Answers

Magic erasers by Mr. Clean tend to work really well without causing any paint discoloration. 

As a basement finishing company we're seeing a lot of granite for wet bars, lighter colors. Bathrooms and tile are often favoring gray. Brushed nickel and steel are the most common hardware and fixtures. Clean,simple, easy to mix up with rustic or modern decor.

Dimmer switch plates will tend to get hotter with bulbs that are not suited for them. Standard halogen or incandescent bulbs work great. If using CFL's for the lighting they should be specifically for a dimmer.

In addition to the great response above. We often have clients that complain about the flickering or the dimmer switch plate feeling hot. Those are additional reasons to make sure your bulbs are the correct type to work with a dimmer switch. The hot plate of the dimmer switch tends to be pretty common, but can be helped by having bulbs that adjust properly with the switches.

Home theathers/media rooms are trending. Have the room wired with mulitiple A/V options, and definietely hard wired for a data connection. Many people are having niches designed specifically to fit their large screened tv's. We are also seeing a large request for platforms that are wired for special theater-like seating. I have attached some pictures of these options. 

We used a product called GianiGranite. It is a DIY paint process, but covers the formica perfectly. The reviews i read said that you may need to do an additional top coat (seal) every few years if your countertops get scratched, but we loved the transformation. So affordable and turned out great!