I absolutely lurve mine, bridgetmalone! And have already decided I would do it again should we ever do another kitchen reno (although after this one, it is highly unlikely hah!). That said, if I was trying to stay authentic I think I would not choose stainless. At least to my eye I agree with hollysprings that it gives a more transitional/modern look. However, unless you are doing a historical renovation, aren't we all doing a somewhat transitional/modern take on vintage design when choosing an apron front in the first place. As I type this I realize I am being of no help to you in deciding haha! Good luck!

you should never have to replace it, unless your replacing the rest of the kitchen due to earthquake, tornado or fire...ha! but seriously, don't worry about or plan for things that are a long shot/problem...the right contractor would know how to replace it if needed(but it would be a pain in the rear) but mention the possibility for the install and that way they can avoid running screws in places that cant be accessed later most of the bib sinks are made from good quality SS(even the no-name brands, which get re-labeled to brands anyway) And I prefer to build a small frame inside the sink base to hold the weight, which then could be removed if needed and ease the removal of the sink...

I have seen a couple of threads on here about people worrying about counters and sinks getting chipped more with a positive reveal. However those people had soapstone counters and a fireclay sink so you should be good. (I'm thinking of Sombriel Mongrel to be specific). A positive reveal is supposed to be easier to clean because you can see the gunk and wipe it up sooner I'm guessing because you can see it. Since you will have granite counters and a stainless sink you shouldn't worry about chipping. I have never seen anyone complain about caulk getting gross and needing replacement sooner which is what I have wondered with my research. I have not come across any negatives. Good luck.

I purchased my Sea Salt Kohler Whitehaven through Amazon Warehouse. Got it for almost 1/2 price. It was perfect. I only purchase if an item is marked as 'Like New' or 'Very Good'. Just saw a Ruvati 9200 workstation apron front stainless on there with several installed pics. Might be worth checking out.