The brushed or satin nickel finishes vary by manufacturer. I suggest you go to a plumbing supply house or big box store to find samples of all the finishes you're looking at from the same manufacturers. That's the only way you're going to determine how they will look together. Faucetman886, I have never heard that SS was more difficult to keep clean than BN where plumbing fixtures are concerned...especially satin/brushed SS. Quite the contrary, with BN, for example, you have to be careful what cleaning products you use b/c some products will damage a BN finish. I have not heard the same for SS. BTW...It has been recommended several times that you do not get a BN strainer for the very reason I stated above...from those who learned the hard way. I have both SS & BN plumbing fixtures and other than being careful about cleaning products on the BN, I have not noticed any differences in care & upkeep. [I have SS sinks, air switches, GD flange, & strainers and BN faucets & SDs.]

Because chrome continues to be popular even with all the new finishes available. First polished brash came and "went", then all the brushed finishes, polished nickel and ORB, yet chrome is still popular. It never really stopped selling. My first foray into faucets involved a trip to a higher end plumbing dealer here and he said in all the years he had been in business, polished chrome has always made up at least 50% of the faucets he sells, usually more, with the rest just making up an equal amount or less combined. The other finishes change in how much of his remaining market share they get, but no other single finish has ever sold MORE than chrome. Now I am sure there are other stores or distributors that would have had other experiences depending on where they are located and how long they have been in business, but that is from one person who has been in business around here for about 20-25 years. Sue

One Devoted Dame......I don’t see that whether or not mixing metals was done historically has any bearing on whether the ops home will look cohesive (or dated) if she chooses to tastefully mix things up a bit. I understand that a lot of folks feel that way, but I can't reconcile the generally accepted notion (here on the forums, anyway), that "timeless = architecturally appropriate" with "today, people mix metals all the time, it's no big deal." Generally speaking, we look back to architectural styles/norms throughout history, to determine if something is trendy or appropriate for any given house. History can give us important clues. If cohesiveness is important to someone, then yes, mixing metals certainly can be problematic. It doesn't *have* to be, but the likelihood is higher. If being "dated" is a concern to someone, then yes, ensuring that the home respectfully nods to historic precedent should be a priority. In the OP's examples above, of the faucet and pulls, I think the *lines* of each piece are similar, but the finishes are too different (on my screen, the pulls look matte-black rustic; the faucet looks shiny-polished silver) to look "cohesive." Whether they look "good" together is a different question, in my opinion.

There are two rules to follow: 1. Never ever ever mix finishes. 2. It is perfectly acceptable to mix finishes. Just be thoughtful in how you do it. If you like it, it's fine. Unfortunately, you can't follow both rules. My preference is to follow Rule #2.