Thank you so much for the great advice and for posting your pic. You have a beautiful bathroom!

Your last sentence in your post is so right! I lose sleep over decisions like this and later I won't even notice!!

I like your idea about groupings...leaning towards ORB. BUT I've always had chrome in all other places I've lived - seems classic and timeless to me. Not sure if ORB is timeless and does ORB hold up over time like chrome? OK, now I'm confused again:)

I'm deliberately doing chrome faucets and orb lighting as I like the variety to give more interest to the room. I'm not a fan of matchy matchy. I'm doing the chrome as it never ages and the orb lighting because I love the look of the color against the SW tranquility. To add to the mix, I'm taking a custom made vanity which was finished in white and painting it aqua with an aged finish. I've picked up some salvage unusual containers etc. to make it even more eclectic so don't worry about having two different finishes. They'll look just fine.

"BUT I've always had chrome in all other places I've lived - seems classic and timeless to me. Not sure if ORB is timeless and does ORB hold up over time like chrome? "

Chrome will be around forever. It's a very durable finish, and the nice thing is that one manufacturer's chrome will match another's. Pretty much the same with nickel.

When you get away from chrome or nickel, things can get a little murky. Brass can differ in brightness. One ORB can be darker than another. One manufacturer's "brushed" might be subtle, another's stronger.

Regarding chrome verus nickel, chrome reflects more of the blue light spectrum, so it looks "cold". Nickel reflects more of the red spectrum, so it looks "warmer".

But back to your question, style-wise, or for design durability, or to appeal to the masses, you really can't go wrong with the "white shiny metals" like chrome and nickel.

But again, don't be afraid to to design for your eye. If you were designing for the masses, every room would be painted beige, all fixtures chrome, and all floors oak.

enjoy!

Thanks for the great advice mongoct! I think I get hung up on designing for the masses sometimes! Then I think things have to be the same throughout, varying things (within reason of course) adds interest. Thanks for reminding me to design for ourselves!

yayagal, that sounds beautiful! You should post a pic when you can!

We just put in cherry cabinets, ORB knobs and pulls, and ORB light fixtures, however; I purchased a brushed chrome motion sense faucet about two years ago. I'm afraid it will look odd but probably cannot exchange it now although it is still in the box. Would love your advice.

No need to fret, you're fine.

ORB knobs/pulls below countertop level.

ORB lights up high.

In between you have a chrome faucet that'll be in the same color family as your stainless sink, etc.

Would like to add to this discussion. Just purchased a beautiful rustic vanity for the hall bath that comes with ORB hardware (or maybe it's another color?). The picture even shows the sink with a chrome faucet (not included) and it looks a little funny to me. But we just had ORB in our old home and it only took a few years for the finish to come off. Plus, ORB is more expensive (and the extra money for the faucet, shower fixtures, towel bars, etc. add up) and this is just the kids bathroom. If we end up going with brushed nickel for faucet, et al., we should be okay?