Mixing Metals

April 1, 2021

Why is everyone scared to mix metals when it comes to picking out finishes?

Staying with the same metal throughout the whole house is a thing of the past! The matchy-matchy bedroom set, stay with one metal finish in plumbing, lighting and hardware is something that can easily be done, but it does not provide your eyes with any contrast, because of something we like to call “washout.”

Mixing metals, whether it is with the lights, furniture, cabinetry hardware, plumbing, etc. is important because it enhances the visual interest and creates depth in a space!

Contrast is key with mixing metals. If you have several metal finishes that you are trying to match, please remember that each brand and vendor will have a different tone to that same finish, so it may look worse trying to match them, rather than creating a contrasting palette. Contrasting metals can go together within a space, especially when you mix dark and light!

Some of our favorite combinations are:

  • Matte black and copper/antique brass
  • Matte black and black stainless
  • Oil rubbed bronze and copper
  • Oil rubbed bronze and antique brass

 

Remember the color palette of your home when deciding between metals. Usually warm metals like, brass, gold, nickel, and copper, go well with warm tones of paint color. And cool metals like, chrome or silver, go along with cool tones of paint. But if you have a very cold room in your house then you can use a warm metal to warm up the space. Metals can help warm up, brighten, or cool down a space.

Even though it is encouraged to mix metals within a room, do not go overboard! We do not want metals to compete. Choose one metal to be a warm tone and the other to be a cool tone. If you had brass and then a shiny gold metal, both being warm tones in the same room, these colors would compete and go against the grain of the perfect metal mix!

xo ingram ballard

Written by Ingram Ballard

Ingram Ballard is a 2019 graduate of East Carolina University with a BA in Business Management. She brings a business background and a keen sense of aesthetics to Port City Design Group. Ingram grew up with an Architect father and accompanied him from job site to job site experiencing, first-hand, the process of new construction and the development of projects from inception to completion. This sparked a passion within her such that she would spend hours in her room and those of her siblings moving furniture around until she located the most ideal arrangement, organization, and style. Ingram is a designer for Port City Design Group.

About Port City Design Group

Port City Design Group is an interior design firm that creates experiences through the turnkey presentation of luxury residential and commercial interiors. PCDG brings communication and organization to the jobsite, while taking the stress off of the client, with an efficient and enjoyable process. With a facility over 4000 square feet, PCDG operates with an office and warehouse all in house, with the ability to take all projects from start to finish, with a BIG REVEAL at the end!