seeking help with faucet trim selection

9 years ago

Hi there,

We are remodeling a 1941 house with a cape/cottage feel in the Boston suburbs. Many of the rooms will have original details (china cabinets, fireplace, etc.), but all of the baths will be new. We are trying to pick faucet styles that will blend 1941 with a 2014 renovation. It has been hard to find a knowledgeable sales person, so I thought I would reach out to this community for any suggestions on the following questions:

1) For the kids bath we are thinking of Kohler Archer vs. Kohler Forte in chrome. Any suggestions on one vs. the other for a kids bath? (We will have a natural birch double vanity in Shaker style in there.)

2) For the first floor bath we will have a pedestal sink (maybe Kohler Tresham) and a tiled shower. We are thinking of Kohler Memoirs, but it is pricier than the others. I noticed that Delta Dryden has a slightly similar look, but I don't love the dots on the sides of the handles. Thoughts?

3) Finally, for the master bath, we were thinking of using Rohl Verona in chrome and then blending it with Kohler shower valves and trims to keep costs down. Any tips on which Kohler shower trims might blend with the Verona?

I also noticed Grohe Geneva and Grohe Fairborn as nice faucets, but they didn't seem to pop as much as the others for me.

One other question: the existing door knobs in the house are a tarnished brass. I don't love brass, so I was thinking of keeping those tarnished, and we will be getting new knobs in oil rubbed bronze. I really like chrome for bath fixtures, but will it look strange to have chrome bath fixtures with oil rubbed bronze door knobs?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Sara

Comments (4)

funkelsgw
9 years ago
When I think of a cottage/cape style house, I think of nickel and not chrome. That's my 2 cents. Personally we have been changing out all of our door knobs to a white bronze. We had some oil rubbed bronze in some places, but we like the light feel of the white bronze. The brand we went with was called Ashley Norton, but our house is a colonial. In addition to Garden Web, check out Houzz for some ideas for a cottage/cape. Post some pics of where you are putting the hardware. It might inspire many comments from the community. I'm sure you will be happy.

This post was edited by Funkels on Mon, Jun 23, 14 at 15:20
newenglandsara2
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you, Funkels! The house is a cape style, but it has a stone front that provides a bit of a cottage look from the outside. The details inside feel colonial in style to me, although I love that breezier look. Nickel is great, but I think the fixtures would be out of our price range if we got that route on everything: three bathrooms in total! :-(

The white bronze sounds intriguing! I am going to visit our local door hardware store to see if I can find some in-person. What bathroom fixture finish would you mix with the white bronze?

Thanks again!

Sara
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Gracie
9 years ago
You should post this in the Baths forum. I just read a post yesterday where their plumber forbade them to use Kohler plumbing fixtures. My BIL is a master plumber with 40 years experience, and he won't use Kohler. We had the Kohler Forte kitchen faucet, which leaked at the handle. We'd get up in the morning to a flooded counter. Kohler sent us a new part to "fix" it three or four times over the course of a few years. I read reviews where that was a problem for others, so who knows if they ever redesigned the Forte.
Bunny
9 years ago
Sara, I have a little 1991 California tract house. I just got my guest bath remodeled and I went with all chrome fixtures, including my towel bar and vanity light. I saved quite a bit with the fixtures and of course all chrome goes together. I was afraid of being matchy-matchy, but it just doesn't affect me that way. It's not like you see them all in one eyeful anyway. Chrome has a clean look, like a 1950s car. I don't particularly like cool/blue colors and the perceived blueness of chrome doesn't bother me at all.

I have a brushed nickel door knob (existing) and floor register, the best color for my floor. Honestly, it's all fine together.