For me it depends if I'm going for a solid/monomaterialist look, or if I want the interest (or chaos depending on your preference) of varied different materials. My last kitchen was black appliances with deep ORB (looked black) hardware. My sink and faucet were SS. Lights were a patina brown with parchment glass. I don't know if I consciously tried to match these elements to the other items they were nearest, or if it was coincidence, but now that I think about it - ORB/blackened hardware was probably inspired by the appliances. Ee originally had the house built with cream porcelain, thinking we'd have almond appliances, but chose black at the last minute and forgot to change the hardware... it looked horrible until we changed to the blackened ones. The brown/parchment lights were over 1) the island (Earthen Terra Formica) and 2) the table & windows (table is a deep coffee color, windows were dressed with parchment voile sheers and loden panels, tied back with help straps I made). The faucet was selected because I wanted it the same as the sink. I am building a new house now, and will have ORB or patina(ed) iron hardware. So far my lighting choices (struggling to pick) all have metal that's in the brown family. Sink will either be SS or Silgranit in Biscuit (learning toward this). Appliances will be SS. I will probably do the faucet in brushed SS, but I'm not sure on this one. Haven't thought much about it yet. To me, SS appliances read like a neutral. I just don't see them for very long when I go into a kitchen, unlike white, almond, black or even the metal-finish ones like the Jenn-Air ORB or whoever's blackened steel. So for rules, I'm not sure there are any. Pay attention to these elements in photos, friends' kitchens, etc. and the only rule seems to be "don't do everything the exact same". Must people have a hodge podge of metal & appliance finishes.

You asked: "I am wondering if I should stick with the brushed nickel cup pulls and knobs? " Who do you have to please? Just yourself? Then don't think about "should". Think about what you love. Do you love the look of your ORB? Then do that. Are you concerned about resale? Are you concerned about a "unified look"? Then you need to take a bit more time to think about it. I had brass knobs in my kitchen, and then we installed SS appliances. I always liked the look of the brass knobs, but my 14-year-old son, who doesn't usually express any decorating opinions, said, "Mom, you really HAVE to get stainless knobs now." Oh. I do? So we bought a couple, just to see how it looked. It looked pretty good. So we switched. Moral of the story... if you can't decide, look at both.

I recently (as in this week!) was asking myself the same exact question - a quick look at all my kitchen magazines convinced me that the satin nickel faucet/stainless sink/ ORB hardware combo is done all the time. I think it's a great look. The faucet will pick up on the sink, your Wolf range, and any other stainless appliances you may have. Like you I have creamy cabinets with glaze( with a cherry island) , Wolf SS range, paneled fridge and SS undermount sinks. My granite is in the medium brown tones - New Venetian Gold. I'm doing ORB hardware on both perimeter and island, satin nickel faucets and stainless undermount sinks. Lighting will probably have ORB or similar trim. I've also seen ORB faucets matched up to ORB hardware , including mixed with stainless sinks (one like that right on the cover of one of a recent kitchen magazine) - those can be just gorgeous , too. To me, some faucets styles look better in the ORB than others - just personal preference. In addition to kitchen magazines, you might also want to check out the finished kitchen blog on this site - look at categories and then creamy colored kitchens or ORB. If you want a satin nickel faucet though, I think you'll be reassured by what you see.

Hi Deepa, I have been advising clients over the last year or so to avoid oil-rubbed bronze. I believe it's trending out. I'd surely avoid bronze for large-scale installations like door knobs, which tend to stay in place for many years. It's hard to go wrong with silver pulls, they tend to be the most timeless. If you prefer the drama of a dark fixture, I would look for something in black instead. That said, I often mix metal colors within a given room. For example, you could use mostly silver, with a couple touches of gold (or the reverse). Sometimes a room that's entirely silver looks too 'cold' and an all-gold room can look too fussy, so mixing gives balance. In the room below, the couch/chaise legs and overhead light are silver; everything else is gold.