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
