Personally, I'd keep looking for stainless or satin or brushed something. Not because of way it will look together, just because the faucet is such a work horse. You will be turning it on with all kinds of gunk on your hands. Chrome is hard to keep clean as every water spot shows.

Then again, you may cook very different than I do. I'm a cook now and clean later person.

Here is my chrome faucet installed on the SS sink. It might look a little odd because I have the head pulled out a bit because someone wanted to see how it looked. I think the chrome faucet, soap dispenser and handle look just fine with the SS sink, and I have never had a cleaning problem. I just take a quick swipe with the tea towel and any water drops or spots come right off. This is my favorite of all the faucets I have owned. I have some with other finishes and they have never held up as well as the chrome. This faucet has a Magnitite head which means the head stays tight because of a magnet, and it has diamond seal technology that prevents hard water build up. It is a Delta Leland @ around $185.
{{!gwi}}
Good luck in your search. Jane

With soapstone why not consider brushed nickel? It has a slight yellow cast and it might blend nicely with your old brass.
Maureen in MA

Janepa - I like your nice shiny faucet, It looks good with the stainless. I'm having trouble finding a good faucet that's a single handle and no sprayer.

What finish holds up the best? Maybe the finish doesn't matter so much? Does everything match stainless?

I think chrome is your best bet for a classic vintage kitchen like yours. Alternately, you might think about polished nickel (I think brushed nickel is too trendy and modern, but just my opinion) -- it's almost like chrome, but has a slight golden cast instead of blue that would resonate with your other hardware. And it's absolutely your period.

But in a pinch, I'd definitely go for good old chrome. :) Didja have any luck checking out those Whitehaus faucets for a good style?

Here's another vote for chrome. I have it as a finish on my faucet at our lakehouse where we have soapstone countertops and sink. I think it looks timeless and don't have any problem with upkeep.

I have had "chrome look" fixtures in my bathrooms which were hard plastic with a silver finish and they were a nightmare to keep nice looking. They were always spotty and the finish rubbed off if you tried to clean any grime off them. If it's real chrome you shouldn't have problems.

I have a stainless sink in my kitchen here at home and went with a stainless faucet (installed about 7 yrs. ago, before I knew of this forum.) Wish I'd gone w/ chrome here, too, as the 2 stainless finishes are different in hue, and it has always bugged me.

Thanks everyone! I'm still looking.

Circuspeanut - I really like the look of the Whitehaus. The Elkay Victoria one I'm considering is similar in style. DH and my GC were giving me a hard time about ordering "weird brands" so Whitehaus is out,unfortunately.

I have a Whitehaus also and love it. I'd never seen one and had never heard of one when I saw a photo of one here and bought one online. I liked the Kohler Vinata, but the dimensions and styling of the Whitehaus were better, so i went for it. It is a very solidly made faucet and I have loved it. I recently found a thread here that had a link to a source with faucet ratings by brand. It also told who made other brands where applicable. Whitehaus was a top rated brand (I was pleased to find out) -- so don't think that because you haven't heard of it that it isn't any good. May be quite the contrary.

Chrome does show spots because it's shiny, but it mirrors everything around it and blends in. It's also very retro and traditional (as well as modern or whatever you want). And it's a very hard material so those spots do scrub off and the finish is extremely durable. Chrome is pretty similar in color to stainless steel and it's been paired with SS sinks as long as they've been around.

Polished nickel would also look right in there, though. And I agree that Whitehaus isn't a weird brand at all--it's just NICER than those guys are used to. Pfft. Teach them to open their minds. :)