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
I love oil rubbed bronze fixtures. We have updated all the switch plates and door knobs in our 1960s ranch home. Now working on a bathroom renovation with carrara marble and subway tile and love the look of chrome with it. Having new vanities made up in dark stain, so hoping the rubbed bronze faucets look good, everything i see shows chrome, i am going to try something new, hope it works. It will all match because it is a small space an reusing restoration hardware cabinet hardware on new vanities. I just wish I could find a picture of something similar, I would feel better, what ya think?
Layer layer layer and it’ll look great! Just remember to bring in a few items in each finish (accessories, frames, etc) so it looks intentional and lovely. Good luck!
If the shutters on the house will be black and the caming on the glass of the front door will be black, can I still do oil rubbed bronze light fixtures, house numbers and mailbox? the front door handle is already oil rubbed bronze. Can black and oil rubbed bronze co-exist peacefully side by side? Thanks!