I don't know if their stuff is higher than your budget allows, but we used some faucets and bath/shower fixtures from Cifial. Our salesperson convinced us to use some of their fixtures in our guest bathroom (a couple of years ago) because he felt they are very good quality at a "good price point." We were very happy with the quality, so much so, that we used Cifial faucets in our two bathrooms when we reno'd them last year.

I think that polished chrome is classic and looks good with anything. It also, happily, is the least expensive finish. Delta is not a particularly expensive brand, so if that is beyond your budget, I would think long and hard before doing anything other than polished chrome since you will need to factor in a more expensive finish for everything--not just your sink and shower faucets, but shower head(s), towel bars, paper holder, light fixtures, etc. etc. That will start to add up. I would say that your budget is better spent elsewhere than on a more expensive finish.

You didn't mention Grohe or Hansgrohe. Are those too modern for you? I have Hansgrohe in my brand new shower, and so far I love it. I originally didn't give it a second thought, and was looking more at Delta & Kohler, but when I priced it all out, the (what I thought was) "more expensive" Hansgrohe turned out to be much cheaper. The difference for me is that Hansgrohe has a valve which has a diverter built in, so you don't need to buy that separately. Depending on your configuration, that could be something to consider. I wasted a lot of time looking at Kohler stuff before that clicked in my head and realized I would save about $500 going with the Hansgrohe.

As for finishes, you sound like what I was thinking when I started my bathroom. I was set on brushed nickel, which is in the rest of my house, but in the end chose polished chrome due to price. Now, I really can't imagine having brushed nickel. I LOVE, I mean really, really LOVE the polished chrome in my new bathroom. It has this awesome "clean" look that is so nice! I would check out photos online, see which rooms you tend to like more, THEN look at what finish it has. It surprised me when I did this that I usually ended up liking the chrome finish rooms.

also check out Signature Hardware dot com. Reasonable and attractive. They sell their own brand called Nottingham Brass.

suzan...I am also a new "chrome convert"! It is classic...and easy to clean and keep clean. I really love polished nickel but it is harder to maintain and depending on the brand, more $$. I was set on using either polished nickel or ORB, and now I am considering chrome faucets and towel bars with my door knobs, hardware ORB...now, should lighting be ORB or chrome? It is sooo hard to decide. But to answer your question...consider chrome to save some $$ and look at the delta or kohler faucets on line at Faucetsdirect.com...they have some good deals! HTH

I am in the process of buying new Grohe fixture and have chosen chrome since it's timeless. From what I am seeing on ebay, many are reducing their prices for satin nickel it is less in demand and chrome has become more popular.

Not sure if you meant faucets or towel bars, TP holder, lights.

This builder's website has a lot of detail on how to research faucet quality, and reviews of each brand.

http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets.htm

The link above is about all the features to consider and is almost TOO much info. The one linked here is reviews of various brands. Yes many are very expensive but I think it mentions that Moen is ok and lasts. I like my Moen showerhead. Based on this article since I was doing 3 bathrooms I tried 3 different faucet manufacturers and I am happy with all of them: Kohler, Hamat and Toto. The Toto took 8 weeks to come when I ordered it online from Faucets Direct so beware of delays.

Here's my Toto

Here is a link that might be useful: Builder's site for faucet ratings and reviews

For most of what I was looking for, Signature Hardware had prices comparable to other online places, but the faucets I went with eventually were much cheaper on eBay. $140 buy-it-now instead of close to $400, and the seller had multiples in stock.

I like BN better than PC but couldn't afford the special order BN faucets for my powder room. So the faucets are PC, the TP holder and towel ring BN with PC accents, and the light fixture BN, all courtesy HD. It looks fine together.

In the big box stores, in-stock BN and OB accessories, light fixtures and faucets cost about as much or only a little more than the PC, so maybe the much higher price of special- order BN and OB items is price-fixing, practiced against people who just have to have the look.

Here's a few places to try:
-Habitat Restore (if you don't have one near you or you don't like the selection, some are online on eBay)

-Tuesday Morning Stores (If you have them in your area--ours just got a ton of brand new Delta faucets in chrome, brushed/satin nickel, ORB and aged pewter in some very popular designs from a supply house liquidation. You may have to try a couple different locations to find a good stock. (Ex. Delta's Victorian lavatory faucet in ORB $60.00)

-Overstock.com

-efaucets.com (be sure to check out their clearance)

-irawoods.com (be sure to check out their clearance/bargain attic)

-csnstores.com (be sure to check out their clearance/sale)

Hope this helps!

my experience is somewhat different from your contractors. Moen's better lines (more expensive) are actually very good, far superior to Delta which is actually a cheaper line. Delta's more expensive line, Brizo, however is very good. Pfister is ok for lav faucets but I would not put one of their valves inside a wall (shower or tub) as I have had 2 friends who have had failure with them.

Grohe is still king of the hill in my book, but very pricey. Don't cheap out on either your shower or roman tub faucets and valves as failure can lead to VERRRRRY expensive repairs. As mentioned above, find very good names that are discontinued lines or other markdowns from reputable sellers and find the best plumber in your area. This is not the place to save a few bucks.

Thanks to everyone who answered and offered advice. In the end, I went with Grohe faucets and showerhead, etc. For towel racks and the like, I am going with Moen. I think the brushed nickel finishes are close enough. As many suggested, one can cut corners with somethings, but not with others!

"Delta is not a particularly expensive brand, so if that is beyond your budget, I would think long and hard before doing anything......"

anything period.

If Delta is outa your price range you probably don't need to be here asking what is supercalifragilistic.

You need to just just head over the the big box home center and take home whatever they have in stock that fits your aesthetic sensibility or shelving the project for now. Kohler has one of the largest and broadest product ranges of any plumbing co. and if you can't find something you like from them - I'd wager you're one of those people that simply need a reality check.

Listen, I'm not berating you here, I'm simply getting the sense that you are simply being too particular for what's available in the real world within your budget.

pay no attention to antss...