I'm partial to the dark expresso with the specs of gray/light countertop. I guess one question is if you went with the dark wood for the vanity, would you still need laminate? How would your floor choice look against the light wood versus dark? Also, do you feel one over the other would make your bathroom seem smaller? Even though I love the expresso brown vanity, my husband wanted a light color (but not white) for our bathroom since it isn't that big.

When I was doing my very first bathroom remodel -- almost 20 years ago(!) -- a wise cabinet guy said to me "this is America, and you get what you pay for". That being said, there are laminates and there are laminates. Some are good quality and will hold up great, others will start to delaminate quickly. I would find out what brand your guy is recommending and ask about it here....someone is sure to have some info. I can say that the previous owner of this house put laminate cabs in the master bath, and they are lovely and hold up great & look high end (even tho laminate is not my thing). I saw on the kraftmade site that they have a new line of laminates that look high end in the pics, altho I have no personal knowledge of them, so I can't offer an opinion. If you do go with lam, I would probably suggest going with white or black to keep to the theme. If you go for wood, just try to keep it coordinated overall -- if you use a warm wood-tone be sure to use a warm paint color and carry the tones through in the accesories.

When we recently redid our kids bath, we put in Blue Pearl granite for the counter and shelves in the niches. There was nothing that I could do to the blue pearl to stain or damage it when I was testing it, so I figured it would be a good mix for the kids. Since being installed, what I love about it is that is reflects all the chrome from the fixtures and hides stuff so well when the kids aren't the best at cleaning up after themselves. I have laminate in my kitchen and I hate the stuff, but it is 25 years old and stuff has changed much since then. The good thing with laminate is that it can be cheaply replaced if anything does happen to it.

We went with 2 oversized 18 x 18 niches with shelves in our tub/shower combo. Seems to be just the right size for our three kids with a bit of room left for guests. I think I am attaching a link that shows the blue pearl granite as well as the niches we put in.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our bath reno

Bec

Have you chosen any colors/accents yet? I would decide on some of the elements - tile field/floor etc - Choose counter top - If you do want "upscale" I'd go with a solid stone - there are plenty of choices out there that are near bulletproof.
As far as the niches go you can either do custom - or purchase ready made - lots of prior threads here on that - Bill V is also a good source. They should be up high (or far)enough so they are not taking direct hit from water - need to be properly pitched so water runs off, and waterproofed rough ins

We had a custom one for our master - Love it, esp since not much storage in the bathroom