I consider 3-D programs to be an excellent part of the designing process, but they can't be taken outside to see how the sun shines into the kitchen at 5p nor can you line the walls with paint chips to determine which is really the color you want. Home Designer Pro can do exactly that. In fact, it will show you how the sun will shine in any part of the house at any given date and time. Of course, you have to be able to tell it the building site's lat and long and the house's orientation on the site. The program has provisions to accept that information and also terrain data, if the site isn't flat. There are also digitized paint and wall covering samples that can be loaded into the program. They are available from several major manufacturers at no cost. I can't say how accurate the color rendering is, though. And, I've noticed that no matter how good the program, most people still don't see that the bathroom door will slam into someone shaving at the sink, or that there's no room to walk behind the dining room chairs, or that the overstuffed recliner cannot be carried through a 32" door. That is primarily because people don't think about those things unless they train themselves to do so. Reading a few good books on design helps. Studying random stock plans in order to find as much wrong with them as you can helps too. Many of them are so bad that you can make a sport of it. Once someone grasps the concept of how not to design a house, using roof off 3D views, such as the "dollhouse view" helps immensely. Good software lets the user place correctly proportioned furniture and people into the 3D visualization to see what works and what doesn't. It is a great tool for someone willing to take the time to learn it. Home Designer Pro, which I use isn't cheap. Its suggested retail is $500. In the scheme of things, as in building anything other than an econobox house, it is a bargain considering how many expensive problems it can help you to avoid.

This is an interesting question. I sent Grohe an email and asked this question. Their vague answer "The ones you see in Lowes are made specifically for Lowes." This was my answer. I ordered one online at Lowes about 2 weeks ago and called just today to be sure that it was going to be delivered when the email stated. I found out they were back ordered for over 3 weeks, after customer service got back on the phone with me after waiting awhile. The Lowe's customer service rep was rude and said we have no way of knowing unless manufacturer tells us. That is another story but through this conversation I found out Trumbull makes them for Lowes. http://www.trumbull.com/divisions.html I was really not happy that Lowes is selling items they don't have available online. I called another place that had the faucet in stock and asked about price matching and she stated that the ones made at Lowes do have some down graded parts and that is why they sell for a lower price.

Dornbracht and KWC are well made, stylish brands, if you are still looking. KWC Systema is a beautiful semi-pro line. Dornbrach Tara is an amazing example of gracious design in Semi pro look . These are higher end brands than Hansgrohe, IMHO. I have an Axor Starck in my bathroom. From experience, Hansgrohe is a good quality brand. I don't like faucets where I have to keep my finger on a button to be in the spray mode. I want a toggle for the spray mode. That's now how I use my faucet. I nixed that particular model for that reason.

We have KWC ONO faucets in our kitchen and bathrooms, which are modern in style.