Both of mine are turned forward. To me, it's actually better functioning for the reasons you mentioned and because you don't have to reach as far to turn on/off the water.

Just make sure the faucet you're purchasing is manufactured so that it CAN be installed forward. Not all can do that.

P.S. The prep sink handle looks odd because the Tapmaster is engaged.

Will the spout still turn as far as you need it both directions? If so (most do) then I don't see a problem once you get accustomed to it. I mounted mine lefty style. I can see how if you generally have the spout facing forward, having to reach under the running water to turn it off or adjust temperature might be uncomfortable at times.

Wouldn't you be happier with a Tapmaster? :P

Love our front handle faucet - no more drips from my DH!!!!
He still manages to drip all over the soap dispenser - I don't understand why he can't pump first! But at least less water on the counter.

Four - makes perfect sense to me - ours were correct when the plumber installed them - not sure if he did it or if it was the way it came.

Marcia - check the specs to make sure you can have the handle forward facing with your faucet choice.

I thought about a tap or hands free version but I change the temperature so much that I didn't see how it would be helpful for me. I know others love them

I never thought about turning it forward, what a great idea!

breezygirl - somehow I've never seen photos of your kitchen before, I love what I see there! Do you have a link to a thread with more photos?

My faucet handles face forward. Forward for on, back for off, right for cold and left for hot. Very intuitive. Mine are Moens.

I would definitely do it this way again. We don't get our arms wet when we turn on the water; the big faucet is usually swiveled to one side or the other anyway but even when it's straight on it's no problem not to get wet. The only thing I have noticed is that because my faucet handle stands out a long way from the faucet body, it is possible for it to get in the way of something really big (like my largest cutting board that is almost the size of the sink) when you go to wash it. (I got a faucet with a handle like that on purpose so I could turn it on and off with my wrist.) This is not a problem with normal daily use; I rarely have to wash things that are that big and again it is mostly because of the faucet style I chose and its distance from the sink edge (determined by the pre-drilled holes in the sink).

We needed a faucet that could be operated with either hand. Our old faucet had two handles and I usually ended up turning on the hot for everything, because my right hand was always full.

Thanks, Laura12. My kitchen STILL isn't done 14 months after moving back into the house. ((Shaking my head in embarrassment.))

I'll link the pics of my not-done reveal below.

Here is a link that might be useful: My unfinished kitchen

Laurel - I looked at the spec sheet for the faucet you show and it only shows a left or right instal not center - so check before you buy - there are a lot of center mount faucets -and it really does work without getting your arms wet - it is no different than reaching to either side - you just have to swivel the faucet slightly - the same as a side mount - just away from the handle..
Good luck
Breezy - Can't believe you aren't done yet - I am 99.44% done - just working on the drawer issue and a few punch list items.

I wanted mine on the side so that you can turn the tap off without getting wet....if it's behind the stream of water, can you do that??

Thank you for the comments and ideas.

We already own the faucet and it is installed with the handle to the side. I haven't found the manual yet. We have two drawers with many manuals for things but not that one! My DH said it might be in the safe with the receipt. I'm not sure it's a Moen--it's not the model in my link, at any rate, so I want to find the manual before proceeding further.

Thanks for the visuals, Breezygirl and A2gemini. Those help. Fouramblues, thanks for mentioning the hot/cold direction for the handles. I think ours would be opposite of the norm, too, so that's another thing to think about. I thought briefly about a Tapmaster but we already have so much stuff under our sink (RO unit and tank, GD and DW wires & plugs, etc.) that I didn't want to add one more thing.
Marcia

Our is facing front too, and it's fabulous. I can easily turn it off without getting wet, just reach around the water. No more dripping onto the counter for us!!

Since I saw this post, I'm wondering if I should have the handle in front also, since I won't have much room behind the faucet to move the lever backward. I'm getting the Moen Arbor. I don't reclass seeing anything saying that it could be in the front.

NorthCarolina - what style are your Moens?

Thanks!

A2--I know, I know. I'm getting embarrassed about the state of incompleteness now. I just haven't had any mental or physical energy over the last year to tackle more huge design decisions.

Re getting wet while operating a handle-front controller: I got my arm wet once at the cleanup sink in the first few days of my new kitchen. That's it. I think thats attributable to a few things. Many times the water spout is swiveled sideways already when I approach the sink. I'm often not standing directly in front, facing forward at the sink anyway. Muscle memory. I don't get my arm wet at the prep sink as the Tapmaster is installed. The Tapmaster, btw, doesn't have any moving parts or bulk under the sink. You wouldn't even know it was there looking under my prep sink.

momand3boys -- My kitchen faucets are Moen Brantford in chrome, a big one and a prep sink one. (In real life they cost a whole lot less than the list price on the Moen site.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Moen Brantford

Yay! DH turned the handle to face the sink front. Now we just have to adjust to it. He didn't switch the hot and cold water lines (hot is now to the right instead of back) so I'll wait to see how we do before making that request :)

Thanks again.
Marcia

Wonderful news! You will be pleased!

breezygirl,what is your island counter top made of? It is so beautiful. Peke

Peke--thanks! My island counter is made of black walnut face grain planks. If you follow the link I posted above somewhere, you can see more pics of it and read more about the wood top. Or you can click on my photo above which will take you to my photobucket account with more pics.