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Home Decorating

Polished or satin nickel for bathroom?

bluekitobsessed

14 years ago

I'm starting on the remodel of a downstairs 3/4 bathroom. The rest of my house has satin nickel hardware, and I like satin nickel generally. However, would I be better off with polished nickel fixtures and hardware in the bathroom? The shiny blingy look just feels appropriate in a bathroom, and I think I'll have an easier time finding fixtures in polished nickel. However, I've heard that it's better to keep one color/style hardware throughout the house. My first purchase will be a faucet, so I need to decide fixture/hardware color early.

Details of the proposed remodel: white wood open vanity (RH Chamfered), blue/gray granite countertop, beadboard or subway tile on bottom half of wall/darker blue paint on top half, white subway tile shower, light fixtures to be classic Rejuvenation, other fixtures to be found at RH outlet, haven't decided floor yet but some kind of light tile, generally looking for cottage/beach/casual feel rather than high maintenance.

I've cross-posted on bathrooms, but I thought you might have some good ideas also. Thank you!

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Comments (6)

justagirl
14 years ago
IMHO, since you're going for the cottage/beach/casual feel, I'd go with the satin finish.
bestyears
14 years ago
I just put satin nickel in two bathrooms. I wouldn't worry about having 'an easier time' finding polished nickel. There was plenty of selection. I have to say, I love the polished nickel. Very, very easy to keep nice looking. Mine is Delta Leland, btw, if you are interested.
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I am happy to say I have excellent taste :oP I just didn't answer much yesterday because it was "cast off day" and I was in a bit of pain. But today I'm happy to answer...so...I actually like both finishes. I find chrome or polished nickle to be easier to maintain, especially on often washed fixtures, so in our son's bathroom (the one with silver fixtures) I used polished nickle for the toilet, faucets, shower head and lighting, and then did the fittings (towel bars, hooks, knobs) in brushed nickle. I've done the same in the kitchen with chrome on the faucets, and pot filler, and then stainless for the sinks and the counter top as well as pewter on the light fixtures and the knobs. I find the mix if done well to be better than one same surface used throughout a room or house. You just have to keep "like items" the same (ie in ds's bath...things that have water flowing through them have shiney silver and things that don't...have brushed). Chrome and polished nickle are both typically cheaper than brushed as well, which is a nice little bonus :) I didn't do any of the rooms as budget rooms, but that was a bit of a nice suprise. I think that in a few years, brushed nickle is going to be the brushed gold of the 70's and the bright gold of the 80's. Mixing finishes allows the room to feel designed without a specific era to focus on.
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We did our faucets in chrome except for the cabinet latches, which weren't available in chrome so the cabinet guy substituted polished nickel. I think PN is gorgeous and I was tempted to go for it for all our fixtures but I am so glad I didn't...those stupid cabinet knobs tarnish if you so much as look at them the wrong way. I had to ask my husband to please be careful to only open them with clean dry hands (kind of annoying in a bathroom when you are applying makeup, lotion, etc.) I have heard there is a type of polish I can get to clean them up (brasstech is the name, I think) but I haven't ordered it yet. I need to do it though. If I had to do it over again, I would change the knob style before going with polished nickel -- I can see that they are going to be a serious maintenance headache over the years.
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Yes, I think you can mix it. I don't think you would have any problem at all doing that. ....silver is silver. ... is silver. I have a brushed satin double sink, and a shiny Delta faucet....never thought twice about it... It's silver. It works. It's paid for. LOL And your lights are not near your kitchen faucet. I have a ceiling recessed light above my kitchen sink(recessed into over head cabinets that hang down 30 inches from my ceiling)...it only came with a white square frame at the time... I have cut glass ceiling 'salad bowl' style kitchen fixtures, with shiny brass edge and middle mount to match my other ceiling fixtures in my open den. It all works to make light for my family. Shiny, Brushed, Silver, Gold, Crystal, Glass, it all makes a house. And the tax man thinks it's a castle! LOL
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Yes, you should mix metals, but I would do more of a contrast than chrome to brushed nickel. If you're doing chrome for your faucets and shower fixtures, then pick something more interesting for the other hardware like oil rubbed bronze or gold. If you pick things too close together sometimes it looks like you were trying to match and just slightly missed. Make sure the difference in metals shows that it was intentional.
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brutuses
14 years ago
If it's better to keep one color throughout the house, I and thousands of others are in big trouble. LOL I believe either would be just fine. It sounds so pretty. Don't forget to post photo's of your finished project.
clax66
14 years ago
We chose P&R faucets in satin finish. We love it. Keeping it clean is easy - I don't worry about water marks like I used to get all the time with shiny chrome finish.
parma42
14 years ago
I'm with bru, you've been spending too much time on the Kitchens forum, that place scares me, lol. (I'm just kidding, please don't take offense) :) We have a little more of a laissez faire attitude around here when it comes to matching. Of course you do have igloo over there to shake things up.

Get the finish that pleases you the most.
babs711
14 years ago
I've never heard it's better to have the same finish throughout a house. I don't think that matters one bit. We have brushed nickel in our master bath and polished chrome in our kids bath. The kids fixtures are so much harder to keep clean b/c the polished finish shows water spots so much worse. I vote brushed or satin for that reason alone. I wanted that crisp shiny look of the polished chrome against the white counters and tub/tile in their bathroom. But if I had to do it over again, I'd go with satin/brushed just for the cleaning factor.

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