I have polished crema marfil(select, it has less graining so I think would show more) for my counter top in Masterbath and honed in shower and floor of bathroom. Love them and have had no problems with them at all. We bring coffee in bathroom, hairspray, gel, etc goes on counter and no staining etc. We have been in the house for 1 1/2 years since the remodel and so far so good. Also, I did seal the counter after being in 1 year. I did it myself took two seconds.

i just have to say i love our polished nickel fixtures!! they've only been in since last summer- we have cifial and hansgrohe fixtures and rh switchplates, etc---no grohe. but, it is simple to 'polish'- just wipe and shine as you would chrome. i don't THINK it will be less durable than chrome-hope not!

I have Creme Marfil marble tiles in three different bathrooms. I have used Benjamin Moore colors for each bathroom - French White, Bar Harbour Beige and Manchester Tan. Each bathroom has different lighting (rooms facing different directions, sky lights and florescent lights, etc) so it takes some time to choose the right one. Also, I have found that each color ties in differently depending on the backsplash which is different for each room. I have found myself gravitating towards the slightly warm beiges as well. Any interesting combination is Plaster of Paris with this marble and Creme Marfil Eternal (Silestone used for counter tops and bath and shower walls. You would think Creme Marfil is an easy color to match but it really isn't. The challenge for me was trying to find the right color with enough contrast without going too dark. I have tried to keep the bathroom walls as light as possible. Just one other thought - if you do find a color that is too dark (ie Bar Harbour Beige), you can always have the paint store "lighten" the intensity of the color. I experimented with this option and it does give you other options. Good luck as this process can drive you crazy!

kmeemsie, the difficulty in using the granite scraps as a pencil line or frame is that the granite will be thicker than the tile. Your granite is probably 2 cm or 3 cm thick. You might get your fabricator to cut or polish them to thinner, but the cost of that might be an issue. I think it could look really sharp. Our fabricator did make us some pieces 1/2" by 3/4" by 2 feet to trim the sides of our rangetop, but they did it free to cover a mistake they had made in the cutout. They did say that they can't make pieces that thin in all granites - some aren't strong enough. On the other hand, the company that made our stone wall plates says that they can make them in almost any stone and they are really thin. It may be a matter of the tools the fabricator has available.