Thanks everyone for your time and input - especially adamav. That answer was exactly what I was looking for. Will consider the xantech solution, but will probably go ahead and buy the keypads for IR routing since there are no out-of-the-box solutions. Might even use one in the bathroom.

To clear things up: I'm a DIY guy, not an installer (you might have guessed ;)).

I've seen lots of different solutions using various remotes, touchscreens, apps, etc., but am not comfortable with any of them. As I said before, I do not like keypads (btw, neither do I like wall mounted touchscreens) and I might be in the wrong forum to say this, but I also do not like complicated (>10 buttons) and bulky remotes. I'd rather use the 10$ remote (maybe a different brand, slightly different design, but credit card format) than one of the Pro Controls any day - not because I'm cheap, but because in this setup, I do not need any more features.

Now why not control everything with apps. 1st of all, I've already been using various media centers and their respective apps for a single zone HTPC audio solution - and I like it very much both on the phone and tablet. I appreciate the flexibility they give me in comparison to being locked down to a single hardware and software provider. I also like the simple IR remote I use for the amp that is plugged into the pc. I feel like 80% of the time I have to turn down the volume, it's because my phone rings. Then I want a mute button right where I am, not on the next wall, or having to open the app before. If I use a dedicated Ipod as a remote, it would work right now, but with multizones, it would be a bit more complicated, since I would first need to choose which zone I want to control (which changes ofc). Also, the tought of having to keep 5 or 6 Ipods (or whichever device I would use) charged already drives me nuts. So I fail to see the convenience in that. The way I listen to music, is playlists that play on repeat and shuffled pretty much all day long. So while I want to control volume quite frequently, I do not have to interact with the Mediacenter directly very often.

Plus, I don't really get why having those IR remotes is such a bad idea and everyone recommends using apps. They are just there for additional comfort. I do not need them at all, but would like to have them.