If you’ve never renovated a kitchen or bathroom, you probably haven’t lost sleep over the benefits of satin brass vs stain bronze. It may seem like minutiae, but coordinating hardware finishes can be a real headache in “heavy metal” rooms like bathrooms and kitchens. Door knobs, drawer pulls, light fixtures, even mirror finishes must all coordinate. And they’re called “fixtures” for a reason – these semi-permanent decisions are something you’ll want to love for years to come.
If fixture finishes have your head spinning, relax. Interior designer Michelle Workman has the answer – mix metals. When done properly, it can create a balance in your interior that will feel natural and storied, she says. Here are 4 tips on mixing metals like a pro.
1. Consider both warm and cool tones
Don’t paint yourself into a corner. Not only can you mix metals within one room, but every fixture in your new bathroom doesn’t have to perfectly coordinate with the rest of your home. Mixing metals allows you to experiment with the tonal qualities of metals (polished vs matte) and the feeling one gets from using a cool (silver toned) or warm (gold or copper toned) metal, says Workman.
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2. Practice restraint
Don’t mix more than three metals in one space. In a recent kitchen (top picture) Workman used brass and stainless, with a pop of copper to create more depth to the color story, she says. The La Cornue stove, which has both brass and stainless elements serves as the focal point of the room, with the pots above being the only place she used copper. This kept it from becoming “visually erratic,” she says. The brass hardware adds warmth to the cool toned cabinetry, carrying the cool/warm mixture throughout the space.
3. Keep a theme
Don’t mix more than three metals in one space. In a recent kitchen (top picture) Workman used brass and stainless, with a pop of copper to create more depth to the color story, she says. The La Cornue stove, which has both brass and stainless elements serves as the focal point of the room, with the pots above being the only place she used copper. This kept it from becoming “visually erratic,” she says. The brass hardware adds warmth to the cool toned cabinetry, carrying the cool/warm mixture throughout the space.
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4. Try a little at a time
If mixing metals scares you, try a little bit at a time. In this kitchen Workman again used a La Cornue stove with brass and stainless mixed together, but the rest of the metals were kept in silver tones. She mixed both polished nickel and brushed stainless steel to keep it visually interesting.
