IMO, the cabs and furniture need to coordinate, but not necessarily match. For example, we have white perimeter cabinets in the kitchen with merlot colored hood & island. Kitchen is open to family room with 2 built-ins in a slightly off white color. Cubbies are just around the corner from kitchen and can be seen through the doorway--they are also slightly off white. There is enough distance between the whites that you don't notice they don't match--they just coordinate. Our master bedroom furniture has a mahogany finish with antiqued gold pulls, the master bath has espresso vanities with antique pewter pulls and you can see from one room into the other. Again, they are just far enough apart that you really don't notice the difference & they coordinate. Stained furniture can be coordinated with painted vanities/cabinets & vice versa. Unless you're planning something totally outlandish, I think you'll be just fine.

Hope this helps!

IMO, you can go with what you'd prefer in your bath vs kitchen vs master BR and they don't have to match. But consider this in your bath. My bathroom gets dusty, dirty quickly and I would absolutely hate to have dark granite, for example on top of white cabinets. So consider what you are putting on top of those cabinets and maybe let that drive your choice as well. If you are using Cambria quartz (a good selection as is non-porous and some newer stuff looks almost like granite) or granite choose it along with your cabinet choice and I'd maybe go with a dark cabinet below. If your kids have sticky, dirty fingers like mine did, I'd be wanting to hide that too. Just coordinate the finishes (lighting, drawer pulls, fixtures etc) in the bath and you'll be fine.

Colorwise, I don't think they have to match AT ALL -- but then, I have a very eclectic home. There are a few choices that would fight, and I'd avoid those -- but these are two separate rooms, right?

While they don't have to match COLORWISE -- I'd say that MOODWISE, they should definitely harmonize. For example, if you like a modern spa bath, a fussy Victorian bedroom will make both rooms seem fake -- choose a minimalist bedroom instead. If you like a vintage subway tile and hex flooring look, then a contemporary bedroom will fight with it; a traditional or Arts & Crafts bedroom will enhance it.

So match MOODS or ERAs rather than colors.

Outside is definitely right about black granite countertops though. We did that in our boys' bathroom, thinking they would be indestructible. Unfortunately, they are ;-( They show every little speck of anything.

Thank you so much for your opinions! I really want to go with espresso cabinets with white counters, white subway tile, and white floors, but I've seen so many bathroom pics with white cabinets lately. I will NOT do black counters. We have black corian in our basement wetbar, and it drives me nuts.

Sweeby - I love your bathrooms, and what you said about moods makes perfect sense. Would you pop on over to my thread asking about "finishes" and comment on my bathroom design? I had picked a builder's vanity I thought would coordinate with our Shaker cherry BR set, now thinking a different direction and would like your opinion. Thanks

Here is a link that might be useful: Master bath finishes thread