Oil Rubbed Bronze vs. Brushed Nickel Hardware

2.08.2014

oil rubbed bronze, brushed nickel, sweet home carolinas blog


The standard plumbing hardware in our Ryan Homes community is chrome, so during the upgrade selection process we were able to consider upgrading to oil rubbed bronze hardware or brushed nickel hardware for all of the plumbing fixtures.  We are going to have bronze hardware on our interior doors, but for the plumbing we wanted brushed nickel.  Our fixtures will all be Moen brand, specifically from the Eva collection.

ryan homes brushed nickel hardware soaking garden tub
Ryan Homes Upgraded Garden Soaking Tub (James Joyce Model)

I am looking forward to our soaking garden tub.  We have one now in our rental and I love to relax and catch up on TV shows on my iPad.  The faucet shown is the Moen Eva Brushed Nickel Two Handle High Arc Roman Tub Faucet. The tub we are actually getting with our upgrade is the rectangular one below.


ryan homes oil rubbed bronze garden soaking tub upgrade
Ryan Homes Oil Rubbed Bronze Option (Naples Model)

Oil rubbed bronze hardware or (ORB) is known for showing water spots, so that is one thing to consider if you like the look.  Choosing between these two finishes is mostly just personal preference.




Glass shower surrounds can be expensive to replace if you are changing from one finish to the other.  If you are buying a resale home, this is a small detail but fixture finishes can really change the overall look and feel of your bathroom.

Ryan Homes Oil Rubbed Bronze Glass Shower Surround

Ryan Homes Brushed Nickel Glass Shower Surround

We chose not to upgrade the cultured marble countertops in both bathrooms, and really preferred the look of the brushed nickel against the countertop as opposed to the oil rubbed bronze.

ryan homes brushed nickel moen cultured marble countertop
Ryan Homes Cultured Marble Countertop with Brushed Nickel Fixtures

The sink fixtures are the Moen Brushed Nickel Two-Handle High Arc Bathroom Faucets.

moen eva brushed nickel bathroom faucets
source

We did not upgrade the fiberglass surround in the guest bathroom, so the fixtures will also sit against a white in the shower in that bathroom.  The guest bath and master bath will each have the Moen Eva Brushed Nickel Posi-Temp Tub or Shower only fixtures.

ryan homes fiberglass surround moen brushed nickel fixtures
Ryan Homes fiberglass shower surround with Moen Brushed Nickel Fixtures

The oil rubbed bronze look...

Ryan Homes fiberglass shower surround with Moen Oil Rubbed Bronze Fixtures

The faucets in the powder room also sit on a white pedestal sink.

Ryan Homes Powder Room Pedestal Sink with Brushed Nickel Fixtures
Ryan Homes Powder Room Pedestal Sink with Brushed Nickel Fixtures


What fixture finishes do you have in your bathroom?


7 comments :

  1. Hi!! Just found your blog. Congratulations on your build. We are having chrome put in for cost reasons, but are going to change to ORB after we move in. I think it works better with our color selections for the overall house. Check out our blog newhometx.blogspot.com

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    1. That's a great idea! I was initially drawn to ORB but decided nickel looked better with our selections :) We definitely plan to make some changes after closing on some costs we just didn't want to add to the mortgage, such as crown molding.

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  2. Brushed nickel, good choice and goes well with all decor.
    Here is a idea to look into for cleaner streamlined look... Have you inquired on a frameless glass shower door frame in your master shower suite to show off your Moen shower fixtures?

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    Replies
    1. We did not think to ask about a frameless shower but that would have been great! After we signed our purchase agreement (made an offer to the builder) we only had 14 days to make any changes to our selections, so it's too late to even ask.

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  3. Sweet tea and honey, anyone? :)

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  4. I contacted a house contractors in the Philippines since we migrated in PH to build our new house. I wish they will build it as lovely as yours.

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  5. I wish more authors of this type of content would take the time you did to research and write so well. I am very impressed with your vision and insight.
    Bathroom Sink Faucets

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Thanks for reading! I will respond to all comments directly on this post.