Ronald Raygun :
Mike Barnes wrote:

Ian Jackson :

I'm asking this because my wife and I both prefer the taps to turn the
opposite way to the 'standard', which is, when off, with the handles
jutting forwards, across the sink bowl. We much prefer the handles to
be parked folded pointing outwards (-o and o-).

Same here. I don't understand the "standard" - it makes no sense to me,
on any level.

Doesn't it? Then what would?

What the OP said makes sense and is exactly what I did in our downstairs
loo.

Of course you may feel that they ought to operate in the same way as
ordinary taps (clockwise off for both hot and cold),
[...]

No, I don't.

It makes sense to me to have the lever aligned with the flow when "on",
and across the direction of flow when "off". Many lever valves work that
way, and for good reason.

--
Mike Barnes