We went with the Delta Orleans line. We picked them out at the plumbing supply place with the contractor, but then I went online and found them cheaper. (Used Faucet Depot.) We got them in brushed nickel, but the chrome versions would be even cheaper. (Note that you do have to buy the handles separately.) In the guest bath they went with fixtures from Home Depot or Lowes. I do feel the difference between the two as the delta set is metal and then guest bath set is probably not. The guest set is by Moen - either the Banberry or Brantford. For all of them, we wanted one with a higher arc. They went with cultured marble tops with the integrated sinks. They did them at the current house over 15 years ago and aside from an accident with a candle, they look about the same as when they were installed. This was in the bathroom that my sister and I shared. We each had our own vanity and each morning we would sit on the vanity, with our feet in the sink, to apply our makeup. So, they survived lots of makeup spills, curling irons, etc. with no problems. We didn't have pure white, but it is white with grey streaks. This was dirty and the plastic was still on the counter and a cell phone shot that does horrible things to the way the cabinets look, but this is there guest bath vanity. I don't have a good picture of the master vanity, but here is a similar horrible shot showing one sink. Like the above poster, they haven't been in the new house long enough to say how they will withstand the test of time, but so far they feel very solid and we are very pleased. In chrome, the Delta Orleans is around $100 from Faucet Depot. This is the smaller centerset one. The wide set ones are going to be more, no matter which brand you go with.

Thanks much for the granite advice! You have a good point. I was looking for a little bit of color and kind of liked the Marcraft cornsilk color (a soft cream, not quite yellow). That's what got me thinking in that direction. I had also thought about edging the walls with a small bit of Ameican Olean "arctic blend" glass tile- maybe. I'm thinking in several directions at once! I'm trying not to overwhelm with color, but all brown and tans is not quite it either. Just a few color accents to make it cheerful. We will have two vanities, separated by a 12" shelf unit.

Here are some resources on sound-reducing construction. The one immediately below, and the one that is hyper-linked, look pretty good. The other one (''Suppressproducts'') might just be an advertisement for their products, I am not sure. Basically sound is vibration that is transmitted from the source to your ear by rigid materials (sound travels well through hard materials like wood) and air. To reduce sound, you want to reduce the transmission of vibration. Air gap is better than a rigid connection. A heavy, soft material (e.g. rubber) is better than an air gap. Techniques are: - Double layers of drywall with dampening material like the referenced ''green glue'' between them (not simply screwing one sheet of drywall to the other) - Staggered studs w/ separate floor plates (essentially making two walls, no physical connection from one side to the other) - Sheet of sound dampening material between the staggered studs (reducing sound transmission through the airspace) - Sealing openings in the walls (electrical boxes, holes for plumbing, gaskets around and under door frame) - Special doors, or (less good) a conventional solid door, or (maybe an in-between alternative) a conventional door w/ a sound dampening layer on one side. - Dampening material between subfloor and joists, and between ceiling drywall and joists - Sound-proofing paint (I've not heard of this stuff before, I am skeptical it does much) Since the bathroom is a small space, you can use these techniques without too much additional expense, and just the loss of about 6'' if using staggered studs and double drywall layers. http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/index.php?/library/articles/elements_of_room_construction http://www.supressproducts.com/soundproofing-articles/Soundproof-Sheetrock.html Here is a link that might be useful: Link

I find it best to keep questions about a space all in one post .