DESIGN IDEA: Mix & Match Plumbing Trim

I have mentioned in at least a couple prior posts the vast amounts of brand new, super high end Waterworks plumbing I have picked up cheap on Craigslist.  Anyway, now that the plumbing is all roughed in, it is time to figure out which trim kits we are going to use.  The problem is, we don't have enough matching trim kits for all the various locations in our master bath -- not even for the shower alone.  By itself, the master shower requires five different trim items - 3 controls and 2 outlets:

1. thermostatic valve control
2. overhead shower volume control
3. overhead shower arm and head
4. hand shower volume control
5. hand shower wall outlet and hand shower assembly

So, while we have an abundance of great parts, they aren't going to match.  And, keep in mind, there are two ways they can match or not match: style and metal finish.  I am pretty comfortable with the handle styles not matching, but having dramatically mismatched metals might be a little harder to get okay with (e.g., vintage brass and chrome, or polished nickel and brushed nickel).

So, what do we think of these two mismatched lads for spots #2 and #4?

They are both polished chrome, although the one on the left is a little warmer in tone as a result of the way the nickel was applied to the brass before it was chromed (newsflash (to me at least): a layer of nickel is commonly used underneath other metals when plating brass because it gives better connection - basically, nickel is the primer of electroplating).

And then we would use one of these vigorous gentlemen for spot #1:

and this frolicsome lass for spot #5:

And finally, looming overhead will be this friendly 10 inch (and 10 pound) rain shower on an 18 inch arm at spot #3:

 

Yes, we are going to get there.  One way or another, I am going to shower up in that house by next Spring.

ACQUISITION: Fortuny Chandelier - it is ours

We drove out to the Jerz today to see this light fixture I found on CL.  The seller agreed to drop the price down to a number I was comfortable with so we bought it.  I had to get up on a ladder and uninstall it from her ceiling, so that was a tiny adventure.  Overall fairly simple.  

Here it is in the trunk of our car.

This thing is really big and really cool looking.  It is about 33 inches across and has a three-bulb fixture that hangs down in it.  Basically, it is awesome.  It is going to look amazing hanging from the center of that high vaulted ceiling in our master suite.  Hooray!!

Now we have to figure out where to store the thing until it is time to install it - although that time is not more than a month or two away! Indeed, we could install it now if we weren't concerned about it ending up covered with dust from ongoing work.

Black Slate Kitchen Floors

J just returned from a stoop sale with a haul of $1/sq ft black slate in irregular rectangles. Here are some images. I think it's pretty! Modern but rustic. Would look classy with white and wood, a la that kitchen pic below from HGTV.

cotedetexas.blogspot

kitchensanddesigns.blogspot

United Stone and Graphic Arts Oc '10.

Michael Graydon - a Tommy Smythe room for HGTV

The pattern