Agree-the dining table is multi-purpose. It’s not just for dining.
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Thanks for those mentioning matte black-I like that for hardware…but maybe silver for faucets? Input anyone?
The timing of our move if it all comes together could coincide well if our S finds a job after graduation next year. I can downsize some of our kitchen clutter to give to him and a sleeper sofa/loveseat/coffee table, lamps, recliner, bedding, towels, his bed.
I know bathrooms were discussed some time ago, but we just got back from a mini-vacation, and I thought of this thread. At home we have an 11 or 12 inch round shower head. We love it. They had a small one at the rental, and it really made me think how much we like the big shower head. We also have the one with the bar/long cord beside it. You can adjust the spray on that one. It’s nice to have both.
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Mixing metals is very popular right now. An article I read suggested that when mixing metals in the same room, it’s a good idea to go with one warm and one cool tone. The exception was black, which they said paired well with any other finish. So your black and silver combo has the seal of approval!
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I’m not a huge fan of mixing metals, especially in a smaller space like a bathroom. That said, it does seem to be the “in” thing these days.
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The shower is my main splurge…I want to look into the cost of 2 large shower heads, maybe the ones they spray out toward the middle (have seen in photos, but never used) and maybe handheld sprayer…but might just put a handheld sprayer in the wall out basement for spraying dirty feet after being at the lake.
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That was our big bathroom splurge too. We have a large head, a hand held, and body jets. It’s lovely! We went back and forth about a rain shower head but H isn’t a fan.
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If using dining room table for crafts and games, I highly recommend “down lighting”.
Here’s an example from Lowe’s. Our dining room fixture has candelabras, and the center bulb has been really handy during alternative uses of the dining room table.
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Body jets!!! That is the wording I was looking for.
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My husband is not a lover of the brushed gold (he says it’s just a trend that’s on its way out 
). I love it and will push to get my way. We always argue over metal finishes and what’s in style. I currently have oil rubbed bronze almost everywhere except the bathrooms, which have brushed nickel (my current house is 10 years old). I don’t think you can go wrong with either of those. My daughters house, which we gutted and remodeled last year, has brushed nickel everywhere. I honestly think the metal finishes are more of a personal preference type of thing. I’m also not afraid to mix metals.
I personally like lighter, natural hardwood finishes. My previous house had the Brazilian cherry (floors & kitchen cabinets). It was the rage when we built it 20 years ago and gorgeous, but it was DARK. The people who bought it, ended up painting the cabinets white. Nothing they could do about the floors.
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I don’t love matte black for faucets - prefer the oil rubbed bronze.
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Personally I believe any home you build to live in should reflect your taste fully and not just because something is “in or out” of style. Who cares? Next year it’ll be something different. If you love shiny gold/black matte then get it. Dark/light colors–get it. You are the one living there. Especially for a home that’s “supposedly” your last forever home.
Just to chime in on solid wood doors. They are great! But if you do any pocket doors (which are great also) do not use them in that instance. They are too heavy to pull back and forth for older people. They also can warp which is a pain.
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I’d suggest you spend a night in a fancy hotel and try out the massage sprayers and rainshower heads. That’s when I decided that I really didn’t need either, in fact all I have is a handheld shower we can slide up and down a rod. DH likes it really high, I’m frequently happy to make sure my hair doesn’t get wet.
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Another thing to consider is bathroom lighting. Those overhead vanity light trios produce awful shadowing for hair and makeup. We replaced them in our AZ house with LED mirrors and love them so much we installed them at our cabin, too.
Before:
We replaced the pedestal sink, medicine cabinet, and overhead lighting with a vanity and LED mirror.
After:
The picture doesn’t capture how bright the mirror is. It lights up the entire bathroom brilliantly. There is an overhead light in the exhaust fan that we don’t use anymore because it’s not necessary. The even surround of light removes all shadows and is great for hair and makeup. Side lighting would work well, too.
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Plus one to LED mirrors! We have them in all but one bathrooms now. Electric Mirror makes great LED mirrors.
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One thing to consider with black faucets and sinks: they readily show very water ring and every speck of dirt!
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We have a diverter so we can run everything independently or at once. I rarely use all of our heads at once but H does.
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Agree that trying to keep black sinks looking new is a losing battle. We replaced our black quartz kitchen sink with stainless. Have not had any issues with matte black bathroom hardware, though, either on the sinks, tub, or in the shower.
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If you don’t like the look of LED mirrors you can also use sconces set at at face height. (About five feet in my house.) I love my LED mirror, but I also love my bathroom with sconces.
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I agree with not black for faucets for me. My problem is sometimes I don’t know what I like or can’t envision the look until finished. We currently have oil rubbed bronze for faucets except for kitchen/bar area, laundry sink which are a silver color.
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