Wooo!!! Cat, I am stuck at home because of the snow storm so wandered around here not looking at anything in particular and came upon your thread. I totally agree with you on the shower curtain choice. Regardless of whether I have the money to spare or not, keeping those suckers clean is a nuisance over time. We have a glass shower door that was installed back in 2003 and I can't tell you how much I hate cleaning it. Not that the door is all that dirty, but a shower curtain is way easier, and you can change the look/style whenever you feel like it. Can't do that with a pricey shower door. Anyway, everything looks lovely as usual, including the "prom" dress :-) Love, love those circular tiles, and the floor tiles that look like fabric. Gorgeous. What colour is that again? It looks greyish on my monitor.

As far as the way they add the finish to the faucet, look for PVD - physical vapor deposited. It's a molecular bond son won't peel off. But some "living finishes" like ORB are warranteed, they will change with use/cleaning. I'm not sure about Delta's ORB (I hope it's covered, I bought all Venetian Bronze fixtures for my new master bath!), but their "Brilliance" finishes are PVD and have a limited lifetime warranty for the original purchaser. Chrome is probably the finish that holds up the best, polished brass (other than PVD) is lacquered and the lacquer wears off and it tarnishes, I don't really know much about brushed nickel and other special finishes but I'd say look for PVD and the manufacturer's warranty, avoid "living finishes" and you'll be OK. I don't know how "limited" it is, but I had chrome in my old house and they sent me a few pieces (not that long after installation) - a cartridge for a diverter valve that melted b/c my water was too hot, and a plastic cover for faucet set-screw that was discolored. I found some finish damage on my ORB Roman tub faucet (not installed yet) right out of the box and they sent me a replacement faucet. Hooked up my handshower to the hose and shower arm just to test it out and couldn't get anything through the wand, called them to ask if I was missing something (removing a cap or something?) in installation procedure, they said if water coming through the hose it should be coming through the wand, and they are sending me a new handshower piece (NOT an inexpensive part!). I am going to sound like a Delta rep (I don't work for them but have been a Delta faucet owner for 15+ yrs in 2 houses), but have to say that they have probably rhe best customer service, not only for bath/kitchen plumbing fixtures, but of *any* company that I have ever dealt with. Though I haven't dealt with Moen, Hansgrohe (have a HG handshower mounted on shower arm in main bath), Grohe, etc. Back to original question - besides finish, look at the construction. Heavy is good - usually means brass, though you'll pay more. Some faucets may have plastic pieces (areators, etc.) but the fewer the better b/c they will peel/chip and discolor. Washerless is good, cartridge is better, ceramic disk is the best (longest life, lower maintenance) but you'll pay for it up front. It's hard to take the leap of faith and buy online, but I'd say buy online for prices but read description carefully, look at return policy in case it's not what you expected. I bought all my Delta bronze fixtures online, but I know I can trust Delta to make anything right. Last house we bought (Delta again) through bath showroom. I would avoid the big-box stores since they often get a line (from same manufacturer) that looks like the high-end designs, but have lower-quality construction (plastic, washers instead of brass, ceramic) and finishes than what you'd buy from a showroom/plumbing supply. I bought the HG handshower at HD, it's mostly plastic, but it was only $50 on clearance, it's working fine after 4+ years with at least 2 and sometimes 4 showers a day (our only full bath so far). But it's not the quality of the Delta I bought for either house, and I'm sure it's not the quality you'd get buying HG or Grohe from a plumbing supply. Good luck!

Thank you so much everyone for your comments. I was leaning towards the first or second fixture because they have halogen lighting, and I read that halogen lighting is best for the bathroom. However, I've been hesitant because I'm not crazy about the style. Those are out. Now it's between the third and fourth fixtures. I'm going for a more contemporary look in the bathroom, so I prefer the style of the fourth fixture. Can polished brass be contemporary? The downside is that I would have to get it in polished brass to go with the rest of my bathroom, and I think the brass takes away from the contemporary look. Would chrome look okay? My shower door and tub fixtures are all polished brass, but the sink faucet and cabinet knobs are two toned brass and chrome. The sink and tub are about 8 inches apart. I like the third fixture because it is two-toned, but the look is a bit traditional. Athensmomof3 (love that name), my medicine cabinet is directly above the sink. I've been looking at make-up mirrors. It's too late to get one that's hardwired. I've seen a lighted mirror that plugs in, and you can remove the cord from the mirror when it's not in use. I might get that one.

Thanks enduring! I appreciate the feedback and advice! I had a conversation with someone the other day who told me a story about a woman who changed her front doorknob to oil rubbed bronze.... which led to a new hallway chandelier... which led to new dining room set... which led to new kitchen fixtures and appliances... which led to new counters... and then the bathrooms... and on and on and on. In the end her new doorknob led to a 50k home renovation! After hearing that I decided to stay with brushed nickel in our guest bathroom (whrre the tub is), and ALL the metal trims will be brushed nickel. I am going to use ORB for our master bathroom vanity faucets, lights, and towelbar because the vanity is actually in a separate room from the shower and toilet, separated by a pocket door. The shower and toilet have chrome trims but you never really look at them at the same time as the vanity area. I'll post some pics when its done. Our guest bath tub was just installed and seems to exactly match the brushed nickel faucet we picked out.