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Can't decide gold fixtures what would you do

jo mu
11 days ago

I'm updating plumbing fixtures the hinges are staying chrome but the faucet and shower is going to be brass. My shower valve is moen so I'm stuck with the gold finish which is nice but I want a rain shower with bar and second handle. Found a nice one from American standard pictured below. Options are as follows
- use moen brass hot and cold valve(pictured below) with American standard gold shower ( gold a different tone more yellow)
- switch valve to moen chrome finish (pictured below matches hinges) while using the American standard gold fixture
- use brass moen valve and this moen annex shower that cost 4x as much and I don't like the shape ( less elegant and I cannot not see a phallic shape at the top lol)
What would you do?

Comments (29)

  • jo mu
    Original Author
    11 days ago

    Here is a mock up I did a long time ago but it doesn't really help me decide with the above dilemma.

  • jck910
    11 days ago

    Why gold? I think the chrome goes much better with the tile.

  • Boxerpal
    11 days ago

    Gold is king... You have been thinking about gold for a long time, this is not a new whim for you. I love looking at these gold and white bathrooms that just give that feeling of glamour and elegance. But....i think your space calls for chrome or even brushed nickel. Your bathroom is beautiful. I think if you change that shower head to gold you may have to change everything to gold and that may not work as nicely with your lovely tile. But it could work with those beautiful floors. I am liking your beautiful floors, very pretty. What is your budget? Just changing the hardware or going to redo the entire space one day? With Gold on your mind, I have a feeling this is going to happen one day for you.



  • PRO
    Patricia Colwell Consulting
    11 days ago

    I do not find gold fixtures elegant I think in most cases they actually look cheap and of course are not actually gold I also think this whole gold look thing is going to be that dated look very soon. Chrome is foever so clean and timeless if a bit warmer look go polished nickel.

  • PRO
    Minardi
    10 days ago

    Gold is as dead as that little busy chiclet glass tile. Leave well enough alone until you can address the elephant in the room.

  • cjsoutherland
    10 days ago

    I love the gold. If you decide to go that way; or any way please don’t get at box stores. They are substandard low quality items. Call a moen or Pfizer dealer. It’s more expensive and shipping may be longer but it’s far above in quality than any other product.

    You need some contrast in your room and adding some gold if that’s your preference then go for it. What I like to do is make pics of the items you’re trying to decide on. The close your eyes and look at each one. What pic strikes joy is the one you should use.

    No one else’s opinion matters but yours. One last thing. If you’re not planning on selling for a while then do what you want. If you do then the moen or whoever can give you advice on how to make your bath come alive in different ways.

  • jo mu
    Original Author
    10 days ago

    Thank you all for taking the time to Comment


    I hated this bathroom mosaic for a long (spent too much time looking at how to cover it) but then decided to lean into it when warm tones made a come back


    My camera isn't showing this up but it's very warm and biegey with lots of other warm tones in the little stones


    This bathroom is a mess(brush nickel and chrome wish the white basin was tile) the floor and wall are the only nice things imo the vanity not pictured is ugly and I'm painting it this olivey brown color that's in the mosaic and getting a local stone shop to get a white quartz with some veining to replace top. I really love the look of gold faucet on white quartz with this paint color I picked and that drove the design


    I agree gold will be dated and in some ways it already is which is why I won't be doing everything like the hinges gold even in a new build


    Its a family property so i dont mind investing but im not tearing up the perfectly good tile for a long time


    I actually hate chrome dearly looks blue lol maybe my chrome is extra cheap? I love polished nickel but it's hard to find moen doesn't have a polished nickel valve


    Brushed nickel is boring to me

  • jo mu
    Original Author
    10 days ago

    So please give opinion on what I asked


    I know I'm very guilty of it too I look at the whole room and try to advice what I think is best for them too on this forum


    Jan or patricia - I don't actually care for a rain shower head it's literally serves only 2 purposes aesthetics ( I think the bar curved off the wall look is elegant in whatever finish)

    Other reason is what started this whole project the shower is a 2 head brushed nickel which doesn't go with the chrome hinges and I can't reach it I'm too short I only use the hand held option and when I need the wand I have to get on my toes so I desperately need a sliding bar

  • jo mu
    Original Author
    10 days ago

    I have thought about this and I have tried to look at it from all angles I want to excute my ideas before they change and I keep loving with a bathroom that is a reminder of a cluster of mistakes because 4 ppl created it without communicating with each other lol


    Im trying to bring in the warmth from the mosaic around the room and if I leave the shower all chrome I feel it will look disjointed here are some more mock ups I played around with


    Here is some other mock ups it's done poorly this new phone makes it harder

  • jo mu
    Original Author
    10 days ago

    I already own the 3 bulb brass vanity light and the shelves

  • jo mu
    Original Author
    10 days ago

    This is how much I thought about it lol

    I'm tired of thinking about it and want to execute and worse case I can repaint vanity and move in a different direction.


    I'm not tearing up walls or shower. Maybe one day I'd change the layout too while I'm at it


    I'm not opposed

  • jck910
    9 days ago

    You've obviously made your decision. Do it and move on. You will probably not get what you want to hear from here

  • jo mu
    Original Author
    9 days ago

    jck910 I did not get an opinion on what I asked which is would it be okay to mix 2 different shades of brass ( i included a picture so everyone can see the difference) or would it be better to use a chrome hot and cold trim and just do the brass shower column! Or best to just stick to what I think is an ugly shaped shower column in the same moen brass


    I do not have an opinion on this! That is why I am asking! Jeez I think it's funny seeing how ppl roast while giving free advice on here but where's my advice lol


    I did take people's opinions into consideration like cjsoutherland pfizer has a really pretty decent price polished nickel column I ordered so I can see in person in the space with all my other ideas after another commenter mentioned polish nickel (however against chrome it might be the same issue with the differing gold)


    I thought this community is suppose to be someone you can bounce ideas off of I like to help trouble shoot ppls problems now I need the trouble shooting

  • Boxerpal
    9 days ago

    Jo mu, I understand this choice can be stressful.

    you asked....


    ..."would it be okay to mix 2 different shades of brass ? or would it be better to use a chrome hot and cold trim and just do the brass shower column! Or best to just stick to what I think is an ugly shaped shower column in the same moen brass..."


    Okay for whom? Me? Others on this thread? You?


    You received several answers with excellent advice, ideas, solutions and opinions, but the one that is on target that goes to the depths of what any of us needs to hear is from


    @cjsoutherland

    No one else’s opinion matters but yours. One last thing. If you’re not planning on selling for a while then do what you want. If you do then the moen or whoever can give you advice on how to make your bath come alive in different ways.


    I think that you are struggling with this choice because you don't feel confident it is going to turn into what you want. Try it, you might like it or maybe you hate it. You can always change things if they fail. Houzz is full of designers, artists, architects, artisans, creative people and professionals. Many pop into Houzz for just a few hours in between their full time jobs and living their life. More answers may appear in a few days.

  • homechef59
    9 days ago

    Unfortunately, the options you presented don't really work. You won't like the result. Listen to that little voice in the back of you head. It's trying to tell you something.


    Unless you can match the brass finish or gold finish with each of the elements, it just won't work. They will clash. Sorry, but that's the truth of the matter. That's why gold and brass are so hard work with. If you insist on gold or brass, it has to come from the same company. They don't match up when you try to cross companies.


    Plumbing fixtures are hard and expensive to replace. This is why polished chrome stays in style year after year. It's just like stainless appliances, they match up regardless of brand. Polished nickel and brushed stainless plumbing fixtures work together, too.


    I'm going to suggest being boring and use polished chrome because it matches what is already there. I know you want to lean into the mosaic tile, but mismatched gold or brass with polished chrome won't be successful. Polished chrome for everything is your best choice. Sorry for the bad news.

  • eld6161
    8 days ago

    Totally agree ^^^

  • jlcorp
    8 days ago
    last modified: 8 days ago

    I think I might have found what tile mosaic this is ( or at least something very similar).

    Check out : https://www.msisurfaces.com/glass-stone-metal-blend/diamante-brick/

    I don't like the pictures where the used gold fixture, but mainly because how they did it. Interestingly, someone did think of putting it with gold hardware.

    They have a "see this in my space" feature- so you can upload your picture and see how it looks with gold hardware.


    Home Depot sells it and some customers posted pictures of their install in reviews.

  • jlcorp
    8 days ago

    I think MSI offers the same stones in a square mosaic- Ibiza Blend.


    When looking at room scenes of the two mosaics, I think I prefer to see it with the satin chrome.

    I also think I prefer it when used with more contemporary hardware.


    My suggestion is to use a credit card and go buy the gold and maybe even the satin chrome and hold them up in your shower and see what you think. I ended up doing that with my kitchen faucet after doing a partial remodel and I am so glad I did that because it also gave me an idea of what size and style would work best. You can return them or keep one if you like. I returned both options I tried and then ordered the exact size and finish I wanted and I really am happy with my choice.

  • acm
    7 days ago

    I wouldn't have noticed the difference in gold tone, but once pointed out, it will probably be hard to unsee.


    I think I'd go Moen for quality and match. I don't see whatever is seeming phallic to you.

  • jlcorp
    6 days ago
    last modified: 6 days ago

    I am going to throw another option out there. I recently bought a bronze chandelier for my foyer. It is a lighter bronze and has what looks like it was brushed with dark gold. There are all sorts of oil-rubbed bronze finishes. There is the very dark one (almost looks black), the solid dark bronze one, the bronze one with the edges worn off to look like copper accents, and the bronze with gold highlights. The only way to see the difference in the finishes is to see it in person- you have to go to the store. If you find a line you think might work, you only need to see one thing from the collection to determine the type of bronze finish it is- it does not have to be the shower head, any piece will do.

    Below is a pictures of the light fixture we had installed in our two story foyer. What you can't tell from the pictures is how it has a brushed gold over bronze finish.


    BTW- we have mixed metals in our house. The interior knobs are satin nickel and all of our faucets are chrome. All of our furniture is distinctive and has hardware suited to the lines and finishes of the furniture. I chose antique silver for the kitchen cabinet hardware.


    This color of bronze looks really, really nice with the satin nickel door knobs.


    We just updated all of the hardware in our home from the dreaded bright brass finish (which I have always hated). I think the key to mixing metals is to bring some sort of consistency to the home. I played around with it and found that having all chrome bath fixtures and all satin nickel interior door hardware brought unity to our home. Likewise, for the light fixtures, I chose different warm shades, but all have gold accents. I have antique brass light fixtures in the powder room and MBA. I have dark bronze in the kitchen chandelier, antique silver with gold brushing in the DR, and the gold-tone bronze in the foyer.







  • jo mu
    Original Author
    6 days ago

    Jlcorp thanks! I actually did consider it! I thought that sort of bronze would look nice but I could never find a consistent shade and or the fixtures only seemed to come in very antique traditional shapes and styles for bathroom

  • jlcorp
    6 days ago
    last modified: 5 days ago

    Jo mu,

    You're welcome. Having thrown out that option into the mix, I will go ahead and add my thoughts on what I would do with the space. I think I have some experience in making mixed metals work because of my recent experience converting all the hardware in my home.

    Here is what I would do in the space. Definitely replace the shower head. I think what is most wrong with it is that it has a rounded design. Something more linear would go better with that mosaic tile. I think the style of the Moen shower head you posted would go nicely with the tile.

    I would, however, go with chrome for the shower head. Then, I would bring more of the warm tone you are looking for by replacing the bath mat and towels to brown. That would bring warmth to the room. Furthermore, Consider changing the light fixtures in the room to a plain dark bronze (no copper or gold accents) as the plain dark bronze will go with the brown in the tile. Then try changing the cabinet hardware to either chrome to match the bathroom fixture, or bronze to match the light fixture. All the faucets in the bathroom should be chrome.

    Alternatively, you could go with a bronze shower head instead of the brown towels. In that case, I think you should still stick to chrome on the other faucets because chrome is on your shower stall. If you go with a bronze shower head, I think you should change the bath mat from the beige color to ivory to go with the lightest color in the tile mosaic.

    Basically, I would make sure to bring out the brown in that tile and repeat the chrome from the shower stall somewhere else in the room for consistency. The theme of the tile is contrast between light and dark. That is why I think the decor should reflect that contrast too- with bronze (dark), chrome (light), and Ivory (light). Going with gold is not going to accentuate the tile. Personally, I love the brushed gold also. I just think bronze would be better in this space.

    BTW, most of those bath mats are nylon and they can be dyed. You can dye the one you have brown and not have to buy a new one. I have also bleached out a rug and then died it a lighter color. If you buy new, I do not recommend what they have at JC Penney. The ones I bought there I threw away as they became matted within a couple of months. Strangely enough, I found good quality bath mats at Meijers, of all places. I don't remember which line I bought, other than I bought their most expensive line (which isn't too terribly expensive).

  • jlcorp
    5 days ago
    last modified: 5 days ago

    BTW- not sure where you live, but where we live we have no shortage of water. So we bought a rain shower with the separate handheld like what you have shown. We purchased one that you can remove the water saver plug so we can get better water pressure when taking a shower. My husband removed the plug and it makes for a very nice shower. If we lived in California or Arizona, we would have left that in- to join in the effort to save water.


    Also, look at how far the head extends since you have limited space in that shower stall. Our stall is on the smaller side, so we purchased one with a shorter extension and also one that has an adjuster and our rain shower is pointed slightly inwards, to the wall that it is attached to.

  • jlcorp
    5 days ago

    For the rain shower to work in this small space, you will need one that adjusts in two places like this one-



  • jo mu
    Original Author
    4 days ago

    What color would you paint the vanity? Assuming I stuck with silver fixtures?


  • Jennz9b
    4 days ago

    Gold is already out, and its not hard to see why.

  • jo mu
    Original Author
    4 days ago

    I know Jenn I said as much in the comments

  • jlcorp
    2 days ago

    jo mu

    Can you post a pics of the rest of the bathroom, incl the vanity? Are you going to update the lighting or keep what you have? What metal finish do you have on the interior door knobs?