I am using chrome in the kitchen, and polished nickel in the master (although I did switch to polished nickel in there on the door hardware because there was a logical place to do it - can't see brass and nickel at the same time). We don't have any doors in our kitchen really - swinging door to dining room is through the butler's pantry - but I don't have a problem with mixing metals if done well. Every magazine I look through has homes with either unlacquered brass or oil rubbed bronze hardware, and 99 percent of them use polished nickel in the kitchen. It looks great. I have even noticed many (like Brooke Giannetti) use chrome or polished nickel faucets, and then do a different finish on sconces in the bathroom. We did this in our basement - chrome faucet, oil rubbed bronze sconces, honed absolute black granite. I am not a fan of ORB faucets and I think choosing the right mirror will tie it all together.

As you've discovered, raw brass hardware is not nearly as common as lacquered as it can tarnish during shipment and while on the shelf waiting to be sold. Any fingerprints on the brass from manufacturing or packaging can be points where oxidation can first occur. Fully clean and buffed raw brass will sell, fully tarnished raw brass will sell, but mottled partially tarnished brass? Not so much. But you can search for it by looking for "living finish brass". It's quite easy to strip lacquered brass. Soak it in an acetone (nail polish remover) bath for a few minutes, then lightly scrub with steel or brass wool. Don't use a plastic scrubby, the acetone may dissolve the scrubby.

I just had this same dilemma last week for my build — the majority of my master bath is using unlacquered brass fixtures from Rohl. However, I was hesitant to use ULB in the shower as I just didn't think I would like the potential verdigris in a space that is meant to feel clean. Because of this, I opted for a polished nickel shower tower from Rohl. I know that mixing metals in rooms is widely accepted, but I wasn't sure if mixing metals for fixtures would be. Based on the floor plan of the master bath, I felt it would be totally fine and look appropriate. Right now I have a floor mount tub filler & wall mount sink faucets in ULB, shower trim in polished nickel. I will probably incorporate polished nickel into some light fixtures as well.

Hey All, Rohl distributor here. That is definitely the Tuscan Brass finish that does live/change over time. You can speed up the process when you buy a new one by touching it alot or wiping it down with soap and water often to quicken the pace. Rohl was purchased by Fortune Brands, which has changed some of their distribution over the last couple years, but the items are still made in Italy. In our market, about half of the issues are installer related because they are not the Delta quick connect installations. To acheive this look would be hard in any mainstream brand. Waterstone is fantastic! I have been their facilty in CA. They also have a Tuscan finish that changes, but again, it would still be different. In my experience there are certainly issues with higher brands, but they always take care of you. It's just not at an Amazon pace. Unlacqered Brass is going to be bright and shiny, and will also turn, but I don't think they would ever look the same (TCB that had changed and ULB that had changed). I would stick to TCB finish and maybe even purchase "Brass Ager" on Amazon and test on the underside of a flange or something. Or buy a soap dispenser to test it out on that wouldn't be costly to replace. Enjoy!