I got really lucky with a closeout of a KWC Faucet at a local plumbing store. It is not a bridge, and the side sprayer is separate, but I thought it was not so space-age futuristic as many of them are. I didn't have a strong vision of what my faucet should look like, and I thought this one looked nice. It was $139. Normally around $500.

I am in the Northwest, so am nowhere near you and our store does not have mail order. You may want to call or visit your local plumbing fixture stores and ask if they have this model or others on closeout. This particular faucet is also on a site called decor island but is $337 there and I myself have not seen that site referenced here on Gardenweb. (I hate to be the one to try a website that I've never heard of....) Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: KWC faucet I found on sale

Pull down sprayers are really pull down faucets that can have either a spray or stream of water. I can't help you much on bridge faucets except to suggest you check out sites like FaucetDirect.com and similar.

Hardware:

Like you, I didn't want shiny/glossy hardware. We went with "Antique Iron". It's in the "silver" family so it goes well with our brushed nickel faucet and pantry hardware as well as our pewter pendants. Here's a closeup of our hardware in antique iron (for "color" purposes).

Thanks colorfast - I've seen that site too and wasn't too sure about it, but I think google shopping gives it a pretty good rating. I'm kinda daring in that way and have done well so far (although, I'm wondering about pushing my luck at this point).

buehl - thank you so much for the picture! I definitely like that color and it would match one of the faucets we're thinking about.

So, here's what we've narrowed it down to: Belle Foret bridge faucet, but I've only found two people on here with bad experiences and in general, not very good ratings from amazon (none on the model we're looking at). However...(as if this isn't confusing enough!), buzzillions gives it GREAT reviews. It also has a matching handle for the sprayer, which is a big deal to me (stupid but who wants to spend all that money for a plastic sprayer handle??).

The other option, which is $200 more (ugh!), is the Whitehaus Vintage III or the Twisthaus - both in pewter. I've read some good reviews on gardenweb but not many and not many anywhere else. I like that they are headquartered in CT though, so I could actually drive there if I wanted to.

$200 could go towards a LOT of things - new hardware, light fixtures, the lamps I just bought...lol. I'm just nervous and don't want to walk into my house and find water everywhere because I bought a cheap faucet!

On the bright side, when faucets fail, it's almost always a drip drip that ends up in the sink!

I wonder if WH has a store where they dump returns and whatnot. I mean they're practically neighbors--use a funny voice and ask them!

Fori - what a great idea!! I hadn't even thought of that! I'm going to call them today and post the results on this one.

I think I'll also start a belle foret vs whitehaus thread and see what comes up in the opinion poll.

When we researched on our squeeeeezy tight budget, I came across BelleForet as well for our bathroom faucets. I don't remember where I found the info, but the gist of the reviews were that they're a great value, nice to look at, but not for the long-haul. Something like a kitchen faucet gets way more wear and tear than a bath faucet, so I would definitely look elsewhere if you could.

With your budget concerns in mind, I checked with our source for the bathroom faucet just see what they had in bridge land. You're going to laugh at the prices.

http://www.dealyard.com/p-4779-grohe-20128en0-bridgeford-brushed-nickel-bridge-kitchen-faucet-w-lever-handles.aspx

In gooseneck/sprayer land:
http://www.dealyard.com/p-2019-jado-850860444-victorian-kitchen-sink-faucet-w-side-spray-antique-nickel.aspx

And in bridge-esque pullout sprayer land:
http://www.dealyard.com/p-2057-jado-850850444-victorian-pullout-kitchen-sink-faucet-antique-nickel.aspx

Perhaps not exactly what you were looking for, but worth a look at the price. And Grohe and Jado are fantastic high-end brands.

We ordered 5 bathrooms and 60 Baldwin doorknobs from this vendor - they were prompt, and though they HAVE to be a closeout house with these prices, we were tickled with the quality of goods.

Good luck!

thanks alabamamommy! I checked out their site and am glad to know that it's worked for you. I was wondering if they were any good because we'd actually looked at the Grohe that you sent the link to. I've read in many posts that a sprayer with the deeper fireclay sinks is a must for clean up as swishing just doesn't seem to cut it.

I wonder if anyone can weigh in on that one - sprayer, absolutely or could do with out?

Fori - great idea, but no go :( They don't have an "outlet" or anything like that...and don't resell returns. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

I ended up getting a Pegasus Lyndhurst faucet in brushed nickel from overstockdeals.com. It was $110 and has held up great so far under daily use (no dishwasher at the moment, so all our dishes get done by hand). The faucet (and sprayer) are good, heavy, brass construction. I didn't have any trouble with overstockdeals, but you can find this faucet for a few dollars more at many other retailers. Maybe I've never used a really high-end faucet, but I just can't imagine spending $$$ really makes THAT much difference in the faucet's function!

Here is a link that might be useful: Pegasus Bridge Faucet

Thanks anenemity!! I had looked at that faucet and saw some negative reviews and was nervous about its quality as a result. How long have you had it? It's very pretty and I like that the handle on the sprayer isn't plastic.

I've had it for a little over a year. I want to say that Pegasus is Home Depot's house brand, so you should be able to see it in person if you have a HD near you. Even if they don't have the finish you want on display, you should at least be able to get an idea of its construction quality. Good luck!

Actually, I just looked it up on HD's website, and it's listed under the Glacier Bay brand. It appears to be exactly the same faucet (still called Lyndhurst), just rebranded under a different label.

To be fair, I've seen just as many negative reviews concerning the big brands (Kohler, Moen, Price Pfister, American Standard, etc.), and it always seems that the negative voices are heard louder than the positive ones.

Thanks anenemity - I went to HD and picked one up at the store to check it out. It's nice looking - the sprayer is rather impressive - only problem is that it's branded GLACIER BAY at the base - so not into that at all. Seemed like a great idea until we saw that.

I'm willing to install it backwards, but my husband is refusing as you have to push, rather than pull the water on (I rather like it that way, but I'm backwards anyway - ha!!)

Hmm. Mine doesn't have that marking on it at all. If you like it other than that, order the Pegasus version from an online retailer you're comfortable with. There was a thread recently about overstockdeals.com, and the consensus was that as long as you don't need to make returns, it's a good place to buy - fast shipping, unbeatable prices. If you happen to get a dud or change your mind, though, making a return is apparently a pain. But from what I've seen, there are plenty of other retailers that carry it, so take your pick.

I agree about the sprayer. The heft of it surprises me every time I pick it up!