Don't buy sigma faucets. We had all of ours fail in the 18 mos we lived here. I bought them because they were attractive despite the advice from every plumber I talked to who said moen or delta. A total waste of $$$.

I have heard good feedback on Newport Brass, but you should do a Google search (put in gardenweb newport brass) and read the postings. I currently have Grohe faucets, and they work very well - no issues, and they do have good customer service. I had one issue with my Grohe kitchen faucet that is 10 years old, and they sent me a replacement part and walked me through fixing it -- very simple and a good experience.

In our reno, I am going with new products, which are not yet installed, so I cannot comment on those manufacturers yet.

Chrome is generally a good choice. See Marcolo's postings on nickel if you decide to look into that finish.

Our family has had Toto and Kohler toilets, and I prefer the Toto products hands down.

The marble top/metal leg washstands are beautiful. We almost put one in our powder room. But consider your storage needs in the bathroom.

Good luck with your reno!

We are in the midst of giving our master a facelift. It is slightly smaller than yours, 8 x 12, and our vanity is only 60" wide. Due to the size, pivot mirrors weren't going to work in the space though we like the 3-dimension look. Will they ever be adjusted? Ones we looked at were $200-$300 each. In the end, we elected to have a beveled edge "floating" mirror installed. It was much less costly and looks right for us.

Tile - do it right with cement board and membrane to prevent leaks.

Moen makes reliable faucets. Whatever you do, buy good plumbing for the shower as it can't be easily changed. Personally, I'm partial to Kohler and will be installing them on the basins. We too are going polished chrome for faucets and towel bars.

We have two Toto Ultramax WC's. One has been in use for 5 years without any problem. Sanagloss is easier to clean but doesn't do so by itself. The new toilet has a cyclonic discharge and is much quieter.

Changing out the builder shower enclosure, we went frameless glass. The installer encouraged going to 1/2" vs. 3/8" because he felt the additional thickness would be more secure (less flex) and we're happy to have followed his advice. And the look is so clean compared to previous.

Storage, you can never have enough. If you don't have a linen closet, a train rack provides good towel storage.

Good luck with the renovation.

fnmroberts - Can you post a picture of your "floating" mirror or a link? Thanks.

We are doing a total gut of our 5x7 master bath and chose to do a period look with cross handles as well. We purchased Grohe Seabury in chrome with cross handles for both the sink and shower (pressure balanced trim, not thermostatic). They aren't being installed until next week, but I'm very impressed with the quality in the box:

Here is a link that might be useful: Grohe Seabury

Thanks, all! Wish I would have found this site sooner. Everyone has such great advice to share.

AnnieDeighnaugh - noted!

JMCGowen - thx! we are definitely going chrome, as we already purchased the washstand with legs. We will have a small built-in done by shower. Definitely thinking about storage, but we just moved to a house from a small NYC apt, so just having my own bathroom is a plus!

FMNRoberts - would love to know more about your mirrors. Good thought re: train rack. I like the look of that. The Toto we are leaning towards is TOTO MS964214CEFG-01 Eco Soiree Elongated One Piece Toilet. Thoughts?

albryant - I will check out the Grohe. Love that look.

dekeoboe and rachnyc

Here's a cell phone photo of the "floating" mirror. It's a basic mirror with beveled edges. We installed a ledger board to support it for several days while the adhesive cured, then removed the ledger and filled the screw holes. We did not want the mirror to rest upon the counter backsplash or touch the wall. New vanity and top are going to be installed late summer.

rachnyc - Reviews on your Soiree WC are faborable. It has similar/same operating features as our Ultramax II but with a skirted base. Installation will be a bit more difficult due to the base but I'm confident the functionality will be positive.

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Nice !! The 'floaing mirror'......

fnmroberts - beautiful! love the sconces, too.

We got Newport for the accessories - towel bar, TP holder, robe hook. They came packed like fine jewelry. Great quality. Not cheap, though.

one more question...do people mix brands for shower and sinks? for example, could i do cross handle newport brass for sinks and cross handle grohe or moen for shower? i want to purchase the shower system as a set, and it looks like newport brass sells the part a la carte.thx

For what it's worth, I was just speaking to a pumbing supplier yesterday about brands. She said - you never hear back from those who buy meon or delta - because they don't have any problems and if there is an issue it is usually that a part was lost or scratched on a job site. They can then get the part in a day or two.
She also said that her husband is a plumber who keeps telling her to stop selling people newport brass because it is such a pain to get parts and repair them.