Email Answer: Mixed Metals?
Q: Hey guys! What’s your opinion on mixing metal finishes in a room? Thanks! – Shelly
A: Do it! We don’t really like anything that’s too matchy-matchy, so as long as you make it look deliberate and layered (as opposed to haphazard and mismatched) the end result can be chic and elegant. For example we have a chrome-based floor lamp in our den, along with oil-rubbed bronze curtain rods and they both stand on their own and don’t look mismatched because we repeat both colors & materials again throughout the room for an intentional effect. In other words, nothing is a sore thumb when you have a number of oil-rubbed bronze thumbs sharing a space with a number of brushed nickel thumbs. Does that make sense?
Sometimes colors like brass are harder to work in quite as seamlessly with more modern finishes like chrome (since brass can typically be seen as “clashy” when it comes to being paired with newer silver finishes). But that’s not to say that gold tones like brass can’t be used to create a modern and elegant vibe- even when they’re mixed with other hardware tones. Check out this gorgeous gleaming showstopper of a mirror (found here) which looks great paired with the nearby black-based lamp and the black iron candelabra on the mantel just inches away. Even the fireplace tools are made from silver-finished hardware, but they still work thanks to the silver tones in the convex mirror and everything from the silver bedding to the platinum gray walls that make it blend right into the rest of the space.
We love the mixed and matched look of this room. In fact it probably would have been a bit too Donal Trump if the lamp, the candlestick, and the fireplace tools were also the brassy gold tone of the mirror. So this is a great example of how something layered and mixed & matched really can look chic and gorgeous. And you’ll notice that there are still a few warm gold tones beyond that large mirror so the color is repeated a few other places in the room (like in the bedding, the mantel accessories, the throw on the chair, and the small candle holders on the side table) to make it feel deliberate and balanced.
In short: as long as you don’t do all chrome and one thing in an oil-rubbed bronze finish, it won’t look mismatched. Instead it’ll look intentional, layered, and possibly even more effortlessly stylish than strictly sticking to all one color. Although in particularly small “concentrated” spaces like a modestly sized bathroom (with a faucet that’s just a few feet away from the showerhead and a light fixture) you may want to keep things consistent (for example: modern chrome all the way or antique bronze for every fixture and door knob) just because things that close can look less layered and balanced in different tones. The last thing you’re going for is an I-updated-half-the-fixtures-but-left-the-rest-so-they-don’t-match effect. So that’s our take on the whole hardware quandry that haunts many a homeowner. Hope it helps!
And speaking of finishes (like oil-rubbed bronze, antique brass, wrought iron, chrome, and brushed nickel) we’d love to know your absolute favorite. We’re torn between the easy care (no fingerprints ever!) of brushed nickel and the quiet elegance of a simple oil-rubbed bronze curtain rod. Tell us all about what floats your boat in the hardware department. We’re all ears.
Psst- Itching for our take on matchy-matchy furniture? Check out this post all about what we think the “rules” should be in that department.
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Comments
Too funny I was just discussing this same topic with my friend. My husband and I are in the process of updating our bathroom and I love brushed nickel, however we have a clawfoot tub and the only new faucet/hand held shower fixture that I like and doesn’t cost a fortune is chrome, so I think we are going to have to go everything in chrome. Do you guys agree?
Hey Jody,
You’d probably win either way so if you do some chrome with some brushed nickel they’re both still modern finishes that don’t look mismatched like brass and chrome might look. Especially if you brought in more brushed nickel and chrome in the accessories (a chrome soap pump, brushed nickel frames, etc) just to hammer home the fact that the choice was intentional so nothing looks out of place. You could also go all chrome for a super seamless look- it’s really your call! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Finish me. My husband, dad and I are going to Ruth Chris for dinner at 9:30. Then home for some movie watching. It is a quiet New Year and hopefully a healthy 2010 for all. May 2010 bring you a healthy baby and lots of love and happiness.
I just switched to all brushed nickel doorknobs. I also like oil-rubbed bronze; however, it varies depending on the manufacturer and is therefore harder to match.
Brushed Nickel generally – but it is hard to find inexpensive brushed nickel for the entire bathroom or kitchen faucet etc. Chrome has more options, but I’ll find it. I find 3 seperate shower controls to go in the old tile especially hard to find. I have brushed nickel spray paint, one of the first things bought, to tackle every brass switch plate in my renovation:)
I like oil rubbed bronze in some ceiling light fixtures or outside fixtures, although my outside fixtures are going to be classic black cuz the ones I like happen to be.
DE – J
My favorite is the brushed nickel look. It’s just so clean looking. Everything in our home is brushed nickel except for the interior door knobs. I can’t decide if it’s a worthy investment. It’ll cost around $350 to change them out…but I’ve also considered spray painting them. I spray painted our deck light fixtures brushed nickel and it turned out really nice, but I’m not sure if the paint will hold up on door knobs.
What do you guys think? I was trying to look around at your photos to see your door knobs, but you can’t see any of them…except the front door and back door (which doesn’t look like you’ve changed out). I think I need a Home Depot coupon to make me want to spend more money over there :)
Hey Kate,
We’ve heard that spray painting knobs can work if you use high quality paint and take the time to do it well (and avoid obvious drips) but of course upgrading doorknobs is always a great investment for resale (it makes the entire door look new). Either way you can’t really go wrong so it’s all about budget and how thorough you want to be. All of our doors are cheap faux-brushed-nickel knobs that were a cheap quick fix from Home Depot but we plan to upgrade them to nice solid doorknobs as opposed to flimsy spray-painted-looking ones someday. Our dream would be heavy white porcelain or ceramic knobs with chrome or nickel hardware. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
We just moved into a 92 year old house. I changed all the door knobs from brass to oil-rubbed bronze. I also changed out the plastic light switch covers to oil-rubbed bronze. I feel that this metal tone fits better with the age of our house and the style.
Any finishes that aren’t too **shiny** are fine by me. Lately, I’ve been fixating on an “antique” brass finish for a floor lamp, not a shiny brass, but a very muted, aged look.
I don’t like shiny lamp finishes or shiny fixture finishes. I figure I’ll get my sparkle needs met through mirrors, candlesticks, art and other surfaces/objects.
And I definitely agree that it’s fun to mix up different finishes. When they’re subtle or combination-tones, that works out even better….
Love brushed silver and chrome – right now obsessed with chrome in our bathroom renovation!
My husband and I are building a house, and are having a hard time making hardware decisions. We are using oil-rubbed bronze everywhere, but I worry that a ORB kitchen faucet will clash with the stainless sink. Thoughts? And can I do an ORB faucet, stainless sink, and copper pendant lights over the island?
Hey Rebecca,
Hmm, it’s certainly possible that an oil-rubbed bronze faucet could appear to “clash” with a stainless sink. Have you thought about using a white porcelain sink instead? Perhaps an apron front sink (they always look amazingly charming and cottage-chic together). Are all of your appliances going to be stainless? In that case it might look better to go with brushed nickel fixtures (as we did in our kitch) which doesn’t match the stainless perfectly but has a similar tone so it “goes” without being super matchy-matchy. Of course you can go with stainless appliances and all oil-rubbed bronze hardware/fixtures since you’ll be repeating both metal finishes quite a bit so neither one of them will stand out like a sore thumb. You just have to be sure you like the look of the stainless and the oil-rubbed bronze together in a room… so if you do it’s a great layered and interesting option for ya!
xo,
s
I prefer brushed nickel. Our 1996 house has all shiny gold door knobs and hinges so I asked for new brushed nickel knobs for Christmas and I am spray painting the hinges. I am also giving all the doors a fresh coat of white paint while I’m at it (they look brand new afterwards!). One down, 15 or so more to go :)
My fiance and I just registered for oil rubbed bronze bathroom accessories. We registered for each piece in the set. How do you feel about that?
I agree with not being too matchy but I thought we might regret not having each piece. It’s hard decorating a house we don’t have yet (still hunting but it was time to register).
Oh, and I’m drooling for that chair! The entire room has that classic-yet-modern feel that I LOVE.
Hey Sarah,
Just as we said in the post, in a bathroom or another modestly sized space (with a faucet right near a showerhead and the doorknob right near a towel bar) matching metal is definitely not a bad option. It’ll look coordinated and intentional and oil-rubbed bronze is a lovely classic choice. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I love love love brushed nickel fixtures! I just got brand new faucets in my kitchen and bathroom, and I love the brushed nickel ones I picked out. Chrome is too shiny and flashy to me- I like the understated but very nice look of brushed nickel. I’m in the (very expensive) process of upgrading all my door hardware to brushed nickel as well. So far, I’ve changed the locks on two exterior doors and put a doorknob on my bedroom door, which didn’t have one when I moved in. The rest are nasty gold, but I might just spray paint them brushed nickel to match the rest until I get the funds to replace them all. My new kitchen fan also has brushed nickel on it to match the doorknob, the appliances, the faucet, and the curtain rods. I really don’t like to mix metals, mostly because I’m not a fan of gold tones so silver/stainless/brushed nickel is the way to go for me.
I have a question that is just slightly off topic – mixing wood tones. I need some kind of wardrobe at my entryway because I don’t have a coat closet, and the Ikea Aneboda (like you have in your new basement space) would be perfect. Except my living room/dining room is red, gold, camel, and all dark wood, and the Aneboda only comes in white or birch. Would either of those finishes work well in my space? (It’s an apartment, so the walls are off-white and the carpet is beige.)
Otherwise, how easy is it to paint Ikea furniture? (I’m a real novice painter.)
Thanks for your help!
I have a similar problem right now with wood tones. My family is really into carpentry and I have several heirloom pieces but they are all differently tones and finishes. Other than painting it, any tips on making it look cohesive and not haphazard?
Hey Sarah and Abby,
Our take on furniture is exactly the same: feel free to mix and match tones so they layer into a room to give it character, but just be sure to repeat that color or tone in other places (the curtains, the pillows, the rug, other furnishings, etc) so it doesn’t feel out of place for an overall effect that looks intentional and balanced. If you have over two or three different wood tones in a room it might make sense to move one or two pieces that don’t match anything else into a different space with other tones in the same family (spreading out unmatched pieces so they appear to be grouped with other “like” furnishings can work wonders). Hope it helps! And when it comes to repainting furniture, here’s a handy tutorial: http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/02/how-to-paint-furniture/
Gel stain can also be used if you sand down any wooden piece of furniture to tint it so it works with other items in your space, so just ask around at a hardware store to find something great that will be easy to use. Oh and here’s a post about coordinating furniture to be sure that you don’t go overboard and end up with something too matchy-matchy… it’s a delicate balance!
xo,
s
Brushed nickel is my favorite, without a doubt.
And now for a little story about brushed nickel… My husband and I bought and older house and every floor vent in the house was super shiny brass. After a few coats of brushed nickel spray paint (the kind made for covering metal) all of our vents are beautiful, if I do say so myself. And it turned out to be a very durable solution. One of our vents is located in the path of our laundry room door and the poor little vent gets scraped over every day. There’s absolutely no visible wear and tear after almost 7 months of abuse!
Hi! Do you happen to know the paint color of this room or have a color similar that you would recommend??
Hey Kristi,
No idea what the actual paint color of this room is but it’s extremely similar to Benjamin Moore’s Light Pewter so that’s a great place to start. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I love your tips for helping the different finishes look intentional. We have a few rooms in our house that are still experiencing a bit of a metal identity crisis, so this will be very helpful until we can replace some of them. Thanks!
You two are adorable, your house is gorgeous and Burger is so cute! So happy I found you via the homies 2009 awards on Apt. Therapy. Happy New Year!
xo
Melissa
I definitely agree about mixing metals. I also mix black and brown stuff within the same room too. We have a brown/tan/cream microfiber couch, brown throw rug, cream apartment carpet, and black coffee table, tv stands. It has a very rich look that I think would look a little dull if it were all brown or black.
Agreed! We love mixing brown with black, in fact we probably have a dash of black in every room and at least one or two rich brown leather pieces (ottomans, chairs, etc) along with dark chocolate furnishings to add interesting varied textures & colors. It’s definitely a luxe and layered look that’s less flat than all black or all brown would be!
xo,
s
I’m currently working on a master bedroom that is black/white with both silver and brass accents – it DOES work! Rules are made to be broken ;)
I’m having it professionally shot on the 22nd so I’ll be featuring it on my blog sometime in early Feb.. so keep an eye out!
I am totally cool with mixing metals. I somehow do this with almost every outfit I own because my jewelry is usually a different color metal then some accessory I am wearing. I think it works…and if it works in fashion…it has to work in the home…right? Is this deductive reasoning all wrong? :-) Love your blog!
Coco
http://cococozy.com
Oh I love oil-rubbed bronze. By the way, we have brushed nickel in our bathroom because we thought “no fingerprints” and it instead has water spots to be cleaned every week grrr…they all have their issues!
We just changed out all the brass knobs in the kitchen for beautiful brushed nickel knobs and drawer pulls and they look great! It already pulls our kitchen more together.
A question…we have a nice guest bath with white cabinets and robin’s egg blue walls (actually sea spray by glidden), and I love the antique-looking white knobs on the cabinets–however, the previous owner installed all white hardware, including white sink faucets and a white tub faucet(not sure why white instead of a classic finish). We’ve been debating a chrome/brushed nickel look vs an oil-rubbed bronze…suggestions?
Hey Megan,
Why not get a few different colored knobs and hold them up in there to see which metals you like in the space? Knobs are super cheap and you can return any and all of them, but they’ll help you see if you prefer the oil-rubbed bronze to the chrome/brushed nickel look in a snap. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
we have more brushed nickel, but a bit of oil-rubbed bronze. i’m glad to know you think it’s ok to mix, since we do already! i think the nickel will last longer style-wise, i worry that the dark bronze is too trendy. we also have mixed woods, too, but i’m trying to narrow it down to two tones, plus white/cream painted…$$$ to replace furniture, though!
I’m a nickel fan. My bathroom faucet needs replacing so I opted against another chrome piece and decided on a Delta faucet in brilliance nickel. It would be helpful if every manufacturer had to use the same term to describe its finish. Slowly, I am ridding my house of gold-plated/chrome hardware and fixtures.
We have two bathrooms in our house, and we just updated the light fixture and sink hardware to brushed nickel in the downstairs one. I had gotten a brushed nickel shower curtain tension rod, so that’s why we went with the nickel. I like it a lot. But . . . we are hoping to completely redo our upstairs bathroom next month (I still think you’re crazy to do it in busy Dec J+S! ;=)) and I hope to go with oil-rubbed bronze. So we’ll have a bathroom in each. Love ORB and think it goes with the age of our home (1940s). We did replace almost all of our original, brassy doorknobs with solid, egg-shaped, oil-rubbed ones and they’re one of my favorite things in the house now. We got them on clearance at Lowes and while they were not the cheapest knobs you can buy, they are totally worth the investment. We’ll never have to replace them (considering the original doorknobs lasted 60 years and were not as good quality)!
I vote for brushed nickel most of the time. To me it’s more neutral, and I like that it’s lighter. If you have a super bright room (lots of sun) it can stand out against light walls and other decor. But I don’t (and I rent), so it’s chrome for me.
I did use oil rubbed bronze in a terra cotta colored powder room in my old house. It went perfectly with the color scheme. Anything nickel or even brass-ish would have looked totally out of place.
It is amazing what a little elbow grease and polish can do for antique brass hardware. When we bought this 1929 house, we removed all the glass doorknobs and dull, dingy brass hardware, had a few nights in front of the TV with old rags and tootrbushes and brass polish, and now we have STUNNING shiny, looks-new hardware. Hard to believe it’s 80 years old.
And yet I don’t like my brass fireplace doors, which look dated and cheap, and are probably from the ’80s. Big difference.
I mix it up: oil-rubbed bronze, antique brass, and polished (antique) brass. I love brushed nickel, too.
Funny you are addressing this, we built our home 12 years ago and put mostly antique brass throughout the home. Now we are trying to update the fixtures but its difficult finding aged brass lights. I have spent literally many hours searching the internet. Keeping I have a budget to keep could you suggest a few options for the bathroom and kitchen fixtures. I would greatly appreciate your expertise. I also want to tell you both I spend much time reading your blog. Thanks, Michelle
Hey Michelle,
Good question! We love overstock.com, ebay.com, lampsplus.com, and nextag.com for searching through a variety of fixtures and finishes. Here’s hoping you find what you’re looking for!
xo,
s
Our home is 110 years old, so with our bathroom remodel and bath addition, we went with ORB b/c that is very similar to all of the door handles in the house. It is my favorite look by far in a bathroom, but it can scratch and if it does, you see a shiny silver underneath. Our plumber stripped one of the screws so badly we needed to order another. Then, while installing the front plate which hides a screw on the shower handle, the edging got scraped. I’m going to break out the fine point permanent marker, b/c that will be better than the silver peaking through.
thanks for discussing this topic! i deal w/ people being concerned about mixing finishes ALL the time and i say go for it! just be careful it’s not in a schizophrenic way!
I’m all about mixing metals… in fact, I’m probably not as careful as I should be. I think most everything in our place is brushed nickel, but some of the original door knobs are brass and I like the mix. On a somewhat related note, I just painted our dining room a silver-gray (Ben Moore’s Silver Fox) and it looks amazing with our gold-toned linen curtains. Not metal, per se, but mixed metal colors.
I’m with Abby – old Craftsman bungalow = oil rubbed bronze except in the bath and kitchen, where I have chrome. I’m planning to switch out all the switch plates to metal ones soon. My doorknobs are all ORB except the one on the inside of the bath – which is old (read very heavy) chrome over steel. I think I’ll have to have that one replated – the local motorcyle shop has a craftsperson that does that on old bike parts, so I need to see what it will cost me.
You know what it totally weird about my house? Half the plugs and switches are brown and half are white. I honestly think the former owners picked up whatever was on sale – I’m just peeved that they got rid of the pushbutton switches. The new reproduction ones are pricy!!
Like you, I love to mix metals. However, I am struggling to make it look intentional. You see, I have an ORB chandelier over the table in our eat-in kitchen, all the door knobs are ORB, but the faucet and cabinet hardware are brushed nickel. I can’t find an ORB fixture for the kitchen area in the style I like so I’m feeling compelled to get something in brushed nickle. But then, all the brushed nickle will be on one side of our eat-in kitchen while the ORB will be on the opposite. Our space is set up similar to Carla’s kitchen (posted in your portfolio). Any ideas? Looking forward to following you in 2010! Happy New Years.
We’d say go for the brushed nickel fixture! Since you have more of it in the room it’ll look intentional, and then since all of the ORB is on one side you can bring ORB accessories into the brushed nickel side and vice versa with accessories (think a large brushed nickel peppermill and a large ORB bowl or frame) to further integrate everything so it’s layered and lovely. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
brushed nickel all the way! we changed out every single brass light fixture and doorknob in our house when we updated this past year. we also spray-painted the brass fireplace with mottled silver spray paint so that it would match.
we do, however, have a mottled gold curtain rod in the living room that still blends in due to some of the other tones in the room decor.