I think it is fine to mix between finish of faucet and knobs/pulls, generally speaking. I think the finish of the faucet should relate more to your countertop and any backsplash directly behind. The finish of your pulls should relate primarily to your cabinet doors and other door handle finishes or light fixtures in the house. If your faucet and cabinet knobs/pulls are very close together and completely opposite, that could be a distraction. But for example dian57's kitchen above, I think all the finishes go pretty well, partly because she has a lot of neutrals so there is not a lot of "competition" in the room.

Have you tried to contact faucet direct and explain you now want the same faucet but in ss?? They may be willing to accommodate you but you won't know unless you ask. That's what I would do. Are they the same price? If the ss finish is more$ they may just let you do an exchange since they would end up with more$. They may charge a small restocking fee but I'd ask them to waive it. I have a Kohler ss faucet and I really like the look of the more subdued finish. Sorry I couldn't help more. Good luck!! I had a problem with my ss sink grid and due to confusing description ordered one that was too big for my sink. Of course several months had passed but I contacted them, ordered the smaller one which cost more and they waived the restocking fee. I did have to pay to ship the grid back but it was worth it as the new one had no shipping charge.

I apologize for not gettting back sooner, but I have a few health issues that sideline me totally sometimes. ntt hou - you answered that you have this combination, but you also mentioned that brushed nickel for the faucet and stainless/brushed stainless for the sink make a good combination. I agree with the latter comment, but I am uncertain about the polished nickel with stainless sink - is this what you have? rmkitchen - yes, I agree that it is easy to obsess about things, and I have definitely been doing this. But, since I started with this question, I am going to try to finish with it. My sink will be an undermount 1 and 3/4 size either Blanco, Franke or Mekal. The faucet would be the P&R in polished nickel. I am starting to think that since the sink will be um, then you really won't see the two different colours until you peer into the sink, so maybe it will work out afterall.

FWIW, some food for thought while you are deciding: 1) Chrome will look just fine with your SS appliances and sink, and in fact, will add a little sparkle which is nice (we chose the polished chrome finish for our ceiling fan, despite choosing SN handles for our cabs--the fan co.'s SN/BN finish was very dull-looking and a very muddy color at that that--it looks awesome in the chrome, much more special than it would have in the other, drab finish). 2) Most of the faucets I've seen do look prettier in chrome than they do in SS or SN. but: 3) Chrome does show spotting more readily than SS, so you might be wiping it down more often to keep that shiny, clean look. I've chosen some things for our home, knowing that they will require a little more "upkeep" or attention in order to remain nice, while rejecting others as being, not worth the effort (for me). 4) Grohe's SS is SS through and through--we chose SS for our Ladylux Cafe faucet because we felt the finish would hold up best through the inevitable bumps and banging that occur when we wash stuff in our sink (e.g. "buffing" out some of the "damage" if need be). Hope this helps--you can't go wrong either way! :-)