We're the opposite---our house has them everywhere *but* the shower (though "everywhere" in a small house = the bathroom and kitchen sinks!) It could just be that I'm used to them, but I like them fine. We do have bridges (so two handles but one spout) which is important. In the new kitchen, we used the same style of faucet (bridge w/ two handles) but I did switch the position of the handles at DH's request---on the old faucet they were on the front and now they are on top, if that makes any sense. We also switched to lever handles. He claims these two changes will make it much easier to turn on and off with soapy hands, so we'll see....

I've had the double handle in the kitchen. You get used to it. I think now that I have a Tapmaster, it wouldn't be a problem at all. SO I say get the faucet you love, and pair it with a Tapmaster!

I have the bridge Rohl faucets, one in my kitchen, one in my laundry. Love them! So gorgeous! They are the jewelry in my kitchen! They look splendid against the calcutta gold backsplash.

I had a single handle in my last kitchen and really like the function and ability to control hot and cold better. I also have double handles in all the bathrooms, except showers.

We have a single hole Rohl kitchen faucet with 2 handles at the prep sink, too.

fori=genius.

I had a single in the house we sold. I never really thought about it until we rented this house while building. OMG! It drives me crazy!! I can't stand a double handle. It's either too hot or too cold plus if your hands are icky it's great to hit one handle with your wrist and get warm(not freezing or too hot). In the new build I'm putting all single handle faucets. (Baths have really nice single handle with no flat piece at the bottom
{{!gwi}}
master faucets-Delta Vero

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Kitchen Delta Addison H2o(touch faucet)

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Kids bath faucets Delta addison

GOOD GRIEF!! THOSE COPIED OVER HUGE! SORRY!

We chose a two-handled faucet for the kitchen for two reasons. 1) We like the traditional styling. 2) Every single one-handled faucet I've ever used for any length of time has eventually leaked around the handle. I imagine higher quality faucets than the ones I've lived with are out there, but it's hard to overcome the feeling of a lifetime of bad experience.

I think the key to making two handles work is not having your water heater set so high that the hot water is scalding. Our hot water by itself is not too hot for washing dishes. If I want warm water on my hands, I use just the hot, no problem, no mixing required. If I'm doing extensive washing of the kids' hands, sometimes I have to add a bit of cold in after several seconds, but I don't find it to be any big deal.

A shower mixer is indeed a different kettle of fish. There one wants a very precise, very consistent, moderate temperature over a longish period, and a single handle works very well for that.

Looks aside, I will never purchase a double handle faucet for either the kitchen or bath. The practical aspects of a single faucet win out for me.

I prefer a single-handle faucet in the kitchen and shower for functionality. At the bathroom sinks, though, for some reason I prefer a double-handle. We do have singles in the upstairs bathrooms (from when we built in 1995), but I have a 2-handle in the new PR and love it! My parents also have 2 handles in their bathroom (both sink & shower...and yes, only one bathroom...6 kids + 2 adults and only one bathroom growing up!). While I like the 2 handles at the sink, I really dislike them in the shower.

As to single handles leaking...I think it depends on the quality of the faucets. When we got a cheapy for the kitchen once, yes, it leaked after a few years, but the builder-grade faucets in our bathrooms are over 15 years old (single handles) and no leaks yet! It applies to both, btw. I've seen plenty of 2-handled faucets leaking/dripping over the years (elsewhere).

Single handle everywhere in our house except the basement (secondary) laundry. I much prefer single handle for the functionality and the sleek looks.

Often in the kitchen I'm holding something in one hand and turning on the water with another, or one hand is gunky so I use the other, etc. For me, fiddling with 2 knobs to get the right temp, whether in the kitchen, laundry, or bathrooms, is a bother.

Like mnerg said, one thing that helps (for us, at least) is to set the water heater temperature based on what level of warm water you want, too---I rarely if ever have both taps on at once. (Yeast proofing is the one thing I can think of where I do that, since I want lukewarm water there.) I use the hot tap if I want warm water and the cold tap if I want cold water. We adjusted the water heater temperature until it was just right for this, so there's no scalding involved. This is equally handy in the bath, where we do have a single faucet---turned all the way on, it's perfect bath temperature, and then those who want it less warm can adjust accordingly. I can see two handles being annoying if you frequently need tepid water, though.

Single handle here--I want the functionality, even in my 'craftsmanesque' kitchen.

I just installed round doorknobs everywhere in my house. They look absolutely gorgeous. However, if your hands are a little wet or a little greasy from lotion, they can be hard to operate. I sure never saw that one coming. They are in and they are staying--but if I had it to do over, I might get egg shaped knobs or levers, even though I like the look of these much better.

Cj

Thank you so much everyone for all the input! I do think I will be going with single handle, and almost all of the posts reassure me that this is the right decision for us. Those double handles are gorgeous, but I think for my family, single handle is the way to go. Thanks everyone! I'll post pics of our progress soon -

MEBRY- so glad you asked this question. Now I think I am ok with single handles too. I wasn't sure until your post.