porcelain or just plastic?

Is there a nut or connector inviting your plumber to put his big gnarly wrench all over it or is there a refined finger-tight hood that cleverly unscrews to reveal the valve beneath?

Is the aerator top quality and designed to diffuse the water as it flows into your sink, or is it going to splash all over you and spoil your outfit?  

Does the spout swivel out of the way to accommodate laundry buckets and the dog at bath-time? All Perrin & Rowe kitchen mixer tap spouts rotate 360°.

How does the finish look to you - lustrous and rich?

Is there a weird third leg some manufacturers put in the middle to carry the water to the side spray rinse which only provides cold water? Definitely not desirable or necessary. Perrin & Rowe spray rinse technology mixes hot or cold water to be diverted and carries it in concealed tubes within the tap.

Above: Bellevue Hill House - Perrin & Rowe Ionian Kitchen Tap with Matching Metal Levers

The bottom line is, do you want to buy a replica or an authentic original?  It is really not until you experience a Perrin & Rowe tap that you appreciate the hidden differences – it just feels better, smooth, precise and authentic! 

The Perrin & Rowe Ionian is a classic piece of English design that will add style and quality to any kitchen and value to any home.

Above: Port Melbourne by Rosemount - Perrin & Rowe Ionian Kitchen Tap in Nickel with Black Porcelain Levers

Above: Mayfair Flats by Stevens Lawson - Perrin & Rowe Ionian Wall Mounted Kitchen Tap in Pewter

Above: Finch Street by LS Architects - Perrin & Rowe Ionian Bench Mounted Mixer with Crossheads and Spray Rinse in Brass

The Ionian made today is identical to the original model although a patented spray rinse version was added to the range during the 1990’s.  It is still made in Perrin & Rowe’s own factories in England but now using premium quality German brass and German precise quarter turn ceramic valves.  The range of available finishes has extended and with the emergence of authentic materiality in architecture and interior design, the Ionian is now available in polished and brushed brass. 

The white porcelain levers can be changed to black porcelain levers or matching metal to complement the finish of the taps.

Decide for yourself if living with the Ionian would be one of life's luxuries.