If budget isn't a consideration, go with satin nickel to match the rest of your house. When buying fixtures for our (on going) master bath remodel, we found that nickel was about 30% higher than chrome, so we went with chrome so we could put our money into other items.

Jewel, I hear ya about the additional cost for satin nickel. The only "rest of my house" element that in any way impacts my choices in this bathroom is the door handle. I'm not of the school who keeps everything consistent throughout the house. However, I don't have any chrome to speak of, although the lower price does speak to me.

How are you doing with spotting on the chrome?

I'll let ya know in a few weeks -- it's not been installed yet, but the contractor tells me the plumber is scheduled to come Monday. It'll be a while yet before the bathroom is ready for use, though, as the shower enclosure is still about 3 weeks out, then we have painting to do...

As Babka says, a chrome finish on good quality faucets can turn them into bathroom bling.

You may also want to consider your color scheme - perhaps it's more obvious if you compare the two finishes side-by-side, but polished nickel has a warm/brown tone while polished chrome is cool/blue.

We did satin nickel in our master bath and chrome in the hall bath. If I were doing it again, I would do all chrome. I prefer the clean look of chrome, and have had no issues with spotting. I don't know what possessed me to get the nickel.

It wouldn't bother me at all to have a different door handle.

Babka, thanks so much! It's good to hear you've been successful with a mix. I would love to be able to do that. My door handles are staying brushed nickel. I'd like my faucet and shower components to be chrome. I guess I have to think about light trim and towel bars, etc.

I'm not inherently a matchy person, but I'm not very confident I understand the rules of mixing.

Dreaming of the UP- I don't see chrome as cool/blue. I have it in a black/white/red bathroom and it is mirror like. Polished stainless steel (ala spoons and forks) is cooler/blue to me. But then, we all see things differently, so you gotta go with what appeals to YOU.

-Babka

Babka-another thank you for the info on chrome, especially the (lack of) spotting. I also have satin nickel in the kitchen and want some bling in our mbr remodel.

And linelle-I never get tired of reading your questions. You crack me up! I think mixing the finishes will be fine, especially as it sounds like you're not anal (pardon the expression on this, the *bathroom forum*) about it . . .

On rereading this, thought of something kinda funny. You mention the brushed nickel door knobs. IMO, you can go with whatever bathroom faucet finish you like, even if it doesn't match the door knobs or the faucets in the kitchen. I'm definitely not a "the whole house has to match" guy.

The funny part is that back in the 1950's, it apparently was important to match the door knobs, in a new house at least. In my tract development, all the homes have a sort of copper-tone finish on the door knobs and hinges, except on the bathroom and kitchen side of the doors, where they are chrome. The hinges were also chrome (they are on the bathroom and kitchen side for both doors), although I replaced them because they were pitted and rusty. I'm assuming the homes all had chrome faucets originally. And it's not like they took two knob sets and just split them, because the locking button is on both chrome ones. Strange, eh? I'm wondering if it's possible to order a split finish on lock sets these days?

I'm in the process of replacing the doors in the house and they will all have the same finish on both sides. A little quirk that will be lost in my home, although not quite. The same thing was done with the two pocket doors going into the eat-in kitchen - the little finger grippy things on the door - kitchen side is chrome while other side is the copper tone. I replaced both doors but kept the same finger grips.

This post was edited by DreamingoftheUP on Sun, Mar 23, 14 at 6:22

When I replaced all my door handles back in around 2008 I was getting rid of the cheapest builder's grade shiny brass. I thought I was very hip adding all the satin nickel. Never mind that I installed them all upside down. Hey, they still worked that way. It wasn't until about a year later when I had the entire interior of my house painted that the painter gently pointed it out to me and reinstalled them. It's still not obvious to me which way is up.

You guys are great!!! And now I'm sure I want chrome faucet and tub/shower system. The rest will have to sort itself out on a case-by-case basis.

I'm not a cool/blue person. My color scheme, at this writing, will be gray tile (two shades), carrara counters, stained vanity (species and stain to be determined) and cream walls. I love warm grays and don't consider them cool as long as they don't have blue in them. I don't want gray on the walls, and will probably stick with my current wall color (SW Antique White).

we have nickel or stainless door handles and chrome in both master and guest bath. at first I thought that if they didn't match it would present a problem but after seeing it there's not contest - they both suit themselves very well where they are. love the shiny sparkly chrome in the bath.

Chrome is so easy to clean. I've just gone through the same decision making process and I'm sticking with chrome. My neighbor recently showed me all the bathrooms she remodeled just over a year ago. She used high end faucet brands in Nickel and isn't happy with the way they are wearing and regrets some of her choices.

All the door hardware in my Spanish style house is black/bronze, but most of the bathrooms have chrome faucets. I spent some time on Houzz looking closely at the finishes in bathrooms and a large percentage had faucets, hardware and lights in different finishes.

Linelle, "It's still not obvious to me which way is up."

I've always said that I may not know right from left, but I always know up from down, lol!

Chrome is a cool color, Nickel is a warm every so slightly gold silver color. Stainless steel is sort of in between in my experience. Kohler's stainless steel is ever so slightly warmer than my chrome. I was shocked the first time I saw Kohler's brushed nickel because it was so golden, but not like brass.

In my Kitchen/bathroom door, I have 2 different colored handles. Black on the kitchen side, and something called silver something. These are Amtek handles and can be mixed and matched. In this same bath all the silver finishes are on the cool side except for the polished stainless steel grab bars. The drawer knobs from Amerock are the "satin nickel" but they are a cool color and looks great with my chrome. The mirror is another brushed finish from Hubbardton Forge, and again in a cool finish and looks great with the chrome. The black knobs on another piece and the black hinges all look good with my chrome. I like the mixture of the metal textures in my room. My only regret is that my sconces don't match the mirror finish (but they blend).

If I were to go with brushed nickel I would use accent metals that are warm like antique brass or bronze. I would not mix with the cool metals.

enduring, it never occurred to me that your sconces and mirror trim don't match. They look good together. Although chrome may officially be cool in tone, to me it's basic and universal and doesn't look too intentional.

Notice I didn't say not trendy. :) But it's kinda what I'm thinking.

I used chrome because I wanted shine and the bluer base with blue gray walls and a dark-stained vanity. I had a hard time finding an overhead light fixture in chrome though. Most were too ornate or contemporary or not good quality. Lightingdirect was a good source.

When it comes to choosing between chrome and satin nickel finishes for your bathroom fixtures, it's all about personal preference and your desired aesthetic. Each has its own advantages and considerations:

Chrome:

• Chrome is known for its high shine and polished look, which can give your bathroom a modern and sleek appearance.
• It's relatively easy to clean, and with regular maintenance, you can keep it looking spotless.
• However, as you mentioned, chrome can show water spots and fingerprints more prominently compared to satin nickel.

Satin Nickel:

• Satin nickel has a softer, brushed appearance that can add a bit of warmth to your bathroom's design.
• It is generally more forgiving when it comes to hiding water spots and fingerprints, making it a practical choice for bathrooms.
• It can complement other satin nickel finishes you have in your house, like the door handles.

Since you already have a satin nickel door handle in the bathroom and throughout your house, using satin nickel for other fixtures could create a cohesive and coordinated look. However, mixing finishes, like having chrome fixtures with a satin nickel door handle, can also be done intentionally for a more eclectic or modern design, as mixing finishes has become a popular trend in interior design.

In the end, it's about what appeals to you and fits your overall design vision. Consider the style you want to achieve and how much maintenance you are willing to undertake to keep the fixtures looking their best. Both chrome and satin nickel can work well, so it's a matter of personal preference. You can't go wrong with either choice, but staying consistent with finishes can provide a more cohesive look.

More details can be refered: https://rebrand.ly/f2w2dpj