We also have a mix of finishes - all in the "silver" family: brushed nickel (ours is "silver") faucets/soap dispenser/air switch, brushed SS strainers/drains, pewter pendants, and antique iron hardware. I think if you generally stay in the same color "family" you'll be OK.

There is a lot to be said here but I will restrain myself. For only charcoal filtration, any faucet should work. Use a charcoal filter that is standard size (guessing without moving my keister to measure that standard means 3 inches in diameter by about 10 inches long.) Pressure drop should be modest until depleted so flow would be high. With R.O. water, one needs a pressure tank and at least 3/8 poly tubing to use with a standard faucet. One may also need other active components to keep the pressure up. My R.O. system feeds a Brizo Venuto, a Brizo pot filler, a plant wand, a refrigerator ice maker, and eventually a bar sink faucet. However, I have a peristaltic brine-driven pump from Spectrapure, and two pressure tanks. With R.O. filtration, it is possible in some cases for the resulting water to become soft and acidic, and this can leach lead where present. For such cases, a lead free faucet is needed. My R.O. input is municipal water that has been dosed at the source with alkali chemicals, and pH measurements show that it is still alkaline after R.O. filtration. kas

It's probably one of two things or maybe even both combined: The depth of the sink...How deep is your sink? If your sink is undermounted, how thick is your countertop? Believe it or not, deeper sinks are more of a problem for tall people than short people. The deeper the sink, the farther anyone, especially a tall person has to lean down to reach the bottom of the sink. Distance of sink from front edge of counter...How far back is your sink from the front edge of your countertop? The further back it is, the more you have to lean forward to get to the sink. This is also a bit of an issue with the faucet, but not usually a major one. The farther back the faucet head is from the front edge of the countertop, the further forward you have to lean to grasp it. However, once you have a pullout/pull down/pre-rinse faucet head in your hand, you no longer have to lean so far forward. Faucet reach can also help or hurt...the longer the reach, the closer the faucet head is to the front of the sink (and it's closer still when it's pointing straight toward you as opposed to off to the side.)

I haven't read every word. Just want to say that you HAVE a 'pantry'. It's in your laundry room/back hallway, right off the kitchen. Clear the walls and make some closets. Voila! A Pantry! Beware any combination appliance like the microwave/oven or microwave/exhaust fan. The oven and fan will go on for decades, but not the M/W. (Ask me how I know! LOL) You can cheaply replace a microwave, but not a *built-in* microwave. Can you reach shelves in tall upper cabinets without a step-ladder? They look nice, but sometimes a soffit plus less-tall cabinets works just fine and is cheaper. If you need the 'dead storage' on the top shelves, taller makes sense. Deeper countertops are a boon, leaving more room for countertop appliances (coffee maker, blender, toaster). I like drawers in my lower cabinets better than doors/shelves. I like under-cabinet lights. No 'working' countertop should be less than 18" wide. Avoid blocking your aisles with appliance doors -- fridge, dishwasher, oven door, etc.; stagger these where they are opposite one another. I prefer a double sink. One of my favorite things is the pull-out garbage/recycling bin at one side of my sink. Another is my stacked dishdrawers; one is adequate for two adults, running it once a day, and dishes don't 'wait' in the sink until there are enough to bother washing.