How to select the best mixer for your bathroom or kitchen

interior designer melbourne

The mixer I ordered for my apartment bathroom renovation went ‘missing’. So I had to find an alternative. I saw mixers ranging in price from $60-$700. Which got me thinking about how to select the best mixer for your bathroom and kitchen.

Budget

Most people are driven by budget when selecting pieces for their renovation. But an expensive item doesn’t mean it’s good value for money.

For example, for a bathroom renovation I’m working on, I selected an Australian made freestanding bath for approximately $1500. But the client showed me a bath with no discernible visible different for almost $3000.

What’s the difference? Country of manufacture, brand and warranty. These are the key differences to the cost of items for a bathroom or kitchen renovation project.

Value of money can be determined by these things but generally value for money is objective to each individual. However, let’s take a closer look at these factors.

Country of manufacture

For sure if a mixer is made in China, the price will be different to a mixer made in Italy or Germany. But does it matter? Sometimes it does for high end finishes but for the most part a thing like a mixer is something you can compromise on.

To be sure of quality, check the warranty and returns policies and if there are any reviews. I find if the supplier is backing their product with a good warranty period then that helps with the decision making process.

Product reviews

Wherever possible I read the reviews on an item. If there are reviews. I find this helpful in deciding if the item is suitable and good value for money.

For example, one of the mixers I was considering was $60 with only 5 reviews but another mixer for about $80 had 60 reviews. I’m not saying the number of reviews means the product is better but the more information you have the easier it is to make a decision and determine value for money.

Brand

Brand is a big contributor to the cost of anything we buy these days. A linen t-shirt from Kmart will be less expensive than a linen t-shirts from Country Road. Sometimes there is a difference in quality and sometimes not. But key to the difference in price is brand.

The same is true for bathroom or kitchen mixers. There are well known brands like Caroma and lesser known brands.

I think for a mixer you can get away with a lesser known brand as long as the other criteria such as warranty, budget and reviews are satisfactory to you.

When I look for specifications for myself or a client I factor in the entire budget, the entire space and the end result or the client’s interior style goal to make a decisions on which items to select.

It’s easy to get confused with the number of options and suppliers but I think considering the country of manufacture, warranty and reviews is a good start to how to select the best mixer for your bathroom or kitchen.