upon review of this thread we want to point out that there are varying types of black finishes - some are pitch dark black - and are powder coated - some are black or graphite and a plated - i.e dipped into chemicals - and plated with copper, nickel etc... - some black finishes will have a lacquer on it - a shiny or matt ...these black finishes vary greatly across different plumbing companies as they might be using different metal finishing companies (either in house or outsourced) - u could ask the manufacturer where the actual finishing is done and keep that information on file with you.

californiacelticlass64, I think the confusion may be over the 'hinges'. It's very rare that one sees hinges on kitchen cabinets these days. I just Googled kitchen cabinets, and you'll see from this link that the hinges are hidden on them Pics of kitchen cabinets

Yes I typically try to do that. I moved into my home 14 yrs ago with little money for updates and have slowly updated but that left me without a whole house vision…Iam trying to simplify so the whole house is cohesive without actually replacing every single fixture. Matte black and polished chrome are regulars…I do love that soft brushed or aged brass though. I used the polished chrome in a more traditional way then modern. I probably fall into the modern farmhouse category, though I do not like country, I love vintage or industrial elements.

I agree that it is more a question of "style" rather than one clashing with gray flooring. FWIW I have oil rubbed bronze and when I was looking I found that the actual finish varied somewhat with some basically looking very dark brown/almost black and some looking more "antique" looking with some coppery highlights peeking through. Phyrich has a variety of finishes and you can take a look at what the faucets look like in various finishes on their site. They differentiate between Antique Bronze, Oil Rubbed Bronze and they have an Matte Black Finish I got my bathroom fixtures from them with an Oil Rubbed Finish. Since I have copper accents and a traditional bathroom I asked them to do a finish that had slightly more copper peeking through. They are a smaller company located in Los Angeles and were easy to deal with. Phyrich Faucets