Brushed Nickel

Chrome was the obvious choice, but now I'm leaning toward making all the metal in the King's Bath brushed nickel.

Brushed Nickel had been the most popular metal finish until the 1930's.  The mass production of automobiles made a mirror-like chrome finish, used in auto bumpers and trim, price competitive with brushed nickel.  The mirror-like finish has a huge bling, particularly in automobiles which spend their day outside.  Chrome is a superb reflector of blue light which is a bigger part of daylight than indoor light.  For a long time, chrome had a near monopoly on metal finishes for car and household.

But that has changed.  Chrome is no longer special, instead it's so ubiquitous is looks cheap (and sometimes is cheaply applied to cheap products made of plastic).  Now the pendulum of style has swung back toward all the older finishes that were popular before chrome stole all their thunder.  (Though sometimes it is claimed that this or that finish, such as polished brass, is out of style.)

Beyond the popularity stuff, brushed nickel is generally believed to be a longer lasting finish even than chrome.  It doesn't show water spots as much, making it nice for a bathroom that isn't fully cleaned every day (I now have a monthly housekeeper cleaning).  It reflects more red than blue light, possibly making it a better match for a bathroom with black trim and light gold colors.  (Though it's hard to say.)

It is more expensive, so I think I'll reserve Brushed Nickel for the King's Bath.  The Queen's bath and the Kitchen can continue using chrome.  For some reason, those areas don't get as many water spots.  My friend likes the idea that chrome makes the dirt more visible.  So she can have the chrome.