Vola Faucet Colors: Guide to Arne Jacobsen's Timeless Palette

Color as Part of the Architecture

For VOLA, color has never been simply a decorative finish. It has been part of the design language since it's inception.

When Arne Jacobsen developed the first VOLA taps in 1968, the design represented a radical departure from conventional bathroom fittings. The technical components were concealed within the wall, leaving only the essential forms visible: the handle and spout. Reduced to these precise geometric elements, color became another means of defining how the faucet interacted with the architecture around it.

More than five decades later, that philosophy remains remarkably relevant. VOLA faucet colors can quietly integrate into a material palette, create deliberate contrast, or become an expressive architectural detail in their own right.

Today, the VOLA palette of 27 colors and finishes encompasses a wide range of options, offering architects, designers, and homeowners an extraordinary degree of freedom while preserving the integrity of Arne Jacobsen's original design.

Design History: Arne Jacobsen, VOLA and the National Bank of Denmark

The story of VOLA begins with one of the most important projects of Arne Jacobsen's architectural career: the National Bank of Denmark.

After Jacobsen won the competition to design the building in 1961, VOLA owner Verner Overgaard approached him with an idea for an entirely new type of wall-mounted mixer. Rather than exposing the pipes and mechanical components traditionally associated with a faucet, Overgaard proposed concealing them within the wall so that only the elements necessary for interaction remained visible.

Jacobsen immediately recognized the architectural potential of the idea.

Working together, they developed the concept that became the foundation of VOLA: a modular system defined by simple geometry, precise proportions and visual restraint. The first VOLA taps and mixers were designed in 1968, establishing a design language that has remained remarkably consistent ever since.

That same pursuit of architectural clarity would soon extend beyond form and into color.

Exploring VOLA Faucet Colors and Finishes

VOLA's current offering includes 15 painted colors alongside metallic finishes and the Exclusive Color Series, creating 27 color and finish possibilities across the collection.

Every VOLA product configuration is available in each of the 15 painted colors. The finishes are applied by hand at the VOLA factory in Horsens, Denmark, where products are manufactured to order.

The breadth of the palette allows the same iconic forms to take on remarkably different personalities, especially when experienced through luxury VOLA bathroom faucets specified for contemporary interiors.

Pairing and Styling: From Timeless Classics to Bold Statements

VOLA's expansive palette allows the same iconic forms to shift from quietly architectural to deliberately expressive. While every color offers a different relationship with the surrounding space, some also carry a direct connection to the brand's design history, as seen in contemporary compositions like pink VOLA fixtures paired with a vessel sink.

Architectural Neutrals

Grey, white and black allow VOLA fittings to interact quietly with the materials and architecture surrounding them. Black can introduce a stronger graphic line, while white can create an almost seamless relationship with pale surfaces, allowing VOLA's geometry to emerge through form and shadow rather than color.

Grey has a particular connection to VOLA's design heritage. One of the colors used for the earliest prototypes, its concrete-inspired tone naturally complements stone, wood and other mineral surfaces, allowing the fitting to become part of the composition rather than sit in contrast to it.

These restrained finishes are particularly effective when the goal is visual continuity rather than creating a focal point.

Expressive Color

Orange, pink, yellow, blue, green and red reveal another side of the VOLA design language. Against a restrained architectural backdrop, color can transform the faucet into a deliberate visual gesture without changing the simplicity of its underlying form.

Orange carries particular significance. Alongside grey, it was used for the earliest VOLA prototypes in 1968, bringing an unexpected burst of color to an object traditionally treated as purely functional. More than five decades later, it still feels remarkably contemporary against concrete, pale stone, white surfaces or natural wood.

Other expressive shades can introduce softness, contrast or an unexpected point of personality depending on the surrounding palette. This is one of the qualities that has allowed VOLA's color philosophy to endure: bold color is balanced by disciplined form.

Metallic Finishes

VOLA's metallic finishes introduce another dimension through material, reflectivity and texture while retaining the same architectural simplicity.

Polished chrome offers a reflective, classic expression, while brushed finishes establish a quieter relationship with surrounding materials. Natural brass brings warmth and, when left unpolished, develops a unique patina over time, allowing the finish itself to evolve alongside stone, wood and other natural materials.

For projects seeking additional possibilities, the Exclusive Colour Series expands the metallic palette further, offering another way to tailor the VOLA system to the material language of the space.

How to Choose a VOLA Faucet Color

Choosing a VOLA color begins with the architecture of the room rather than the faucet itself.

Consider the dominant materials first. Stone, wood, concrete, solid surface, glass and cabinetry all establish a visual foundation. The faucet can then be selected either to continue that palette or deliberately interrupt it.

Lighting is equally important. Natural daylight, warm ambient lighting and cooler task lighting can significantly affect how a color or metallic finish is perceived throughout the day.

Scale also influences how boldly color reads. In a large primary bathroom, a colored fitting may become one element within a layered material composition. In a compact powder room, the same faucet can become the defining visual gesture.

Most importantly, consider whether the goal is harmony or contrast.

A grey fitting against concrete may nearly disappear into the architecture. Orange against the same surface becomes unmistakably intentional. Neither approach is inherently more successful; the strength of the VOLA palette lies in its ability to accomplish both without altering the fundamental design.

Specifying VOLA Colors With Confidence

One Color, One Design Language

One of the greatest advantages of specifying VOLA color is that the palette extends far beyond the basin faucet. The same finish can continue across bath and shower fittings, hand showers, accessories, soap dispensers, towel warmers and other elements within the VOLA system, creating a consistent visual language throughout the space.

Alternatively, color can be used selectively. A single orange faucet against a restrained palette can become an intentional focal point, while carrying that finish across additional elements creates a more immersive expression. Because VOLA is fundamentally modular, color becomes another component within the system—a tool to unify, contrast or punctuate the architecture, whether you choose traditional controls or hands-free VOLA bathroom faucets.

When developing that palette, consider VOLA finishes alongside the actual stone, cabinetry, wall surfaces and other materials specified for the project. Reviewing finish samples together helps reveal how color, texture and reflectivity respond to the complete material composition and changing light.

For wall-mounted fittings, planning early is equally important. Concealed components must be coordinated with the architecture and plumbing before walls are completed, making early collaboration between the homeowner, designer, architect, plumbing professional and VOLA specialist valuable.

The result is a system in which color, proportion and placement feel intentional from the beginning, whether you are coordinating bathroom fittings or extending the palette into modern VOLA kitchen faucets.

Designed for Generations

VOLA is designed with longevity in mind, both aesthetically and functionally. Its modular system allows individual components to be maintained, replaced or adapted over time, helping the original installation evolve with the space rather than requiring complete replacement.

Combined with enduring forms, quality materials and finishes, this approach reflects a design philosophy intended to last for generations—not simply follow the moment.

Experience the VOLA Color Palette at Hastings Bath Collection

Color is one of the most personal decisions within a bathroom or kitchen, and subtle differences in tone, texture and reflectivity are difficult to understand from a screen alone.

At Hastings Bath Collection, we work closely with homeowners, architects and interior designers to specify VOLA products as part of the complete architectural composition. From selecting the right color or finish to coordinating faucets, shower systems and accessories throughout a project, our team can help translate the breadth of the VOLA system into a cohesive specification, supported by consultations at our luxury bathroom showroom in NYC.

We invite you to experience VOLA colors and finishes firsthand at our New York City showroom, or locate additional partners through our network of Hastings Bath Collection and VOLA dealers, where you can explore the materiality, craftsmanship and precise geometry that have defined VOLA since 1968.

From Jacobsen's original grey and orange prototypes to today's expansive palette, the philosophy remains remarkably consistent: color is not applied to the architecture as an afterthought. It becomes part of it.