Tuesday, 8 February 2011

Faucets and shower and tub sets for the master bathroom

I think I've figured out the fittings for our master bathroom!  As you know, this room is one of the most important in the building to me and I've put what's probably an unhealthy amount of thought into its design.  Choosing the faucets, spouts and shower head is a major component because it's one of the obvious means of harmonizng a lot of disparate elements.

The tub is a dark gray metallic and the sink is edged in gold, so it's challenging to choose the metal that will look good with both.  I definitely prefer the look of gold, but chrome is the cheapest and most widely-available option.  Polished nickel has a slight gold undertone to its silver, so that came to mind.  Then again, I thought, maybe get another metal entirely: oil-rubbed bronze?  The tile on the floor and walls is white-painted brick and black and white can be very classic and crisp together.  Plus the metal on the skylight above the shower is black.  Of course, bronze is the same price as gold and I prefer the look of gold, so if I'm going to pay the premium.... Around and around I went in my mind, and that's just for the finish color, never mind the question of the right style and shape for the fittings.

I'll spare you more of the deliberation and show you what I've come up with.  First, a photo to refresh your memory as to what our vessel sink looks like:


Here are the wall-mounted faucets and spout that I've chosen (ignore the awkward photo cropping - the best photo showed it as part of a tub-shower set):


The valve trim for the shower is the same as for the sink.  The shower head is the one below, but in polished brass:

Our tub, to remind you, is this one:
 And the fittings are the following:




To make the tub set work, we're going to have to build, sheetrock and tile a thin box that hides the water pipes as they come up through the floor behind the tub but in front of the window (the window is too low to mount the faucet directly on the wall).

I love the porcelain solution for the tub set because it doesn't put the gold right next to the zinc (except the flash of brass on the "necks" of the handles) and the porcelain echoes the porcelain on the sink and will blend in with the white-painted brick tile. 

As for the style, it needs to be understated because the tub and sink are such dramatic pieces.  I had looked at modern styles that were very simple (the Kohler Purist was the most appealing) but I really do prefer a traditional look.  Also, I worry that there's enough contrast in the room without dragging in a contrast between ultra-modern and antique.

Finally, I'm excited about the x-handles, which echo two other "x"s in the room: the "x" on the front of the bathtub and the tiny "x"s in the painted design of the sink.

I'm waiting for the estimate from my sales rep now but looking at the list prices, the cost should be in line with Kohler, which would be fantastic.  (I was feeling guilty about the expense of Rohl, never mind Perrin and Rowe and heaven forbid THG or Sherle Wagner!)  It would be beyond awesome to get something unique that fits the space for short dollars.

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