Oil and water. Cellphones and swimming pools. Toothpaste and orange juice. Some things just don’t mix well together, right? You may have heard this unfortunate design rumor about mixing metals, but it’s time to dispose of that outdated advice. Combining silver, gold, brass, or iron (just to name a few), is a great strategy for adding visual interest and depth to a space.
We know you have burning questions like: “Can you mix chrome and brushed nickel in a kitchen?” and “Can you mix brushed nickel and oil rubbed bronze?”or “Can you mix brushed nickel and polished nickel?” and “Can you mix brass and stainless steel?”
At the Kuotes, we always love textured, layered, eclectic spaces, and mixed metals is an effortless way to make the pieces in your home look like they’ve been collected over the years. When it comes to things that mix, mixing metals is the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup of interior design… as long as you do it right. Here are the do’s and don’ts of mixing metals!
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DO: Choose a Dominant Metal
Choose a metal you love to be the most prominent finish in your space, then select one or two metal accents to complete the look. For example, if your kitchen hardware is in an oil-brushed bronze, copper pots and accent pieces will add a warm glow. If you have a modern, stainless steel kitchen, choosing a chandelier or vintage piece with silver or gold can add charm and texture. Or if you love the “gold and white” look, add in a chrome table or pendant light for metallic balance.
DON’T: Be Afraid of Mixing Warm and Cool Tones
Warm metals (like gold, brass, and nickel) read as a rich pop of color and texture when placed with cool metals like silver and chrome. Many people think that matching your finishes is the best way to coordinate your home or kitchen, but in reality this often creates a monochromatic and dated look.
We often get questions about which metals work best together, and the answer is: They all can go together…as long as there is clear design intent! Metals are meant to be mixed, so don’t worry too much about whether they’ll “go together” and instead make sure each finish is a thoughtful addition to your space. That being said, if you have several metallic tones that look very similar but not identical, it’ll look like a mistake. Contrast is key!
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DO: Consider Your Color Palette
Although we encourage mixing and matching, it is very important to consider your color palette when selecting the metals for your space. Typically, you should use warm metals (like brass, nickel and copper) with warm hues (like whites, beiges, browns and taupes) and cool metals (such as chrome and silver) with cool hues (such as blues, greens and grays).
It is neutral rooms, however, that beg the most for metallic accents in order to add warmth, texture, and color. For example, if you’re using a lot of grey colors, a gold mirror can make your room come to life. Use your metals to even out your room temperature!
DON’T: Disregard Texture When Mixing Metals
When using metals, don’t forget to consider texture. Texture can make all of the different in a space with mixed metals. Combine matte, polished, and hammered finishes to create a visually rich atmosphere.
Shop the Look
Do: Use Natural Iron As a Neutral
Iron is the neutral of the metallic world. It is a modern industrial touch that adds a dark element to a palette that needs to be grounded or toned down. It won’t clash with other metal tones, and it also highlights warmer metals, such as gold and brass, as a strong pop of color.
DO: Keep It Subtle
Look at the photo above. Even though we have silver and gold here, the two metals never compete for attention. The mixed metals also add dynamic to a room that’s otherwise perfectly symmetrical and matching (the gold table legs even match the pattern of the carpet).
DON’T: Put the Pedal to the Metal
Play around with the metal in your home, but don’t go overboard. Our guideline? Stick to two finishes. There’s a potential for three is there’s a statement piece of some kind, or if the metals are spread across a large space, but ideally you want two metals, a prominent tone and an accent.
680 thoughts on “Mixing Metals at Home: The Do’s and The Don’ts to Know”
Hi Kathy, we are remodeling house and I’m not sure which kitchen faucet I should use. My decor is colonial/primitive, my countertops will be quartz soapstone look with a black Blanco sink, my appliances are black stainless and my cabinets are a medium taupe color. The rest of the fixtures (bath) are oil rubbed bronze. Someone told me to use either brushed or polished nickel for my kitchen faucet (please note, I am not a fan of chrome) and I was wondering what your opinion would be. Thanks so much. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks for the advice to not worry about micing warm metals like nickel with cool tones. I know nothing about colors. So this helps me plan for my house.
My kitchen has white cabinets with pewter pulls and stainless steel appliances. Island is stained charcoal. Granite is slate blue grey and beige. Im installing a globe/orb chandelier over island and trying to figure out what finish to get. Pewter or brushed nickel?
Hi Kathy!
We just bought a home that needs some renos. The overall house has silver hardware and chrome faucets. We are painting all the cabinets white and we are going for a modern farmhouse feel. The floors are a dark grey/brown laminate. The staircase railings all have matte black metal finish. I love the look of the gold/brass hardware. I was thinking of doing pulls and knobs in the gold/brass and toying around with either matte black or gold/brass lighting fixtures. Probably a mix of both. Do all my lighting fixtures need to match? Like all black or gold etc. And also the faucet in the kitchen is silver but I dont feel like replacing that at the moment. Would the silver faucets look silly?
Would love an opinion. My dining room is fairly neutral I think, it’s repose grey wall, with the chair rail. And the rug and curtains are a grey/cream Buffalo check. The wood furniture is the farmhouse two tone, creamy white on bottom, walnut top. I’m thinking of mixing black and gold hardware, but not sure how it’ll look. The entryway table is nearby, and that has a gold frame and gold brushed candlestick holders. So I was thinking between curtain rods, chandelier and sideboard decor, I could mix them. I found your post helpful, but which would I make the dominant metal?
Thank you, your article was great! I am building a new home that will have white cabinets with a large navy island and navy hood fan. The counters are alabaster white quartz. I really wanted to go with gold tones for my hardware and lighting, but chickened out. I’ve already purchased 2 beautiful polished nickel chandeliers for above the island, but I am being drawn back to the gold tones. I’m at a loss as to return the beautiful chandeliers and switch to gold or try to incorporate the two metals. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!!
Hi Kathy!
I stumbled upon your article while researching this topic and found your tips quite helpful. We’re in the process of changing the look of our place and have started investing in new furniture for each room, starting with the living room. We’re going for a modern contemporary/mid-century modern vibe and so far have picked up a beautiful black leather sectional which comes with chrome feet. That said, I’ve been really leaning towards adding brass accents either through a coffee table & bookcases, but wanted to know if the finishes would jar with each other. If we do decided to mix metals, I’m wondering as well what area rug I should add; the one I’m tempted to pick up is a vintage looking distressed oriental in soft cream tones with light touches of grey. Any help you can provide would be so appreciated!
Cheers!
Hi Kathy,
Question: We are building a house at the coast, and we need to make door hardware and cabinet hardware choices asap. My dilemma is that the mixing of the metals. My kitchen cabinets are white with white quartz with veining of greyish/brown going through it. Should I use the bronze door hardware while having a stainless steel faucet and satin/brushed nickel pendants in the kitchen? Also, should I use bronze or satin/brushed nickel cabinet hardware? Unfortunately, all of our plumbing fixtures that we ordered are brushed nickel.
Thank you! Need to order the doors asap. Thank you.
I bought bronze Plumbing fixtures from signature hardware . All faucets and shower products. Please loook at that color and tell me what other metals can I mis with this and what color should my appliances be ??
Hi Kathy,
Help! I have a champagne bronze faucet and French gold hardware in my kitchen. Believe it or not, these 2 finishes match well together. I’m doing sconces flanking my vent hood and 2 pendants over the island. My dilemma is what finish should I go with the lighting. Should I stick with brass or go black, white, glass? Any feedback you can give me would be so helpful and greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Looking for advice. I am renovating my kitchen & love the mixed metal looks. My cabinets are a cherry grey stain for the lowers & painted white for the wall & tall cabinets. I have my eye on honey bronze cabinet pulls from Top Knobs & hae already purchased my light fixtures in a dark bronze (almost black) to go with my kitchen table that has a black base & wood top. I will have black iron stair railing coming into my kitchen as well. My appliances are classic stainless steel. I hope this doesn’t sound like too much going on b/c I love all of my pieces individually. My biggest struggle right now is pairing a gold Brizo faucet with my stainless steel sink in my island or sticking with classic stainless for the faucet. The faucet will be front & center in my island under 2 glass & dark bronze pendants so I don’t want to make a mistake. I would love to hear your thoughts!
This is a great article! I have a question. We have wonderful stainless steel appliances I would like to stick with and I have falling in love with some forest green cabinet for our kitchen. I’d like to add oil rubbed bronze fixtures and hardware and have white for a background to all. Will that work?
We are building a home using a neutral desert boho/Spanish revival scheme. I want to use matte black as the main metal, with a champagne gold as an accent metal. My biggest sticking point is the stainless steel appliances (and we’ve searched and searched for appliances, and the only set we can find that fills all of our practical needs is stainless steel, so I’m stuck with it)! Will that throw off the entire scheme?
As you mentioned, you should have one specific type of metal for the focal point in the space, and accent it with corresponding metals. My sister recently moved into a new space, and would like to make it feel like home. I will have to share these tips with her that she can use in her decorating.
Hi Kathy.. I just came across this article which I LOVE! I am doing my kitchen remodel and my cabinets are stained a sandy biege. I did matte black handles and I have a black leathered countertop and a black farmhouse sink. While I like the black.. my husband really wanted it, the countertop resembles soapstone but less expensive, I am thinking I would like my lighting to be brushed nickel. I have a small kitchen and I don’t want too much matching or black overkill. My appliances are all stainless steel. I guess what I am wondering is if thats going to be way too much silver between the lights which will be 2 pendants and an indutrial drum fan light plus one small light over sink. I may do the light over the sink black. IDK I am so confused. My floors are grey and I am doing a white backsplash shiny subway tile backsplash. Ant input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!
We are building a home – transitional style, light and warm. Ivory, creams, beige tones – wood beams (med). Our cabinets will be Alabaster or similar. I planned for brushed nickle hardware (door hardware on order, but nothing else yet!!). As it’s getting closer to selection am having second thoughts! I know we’ll have lots of texture throughout the home when complete, but am concerned my hardware will wash into my cabinets and there won’t be enough contrast. I love matte black, but want a different feel.
Hi, I have a gorgeous chrome mirror in my dining area, and I want to create a gallery wall in our entryway hallway that leads into it. I want to use gold frames (with thin borders) for a bit of pop. We have 10′ ceilings so I’m going to go with a minimum 11×14 frame, two rows of four. What are your thoughts?
Hey Kathy thank you so much for this post. I have been stressing about mixing metals in my new home. My space is going to be white and grey all of my lighting fixtures and faucets, knobs, etc. are polished silver but I want to add gold or bronze cabinet hardware. Do you think that could work? I love both gold and silver! I’m torn. Please help!
Hi! I have a question about mixing metals in a guest bathroom I am adding to our home. We live in a 1932 craftsman cottage in Florida-just to give you an overall vibe. I have a clawfoot tub with polished brass feet on order–the drain will be polished brass as well. I have not ordered the faucet shower enclosure yet. I am thinking about ordering in oil-rubbed bronze to play off the matte black and white distressed floor tiles that will go in the room. Would that work? If I go that route, should my sink faucet be oil-rubbed bronze as well (I am converting an old sewing machine base into a sink) or would should I do polished brass to bounce off the polished brass feet of the tub? I am second guessing all my decisions. Thank you for your help!
Viola
What do you think of pairing this newer champagne bronze color with traditional bronze or oil rubbed bronze? It’s not as stark of a contrast but I think it’s a gorgeous color. We have lots of bronze and oil rubbed bronze throughout. I have white cabinets that I am going to put bronze hardware on but our island is a dark grey/brown color and I was thinking of doing the champagne bronze hardware there and then maybe tying it together by switching out the kitchen faucet to the champagne bronze. The faucet is on the side with white cabinetry.
THis article was so helpful! We are just re-doing a kitchen in white with Taj mahal, stainless appliances. I have dark oil-bronze windows visble from the next room, so wondering how I can bring in the dark tones with my love for antique gold and coolness of brushed nickel?
Hi. I love this article, it has helped so much. In our kitchen, we have a natural/silver/ grey look going. With a glass and stainlesss base table and a nook corner with grey and stainless chairs. The counters are a neutral granite. We finally found some bar stools we like, but the legs are a gold finish. I can’t get myself to make it work as I visualize the look. What do u think?
Love this article! I just switched the kitchen cabinet hardware/faucet/main lighting to gold on our main floor, which is open concept. But! I’m stuck on what finish to use for the curtain rods? There are three large windows in the living room and a patio door off the dining area. The nailhead trim on the sofas and ottoman is brushed nickel, as are the door handles throughout my home.
Love some advice! Thank you!
Thanks for mentioning to choose a metal that you love and can be the most dominant in your home. My wife is thinking about having the metal fixture’s in our home finished next week in a shiny look because she doesn’t like the way the flat look is in our bathroom. I think it’s a good investment to hire a reputable professional to help us polish the steel we need to have our bathroom look luxurious.
Kathy-
What a great, informative article! Remodeling a bathroom in our 1937 Cape Cod. We have chosen to try and stay somewhat period with Chrome/porcelain cross handled fixtures for the sink and shower. We also have a 36” white porcelain/chrome console sink with a white inset medicine cabinet. The walls will have a 48” white subway tile wainscoting/ shower with a dark grey hex tile floor. Walls likely to be a cool blue or sea foam green.
My question is in regards to lighting and door handles, etc. We like the industrial style and would like to break up the metal. We are looking at two sconce and a pendant over the white medicine cabinet.What would you go with?
Thank you!
Hi there! We are doing a re-do for our small master bath and want to incorporate multilple metals but I am needing some advice. The primary metal is satin nickel – Faucets, slipper tub feet and taps, shower hinges – towl rack etc – you name it it is all satin nicle or nickle/chrome. I would like to blend in another metal color on the warmer side. The room colors are: Light beige/cream walls, off-white trim, Dark/black purple vanity with granite top on the darker side which picks up the vanity color, Beige/taupe tile. I am open to switching out some of the satin nickle to getting the right look. I have considered oil rub bronze vanity lights to pick up the darker vanity, but recently saw the golds and loved them paied with the oil rubbed bronze. I can get a little idea crazy sometimes, so any help level setting what would be the best way to get a warmer feel in the bathroom would be wonderful
Thanks – Deborah
I love your article Kathy! We are building a house currently. The dining room is separated by butler pantry to rest of open concept living/kitchen area. Can I do brass for foyer and dining light fixtures and chrome lights in the living/kitchen/breakfast area? You can see the living room and dining room from the foyer. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this article! I’m really loving the gold kitchen fixtures and hardware in the grey/ white kitchen. However, my husband and I can not agree on the bathroom fixtures, lighting, and door handle colors. He prefers Oil Rubbed Bronze( i like it as well), but I’m afraid it won’t match well so I was thinking to go with black. Which would you match with gold, black or bronze? He said Chrome and Silver are completely out of the question.
Hi!
I’m building a new home and am currently picking out the cabinet hardware and interior door handles. My lighting and plumbing fixture throughout the entire house are all polished chrome. Do you have a suggestion for my cabinet and door hardware? Thanks!
My kitchen is champagne gold faucet/knobs with stainless appliances….I love it! We are redoing the main floor bathroom…can I go with black/iron and chrome?
Hello, this is all very helpful. I am building a house, modern farmhouse vibe. My kitchen cabinets are simply white benjamin moore and the island and nook are cheating heart benjamin moore. My faucets in kitchen are matte black. So I am puzzled as to what to do with my cabinet hardware. Do I and should I do black hardware? The black will show up on the cheating heart but brass looks so great on the cheating heart color as it is a dark grey/black colour. But wondering if the brass will look good on the simply white cabinets and can you mix matte black faucet with gold hardware? I have not picked my lighting for the room yet. Thank you
Look on Pinterest. I like the brass with the simply white cabinets
Hi! I’m not good with decor at all. I am trying to pick curtains for all the rooms in my home and i am not sure what color rod/grommet color to get. All of the Door handles and other hardware/fixtures are satin nickel but all of the curtains that I like have oiled rubbed bronze metal grommet. I’m not sure if this will look weird since all of the hardware in my home are satin nickel. Can you please give some advice?
I find myself running into this issue in the bathroom im remodeling. I bought brushed brass plumbing for sink faucet and shower and hardware on drawers, yet the standard drains and flushers in the sinks, toilet and bath are chrome. the shower door and mirror that I ordered are also edged in brushed brass. do i have to replace the drains in sink and bath to match?
Hi! I am remodeling my Georgetown Townhouse and I can’t decide on kitchen hardware. My cabinets are a shoreline gray, and I was thinking of a antiqued Brass faucet and pot filler with antiqued brass knobs on the upper cabinets, and under the island and the bottom cabinets would have a nickel or chrome finish. What do you think? Should I do all nickel on the cabinets and just have the brass faucet and pot filler? My floor is a dark chevron, with white marble countertops.
Hello Kathy,
I am in the process of renovating a small kitchen in a 100 year old home. My cabinet color is an off white creamy color. Back splash will be similar with light grey grout and steel grey granite countertops. I have stainless steel appliances and sink. I’m thinking of doing black island with stainless steel top. What do you think for the hardware, faucet, and pendent above sink? Thank you very much.
Kathy
Hi! I love love this article it’s helped me already so much and I’ve narrowed down at least the two metals I would like to mix, brass & black/iron, I’m on the fence of using chrome to accent I haven’t decided.
I’m building a home and I for sure want light grey cabinets, with a bold color for the island like teal or navy. Im thinking either grey/black speckled granite or just all white quartz.
That being said, I really would love smudge proof appliances I just don’t know if GE slate or the GE black smudge proof would look better?
Hi, Kathy!
I have a satin finish chrome stove and am wondering if I can get away with putting a polished chrome pot filler over it. So far in the kitchen I’m only using satin finish chrome/nickel and polished chrome. Thoughts? (Thank you!)
This is a great article! I’m trying to finish up the design for our kitchen and have fallen in love with brushed bronze hardware for our cabinets, with similiar accents in our pendants and chandelier. With stainless appliances would you just go with a stainless sink and faucet? Thanks so much!
Hi Kathy,
Quick question. In my kitchen we have dark brown (almost black) cabinets, granite countertops that are white/grey/brown. Our floor is a medium brown hardwood. All of our door knobs and cupboard handles/pulls are brushed nickel. Our sink facet is also brushed nickel and our appliances are stainless steel. Currently our light fixtures above our table and island are chrome. I am wanting to change out our light fixtures, but wondering if I should stay with the chrome/brushed nickel colors or go black/oil rubbed bronze colors? I like the darker/oil rubbed bronze look, but wondering if we already have too much dark in our kitchen and also wondering if it will go with the brushed nickel metals?
Thanks!!
I should add, all of our other light fixtures in the house are light.
Hi Kathy-
I’m building a new home and using various metals. The kitchen and powder room will be satin brass. 2 bathrooms will be chrome and the third has rose gold finishes. My question is what door handles do I use through the house? Also, what finish should I use for both the front and back door.
I am a senior and remodeling my kitchen as a diy’er. I am using antique nickel light fixtures as well as cabinet hardware. I found (and purchased) the perfect faucet … only problem is that it was a discontinued model and only one available in another state. It is shiny chrome. I have contemplated painting it to match the antique nickel, but I have numerous concerns about going that direction! How do I leave the shiny chrome finish as is and hope that the metals mix in a manner in which they flatter each other? Perhaps I am stressing too much! Your article contained a lot of great information, but I suppose I am just wanting someone to tell me what to do!!!!
Hi! I follow you on instagram! I am having a master closet island built and trying to figure out hardware. Island is white with white quartz with a bold gray vein through it. My hardwood floors are chocolate brown. My master closet is not attached to my master bath but is close by. Our master bath is very traditional with white marble herringbone floors, polished chrome hardware, and white marble countertops with small gray veins. Would you carry the same cabinet hardware into the closet or choose a second metal?
Thank you!
Hi Kathy, what a great article! I had a question I was hoping you could help with. All of our knobs throughout our renovated house will be unlacquered brass, but we just heard from our door company that they can’t do unlacquered brass hinges within our budget. Do you think we could do satin brass or bright brass instead? If so, is one better for the hinges than the other? Thanks so much!
We are currently having our kitchen done, we have a dark blue island with white top, and the wall units are a very light grey with but her block. We have 3 hanging lights over the island which are a tinted glass, which at the ceiling base is copper. My question is, shall we go brushed chrome tap and cupboard handles or shall I look at copper? Our appliances are black with chrome details, such as cooker, kettle/toasters and coffee machine.
I’m unsure what to do…
Oh! and I do plan to put some iron accents in the laundry room – bench, shelving brackets…
I’ll be remodeling my kitchen next month. I am planning to put in a water filtration system under my kitchen sink, and that comes with a brushed nickel water filter faucet that has an indicator when we’d need to change the filter. I don’t really like that finish, but that’s the only color they have for that filtered faucet. I don’t want a brushed nickel kitchen pullout faucet, so is matte black, chrome or arctic stainless steel finish can go with the brushed nickel filtered faucet? My kitchen will have white quartz countertop, with a tiny bit of vein lines, white shaker cabinets with matte black pullout handles, 4×10 white subway tiles with charcoal grout.
Thanks,
Lynn
This article is sooo helpful! Our recently remodeled kitchen/family room area has a combination of brushed and polished nickel and some stainless steel. Also some iron accents with the furnishings. Now we’re re-doing the laundry/mudroom which can be seen through the kitchen door. I’m toying with the idea of brushed gold cabinet knobs and faucet. Seems safer to stay with the nickel, but I really love the champaign gold tones.
I say go with those champagne gold tones! If your mudroom is visible from the kitchen door, the gold tones from your knobs and faucet will pop wonderfully. Please send us an image on Instagram, I’d love to see!!
I’m still puzzled at which metals I should use for our dining room chandelier and island pendants. We have gray walls, antique white (very cream colored) trim, beige tile floors, beige tile backsplash and dark wood cabinets. I really want to lighten up the room but with a mix of warm and cool tones I don’t know what would look best.
Love this article. I almost started looking for a therapist just so I could talk about mixed metals in my perpetual indecision.
We are renovating our bathrooms. In our master I have decided to go with brass fixtures ( freestanding tub, separate shower, and vanity faucets). I found a Sink faucet( double bowl vanity) I love in the price range I need but it is oil rubbed bronze. I thought that that could be a nice mixture but it is from signature hardware and their oil rubbed bronze is less dark and more of copper tone. Will that work with brass?????
Hi Kathy,
I recently purchased three new polished gold light fixtures. Two for above the kitchen island and a chandelier for the eat in kitchen, more on the contemporary side. I’m wondering if I need to return them because I have a hammered bronze linear chandelier in the formal dining room. The floor is very open concept you can see all of the light fixtures at once. Is this an issue?
Hi Kathy,
Great article! I would love your opinion. In my mountain condo, I have medium brown stained window frames that have brushed nickel hardware on them. My doors throughout have the same stain. Should I go with brushed nickel door knobs or oil rubbed bronze? I have both metals throughout the condo – oil rubbed pulls on all the cabinetry and brushed nickel faucets & Light fixtures.
Thanks in advance!
Natasha
Oil rubbed bronze! 🙂
Hi Kathy, My bedroom furniture is trimmed with antique brass.. I just got new carpets in gray tones.. my curtains are gray with brushed nickel grommets , therefore the decorative rods are brushed nickel. Does this work… I feel like my rods should match the furniture .. Your advice, please.
Hello. We are building a home, and are close to completion. The overall vibe is semi-industrial coastal farmhouse. The home has white doors and matte black door hardware throughout (which is pretty fabulous.) Anyway, the bathroom cabinets are painted white, the countertops are black/grey/white granite, and the door/drawer pulls are black. All bathroom sink and shower fixtures are chrome, as is the vanity lighting. The small amount of metal on the glass shower enclosure will likely be chrome, but I haven’t ruled out matte black. The mirrors are large and frameless with a beveled edge. So, I can’t decide if the TP holder and towel bars should be matte black or chrome. I’m leaning toward the matte black, but can’t commit. It seems like such a simple decision, but I can’t make up my mind, and would welcome some input! Thank you!
Go for matte black! That’s what I would do if this was my bathroom situation. I hope this helped!!
If you need help redesigning your home, please reach out 🙂
https://www.kathykuohome.com/designservices
I have a mixture of antique burnished gold and gilded gold. Trying to decide on lamps for my entryway(small) and dark as it is a condo. I have a charcoal gray console with 4 glass doors. Would like to add gilded or antique burnished lamps. Will change out hardware. Many thanks
Hi kathy!! Loved your article! I’m remodeling my bathroom and I’m going with a marble hexagon with gold trim backsplash and gold faucet with silver hardware on the vanity. Now here’s my question, can I do rose gold bathroom accessories with the gold fixtures and silver hardware on the white vanity? TIA
Hi, I am renovating an apartment. The entry foyer is lacquered in blue, all the hardware in the apartment is in chrome. Would a gold and white console table be ok – very modern and minimalist.
YES. Please send me a picture of the finished result. You can reach out to me in Instagram DM’s! @kathykuohome
Hi! Great article. I have a feeling this won’t work. My walls are Collingwood by Benjamin Moore, all accents are brushed nickel other than a few accent pieces and light that is black and chrome. I bought art and framed in brass as it suited the picture. Would it work?
Great article. Question for you. I am finishing up my home build and have a master bath with rift sawn white oak with polished nickel faucets/hardware with polished nickel & linen shade light fixtures. I want to purchase a rose gold metal floor mirror for the closet that you can see from the bathroom and there is a hanging light that is in front of the mirror. I guess my question is does rose gold work with polished nickel/ white oak? 🙂
Great article. Question for you! I am finishing up a build on my home and wanted your input. 🙂 I have rift sawn white oak cabinets in the master bath with polished nickel hardware/faucets and lighting. I wanted to get a rose gold metal mirror for the closet and have a light fixture that is a polished nickel with a linen shade that would be right above the mirror. I guess my question is – does rose gold and polished nickel go well together. Thanks much!
What about the same metal in different finishes, like a brushed and polished nickel? Does that count as one or two metals? Thanks!
Thank you for the article. Would it be a do or a don’t to mix six steel (shiny silver colored) and four brass (again, shiny) dining room chairs? The chairs are by different designers, but are both vintage from the 50s/60s. The rest of the dining room furniture is antique wooden furniture (including the dining room table). Thank you for your thoughts.
Thank you for the article and actually replying to the questions. Two questions. How long do expect brushed gold|brass to remain in style? What is your thought about the black stainless appliances and their longvegity?
In my studio…I have a polished nickel task lamp, and chrome deer head on the wall….I am looking at a bronze tree lamp for a corner near the bed…can this work or should I choose the tree lamp in nickel?
I just purchased a vintage home built in the 60s. I have to get the plumbing fixtures replacement in all three bathrooms. Most all the finishes lights mirrors etc. are antique brass. I love the champagne bronze colors but they only make it in the sink faucet and not for my showers. Can I use the champagne bronze sink faucets and use the brushed nickel shower faucet ?
Hi! We are building a new craftsman style rustic home. We oWe are ordering white windows but Im torn about the window hardware. Im thinking of distressed nickel as I think it will go with everything. Do you think this would be OK, even if all interior doors are oil rubbed bronze? Thanks!
Thanks for this post! I built a new home and plan on changing out the builder’s standard satin nickle light fixtures with items with satin brass (including drawer pulls for the cabinets). I’ve already purchased breakfast room chairs and bar stools that I love but they both have silver nailheads as a dominant part of the design. Do I need to go through the grueling task of changing out the nailheads to match the gold accents?? I have stainless steel appliances with a large venthood that is the focal point of the kitchen so the silver tone will remain, however mixing metals, esp. gold, is new to me so I need some validation if these chairs will work properly. Thanks in advance!
Is it ok to mix metal finishes in a kitchen? I have to replace the main faucet on my sink and the pot filler. The ones already there are in brushed nickel, but I’d like to replace these with polished chrome. The finishes on the appliances is a brushed nickel.
Thank!
Kathy, I am in the process of remodeling my kitchen. I have ordered a beautiful Delta polished nickel kitchen faucet, spray, soap, water dispenserand button for garbage disposal. My countertops are quartz, coordinating backsplash.
My cabinets are BM Revere Pewter, (light gray)
My question is what metal color should Igo with for my kitchen hardware?
Hi,
What a great article. Some of my fears have been laid to rest. Just a quick question. if my lighting, appliances and facet are nickel can I add gold drawer pulls and knobs? If so, I’m guessing I need to incorporate some additional gold. any suggestion on accessories I can add?
I loved your article. What are your thoughts about this combo in the kitchen… White shaker cabinets with blue island. I want to use gold pulls and will use a white/gray quartz. Most of the pendants I am considering (style and cost) are silver/chrome. I looked online but every picture I see is the nickel or chrome handles and gold fixtures. Do you think think the reverse would look good? Appliances and faucet are stainless and brushed nickel. Thanks in advance.
Hi,
Thank you so much for this thread. I just moved into a new place with a navy blue bedroom. I just painted my beautiful large bed and dressers with a grey weathered look. The bed has wrought iron accents and teh dresser hardware is a dark silver metal. I would like to incorporate a yellow accent color to the room that would include a couple of gold picture frames places on opposite walls. Do you think the gold would become too dominant due to the stark contrast with the blue/ grey tones of the rest of the room? I’ll also mention that I have white sheer curtains.
Thank you!
Jill
I am designing my kitchen and my cabinets are white and island color is grey with white Quartz counter tops. My faucet is brushed nickel. I wanted to do brushed gold cabinet hardware. Can I do this?
I like nickel entry door knobs but I don’t like the styles of nickel entry door light fixtures. Can I put a rubbed bronze or black finish light fixture with a nickel door knob/lockset?
Thank you.
Hi Natalie! Sure! The darker light fixtures could provide a nice contrast to the nickel. Best of luck!
What about in a kitchen with (mostly) stainless appliances, but a warmer toned oven? What advice would you give for cabinet hardware, etc. in kitchens? Thanks!!
Thank you so much for your article! How about in the bathroom? Redoing Master Bath and need to decide, so a contractor can finish. I already have a beautiful large Pottery Barn Mia Chandelier I bought years ago-still in the box and thinking of using this over Master Bath, and buying Mia Flush Mount for middle of vanity…but it is antique bronzed (almost black) -even though most of the light is crystals..but we have already brushed nickel hardware, vanity pulls, sliding shower door-will this work-does it mix? I have had a hard time finding any “nickel” ones I like. https://www.instagram.com/p/BGmhBxpzfyX/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet . https://www.potterybarn.com/products/mia-faceted-crystal-flush-mount-ceiling-fixture/?pkey=s%7Cmia%7C7
I’m doing a darker blue lower
Cabinets and really wanted polished
Gold bat handles in them. My upper
Cabinets will be white and stainless steel appliances. What
Do you think about mixing polished
Hold
Handles with stainless appliances?
Hello,
I currently have brushed nickel door knobs, cabinetry hardware throughout my house and brushed nickel bathroom light fixtures. I would like to change all the above to brushed brass/gold. My question is because my refrigerator and dishwasher are silver (nickel) and are such large pieces, should I just keep everything brushed nickel? Thank you.
The metal finishes in my master bedroom are stain brass. I would like to add some silver to the room by using polished chrome hinges and levers to the closet doors and door to enter the bedroom. The levers would have a polished brass rosette. Does this work or should I keep all door hardware the same whether I use all polished chrome or stain brass.
I am building a house and have a stainless apron front sink and cabinet hardware. The cabinets are white and the island is grey with with quartz with large grey veining. Can I do black island pendants and a chandelier in the eat in breakfast area with a copper faucet and copper pot filler?
Yes!! That honestly sounds so beautiful. I’d say.. go for it!
Hi! Just wondering if I can mix satin nickel hardware from my kitchen with rubbed bronze schoolhouse pendants over the island and rubbed bronze geometric chandelier. I have white cabinets and two gray accent walls.
Thank you!
Hi Kathy,
My kitchen has white cabinets and brushed pewter pulls and stainless steel appliance. The granite is grey blue and beige swirl. The island is a dark grey steel/charcoal color. I’m doing a big globe/orb chandelier. I don’t know if I can do brushed nickel or if I should do pewter? Advice?
Hey Kathy, I’ve got a headache trying to put this total kitchen remodel together. I fell in love with brushed antique brass. I found the cabinet hardware and it’s very reasonably priced, however, the faucet, not so much. It’s like searching for a unicorn. I decided to go with oil rubbed bronze for the faucet. I think I would be ok sticking with the antique brass for the cabinets. My husband says it needs to match. Please tell me I’m right…….please.
Hi Kathy! No need for everything to match perfectly. As long as you aren’t going beyond two or three finishes, it can be nice to have a bit of contrast in the design. Best of luck!
Hi Kathy! I just moved into a rental that has all chrome hardware and pendant lights. All of the decor I own is bronze or gold. Will it look ok if I use the decor I already have?
I am in the process of a kitchen remodel and have chosen antique white cabinets with ORB hardware and faucets and copper backsplash. I can’t replace all appliances right now so I have stainless with some black. Is this going to clash terribly????
Hi Kathy!! Is it ok to have one room in the house with gold lightning/accents and another room with silver lighting/accents? Is it ok to mix metals throughout a house like that or will it create a feeling of confusion??
Not at all!! I mix metals all the time throughout my apartment. This will give your home a lot of character especially if you have gold in one room, silver in the other. Would love to see your home, send me a DM on Instagram lovey!
I have silver accents in the living room and gold accents in the kitchen…I have an open floor plan and don’t know if the decor matches..is that a do or don’t
Hi Kathy! I have used French antique hardware on my interior doors and kitchen cabinet pulls. I have used matte black hardware on my entry and patio doors, (which can be seen from the kitchen). What color for the kitchen faucet? I was thinking polished nickel. What do you think? Additionally, I was thinking polished nickel in the bathrooms but can’t decide on matching pulls on the cabinets or staying with French antique pulls. I’m not sure my choices will appear intentional. I am concerned adding a third metal would muddy up things. I am considering black matte mixed with subtle gold accents and wood for lighting. Is it all too much? Thank you for any direction you can give me. -Esther
Can I add a brushed gold wall Lighting fixture Above my powder room pedestal sink if everything else n the room is brushed nickel? There are some golf accessories on the wall shelf. Thanks.
Thank you for the information but need some clarification and advice please. Do you consider brushed stainless steel appliances as one of two metals or are they considered neutral (as a 3rd choice)? We currently have all door hardware in ORB and most lights. We are currently remodeling kitchen with baths to come later. I am wanting to lighten up the house but cannot budget changing out all of the doors from ORB. Thinking of putting satin nickel pulls on white kitchen cabinets with very light/off white quartz counter. Stuck on what to do with the sink faucets and lighting. Need to replace the ORB lighting in kitchen and dining room which will probably cause the living room light to be changed too since it is open to the kitchen and also ORB. Love the polished nickel faucets for a kitchen statement piece (really 2 – prep and main sink), but afraid it will be too shiny for the ORB and also concerned about spotting or tarnishing? Any thoughts? Thanks!
Hi Bette! Thanks for reaching out to us. For the best advice, please connect with our design team by emailing designbar@kathykuohome.com or calling us at 888-908-2925 and asking for design assistance.
I have stainless steel appliances and want to do brass handles and knobs on my gray cabinets. I have a stainless steel faucet as well. Confused on the color of what my light fixtures should be. Want to do 2 swivel arm wall fixtures over my sink and window and have 2 ceiling fixtures.
Hi great article. I am trying to coordinate my kitchen with my living room and master bath. Will have a new gas insert with stainless steel accents. Our living room has a lot of brass and wood. I am thinking of adding a few stainless steel accent pieces. I think it will work. As to my kitchen, which has sight to my living room, I will have porcelain grey marble with gold on my counters. My appliances will be white and I will have light oak cabinets. The knobs and pulls will be brass and crystal. Light fixtures will be white with a sink pendant in a in torquise. Master bath will have the same marble porcelain as the kitchen,with crystal knobs and light oak vanity. The light fixtures will be stainless steel. I am thinking this will all work and blend together. What are your thoughts?
Hi Valerie! Thanks for reaching out to us. For the best advice, please connect with our design team by emailing designbar@kathykuohome.com or calling us at 888-908-2925 and asking for design assistance.
If the kitchen cabinets have brush nichol knobs and faucets, is it ok if the light fixtures over the sink and dining area be the oil rub bronze? Our main concern is faucets that are not truly oil rub bronze will tarnish, and those are expensive. We are thinking about doing brush nichol door knobs and hinges.
I enjoyed reading your blog. I currently have a pewter chandelier over my dining room table. My dining room is partially seen from the living room. I currently have a burnished brass/wood floor lamp in the living room and need a new foyer ceiling fixture. The foyer is part of the living room. I found an oiled bronze fixture that I really like but I don’t know if I can mix all the metals.
Hi Susan! It may be best to go with a foyer fixture that coordinates with either the dining room or living room. For further advice, please connect with our design team by emailing designbar@kathykuohome.com or calling us at 888-908-2925 and asking for design assistance.
Hi Kathy,
I moved into a studio apt with a separate alcove bedroom and a kitchen off of the living area and can’t be seen from this space. However there is a little hallway that the kitchen is off of and can be seen from part of the living room.I did stainless steel appliances, white cabinets with champagne bronze handles. I don’t know what to do with the door knobs and handles on the
closets in the living room(and the little hallway. I’m thinking of keeping champagne bronze in the hallway and matte black in the living area. Please help me with your design expertise!!
Thank you,
Shelley
Sent from my iPhone
Hi I’m Jen I’m remodeling my kitchen and I wish I have found this blog before I started it this project. I’ve chosen brushed nickel barbs they are 8 ” in length for my doors cabinets and shelf for my drawers. I think they are too long but is too late to change them. I also bothght light fixtures in brush nickel too. My appliances are black stainless steel. I have grey cabinets. I have asmall kitchen nook and need to buy small table and chairs, it would look ok to get black metal legs table and grey chairs or what color do you think goes best since I already have so much brush nickel I need something else to make look better I’m going crazy because I think I made wrong choices. Please help!!
Thanks!
Back in the late 9o’s I had a friend compliment my unintentional mix of metals in my modest home decor….move forward now to a remodel and it’s dark oil rubbed brass (on the blacker side) with brushed nickel for the fixtures, and burnished gold on walll accents. I’m going to send this article to every next person who negates my decision. Thanks for validating my eclectic taste. I’m def following now. 😍
Hi Jen! Thanks! We’re glad you enjoyed the article! 🙂
Help! What if I have two different gold tones? My kitchen faucet is a deeper, yellowed gold (Moen), but the knobs and pulls I purchased are more of a flat brass finish. Can I kix these two? They won’t be directly next to each other, but I’m still worried about clashing.
Hi Sarah,
Reach out to our design team at https://www.kathykuohome.com/designbar and they’ll be sure to help 🙂
Hello! I have not long moved into my house and we are re-doing the living room, i was wanting to do black and golds centred round my navy couch however one of the the walls are tiled grey with chrome finishes as well as the T.V have silver edges? will this clash too much or should it be okay if i try find gold/silver mixed ornaments etc? The walls are currently white but we are thinking of painting them a warm grey/beige colour.
Hi Rachael,
Reach out to our design team at https://www.kathykuohome.com/designbar and they’ll be sure to help. We can help you with any furniture pieces you may need to complete your living room re-do as well!
I found your article when researching info on mixing metals. We are moving into a new home. All hardware (door handles, faucets, cabinet pulls etc) throughout the house are oil rubbed bronze. The great room, kitchen and dining area are all open concept with just a small island separating the GR and kitchen. Cabinets are maple of a color called “maple truffle”, so they are a brownish tone. Appliances are stainless steel. The fan in the GR is an oil rubbed bronze. I love 2 pendants and a dining room light that are smoked iron. I’m just not sure if this will work since we’d end up with oil rubbed bronze, stainless steel and now this smoked iron. Will these smoked iron lights work or should I stick with a bronze type pendant and dining light? I did find one that was a clear glass, dark bronze and some gold/brass that I liked but just ok with the dining room light that goes with it…but I could live with it. What would be your suggestion?
Also, not really a “metal” question. But the appliances (stove, microwave and dishwasher) are included and are stainless but have black on them. We have to get a refrigerator, we can get stainless but we love the new black stainless that is out now. What do you think would be best for the refrigerator color with what I’ve described above.
Hi Sandy,
Our design team is more than capable of helping you find the perfect pendants for your space. Feel free to chat with us at https://www.kathykuohome.com/designbar and they’ll be sure to help.
Love your article, it is so helpful! I have a bathroom that is all polished nickel hardware. I found a chandelier that is antique silver. Do you think that will work together, or is it too similar? Thank you!
Hi Michelle! Glad you found the article helpful! Although it’s really up to taste, that should probably work since the chandelier would be far enough removed visually from the polished nickel hardware.
I have given so much thought to “mixing my metals”, that finding this thread was such a God-Send!
Will I be happy with Oil-rubbed bronze cabinet pulls?
And why has NO-ONE on Earth designed a two-toned Pull using bronze & steel (not copper)?
I’m designing my very small Open Kitchen with gray shaker cabinets (they have green undertones), oil-rubbed industrial flush mount ceiling fixture with opal glass, 2 sexy delicate bronze glass pendant lights -also oil bronzed, yet the sink, faucet & appliances are stainless steel. I like the way the bronze pulls feel against the cabinets… what do you think? There is so much stainless steel in the kitchen… UGH!
Hi Kathy,
Stumbled across this article after my husband and I started arguing about the color of our master bath shower enclosure/fixtures. We recently replaced all the brass doorknobs, drawer knobs and hinges in house with oil-rubbed bronze. In master bath, we pulled out the dual brass faucets and went with polished chrome. Our problem arises in the clear glass shower enclosure. The frame is brass as are the shower fixtures. It’s cost-prohibitive to get (very large) brass frame and door handle replaced, so we thought why not tape off and spray paint the frame oil-rubbed bronze as a cheaper fix. Now the dilemma. Husband says shower head and faucet need to be oil-rubbed bronze to match frame. I say the frame is like knobs and hinges, oil-rubbed, and shower head and handle need to be chrome like faucets. The chrome is sort of neutral IMO,(or accent) against oil-rubbed hinges everywhere else, since other faucets are chrome. He thinks it will look odd. Who is right?
Hi Robin! Sounds like it’s just a matter of taste. Both options could probably work well. Feel free to reach out to one of our designers at http://www.kathykuohome.com if you’d like some further guidance!
We are redoing our house. All of our door knobs and all of our light fixtures and majority of our faucets are oil rubbed bronze. In the master bath we used satin nickel faucets but I found an oil rubbed bronze light fixture I absolutely love. Is it bad to mix the two? Also in the kitchen our faucet and light fixture are oil rubbed bronze and I would like to use satin nickel pulls. Is that ok?
Hi Allison! That sounds perfectly fine. As long as you stick to 2 metals, with one clearly dominant and the other an accent, you should be golden 😉
Hi Kathy!
Can you please explain what you mean by a clearly dominant and accent metals?
I have wood and chrome light fixtures in my great room (living/dining/kitchen) and I have pewter metals as part of my dining table and barstools. I like the brightness of the chrome and the “old world” look of pewter. Thank you in advance!
Hi Kathy!
I cannot tell you how much I loved this article and reading through the past questions with your advice. You clearly have exquisite taste and know your stuff. I am hoping you can give me some guidance with our lighting that will be going into our newly remodeled home. This has proven to be a very stressful topic and I just need some advice from an expert. I am losing my mind over this. Our main floor will be open concept with full sight lines of the entry, dining, kitchen and family room. We have purchased brass pendant lights for over the island (white shaker cabinets with virginia mist granite on the surround and Calcutta Verona quartz on the island all with brass hardware) and are wanting to use our existing fixture in the dining area (wood and black metal globe). I know you are all about mixing metals, but should be stick to these two (brass and black) rather than adding in a third. And if that IS the case then should I consider glass fixers to layer in texture. For some reason my question mark button isn’t working right now…… we are still needing a stairwell chandelier, entry fixture and a ceiling fan for the family room. What would you do 🙂
I greatly appreciate any help you can offer Kathy!
Hi Britanee! Thanks for reaching out to us! Your best bet for this would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this!
Hi! Really nice article. We just bought our first home and are decorating our dining room/entryway. The dining table is a dark mineral color along with a bench and 4 midcentury chairs which are rust velvet in color and dark grey gunmetal legs. The chandelier is a cluster pendent fixture with black wires. The carpet is a light grey with a little bit of rust/orange here and there. The walls are light light grey. And the curtains we just put are a crossweave of grey and white. Now to my question! We are thinking of putting a console and mirror at the entryway and wanted to venture into metals instead of a wooden console. Which color would you suggest? A glass piece with gunmetal would be the safe choice with the rest of our decor. But how would a brass metal piece with glass look? And how about the finish of the mirror? Would love to get your thoughts. Thanks in advance!
Hi Swati! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
This is such a great article and comments! I’m hearing you say quite often to not use more than 2 different metals. We are remodeling the kitchen where we opened the space up into the dining room. All metal in my home is rubbed bronze (lighting, door knobs, right down to bath fixtures, etc.) and more than likely will be going to go with bronze in the new kitchen – Though I have been oogling the brass fixtures and hardware . My husband is not sold on the idea, however. Cabinets are painted silk with hazelnut glaze and we chose a light granite with brown and black shiny flecks and a solid cream trellis backsplash. I know I do want to incorporate gold accents into the space and in dining area. My table is dark espresso with cream colored parsons chairs. I fell in love with a crystal chandelier that is finished in chrome. Matching mini chandelier that I would use as an over the sink pendent. I get that the chrome is for extra glitzy effect. Will this throw off the look of the space?
Hi Lisa! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Brilliant article! We are planning a kitchen renovation as part of a bigger project and have a brushed silver fridge and range and I’m debating brass cabinet hardware and tap vs stainless steel? We may also have black cast iron radiators too. Too many decisions!
Hi Rachel! Glad you found the article helpful! Best of luck with the reno. Either option could be nice. Sounds like you’re on the right track!
I love this article! I am having a hard time figuring out what direction to take my lighting for my kitchen pendant lights and over the kitchen table that is open to the family room. Cabinets are white, island is walnut, all our hardware is a brushed Nickel, stainless steel appliances, chrome faucet. I am fearful that since we already have two metals that introducing a third (copper or black/iron) may be the wrong way to go. Would love your thoughts.
Hi Stephanie! Thanks for reaching out to us. In most cases, yes, it’s probably best to stick with two metals, but feel free to reach out to one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Question: Redoing my master bath with sconces by the mirrors at vanity and a small chandelier over the tub. The sconces and other stuff will be chrome but the chandelier I like is brushed nickel. Will this be ok?Thanks for your help.
Go for it! Sounds like you’ve got a dominant metal picked out, so one fixture in a different finish is absolutely acceptable. It’ll mix things up and add some more character to the bath!
Great article! I was scared to add gold to my white cabinet, gray walls and gray wood porcelain. My accessories are chrome. I’m aiming at the modern farmhouse look. Island and counter is calacatta gold. I’m considering a gold floating shelf next to my cabinets and whipstitch linen curtains. Am I on the right track?
Hi MariCarmen! Sounds like you are on the right track indeed! Gold could add a nice warm accent to the chrome accessories and tie things in with the island and counter.
Love love this article. We are redoing a house. Using satin nickel door knobs and hinges for all the bedrooms. In the same hallway as the bedrooms is a bathroom that we plan to have brass plumbing fixtures. Considering three options for bathroom door hardware– which do you think will work better?
1) satin nickel door knob & hinges to match the hallway room knobs — will this go with the brass plumbing finishes in the bathroom?
2) satin nickel for exterior door knob, brass for interior door knob — in this case should the hinges be brass or satin nickel?
3) Brass hardware for bathroom door — though this means in the same hallway, this will be the only door that does not have satin nickel hardware.
Thanks!
Good question! It’s probably best to keep the doorknobs consistent in the hallway, so option 1 would work well. A satin nickel knob and hinge should go just fine with the brass finishes in the bathroom. They’ll add a nice, cool contrast to the dominant, warm brass. Just try not to go beyond two metal finishes in one room!
I’m remodeling our guest bath. The walls above the wainscot will be SW Naval and the wainscot, trim and vanity will be painted white. Also white subway tile in the shower/bath and statuario white marble look porcelain tile on the floor. I’ve selected Brushed gold for the Towel bar, toilet paper holder and robe hook. Brushed gold and glass for the vanity hardware. The faucet and tub fixtures are satin nickel. My light above the vanity is brushed gold with cracked glass globes. NOW my question is the shower rod. I have an oil rubbed bronze rod that I bought years ago and never used. Should I use it and spray paint it a gold or satin nickel or leave it as is?. It is a 3/4″ diameter of twisted iron by the antique hardware line of rods. Thoughts? What metal color would you choose. Thank you so much!
Spraying the repurposed shower rod is a great idea! While either color would certainly work, satin nickel would maintain more consistency with the tub’s other fixtures. Let us know how it turns out!
I love your article. I have read through all the comments, but did not see my proposed metals combination addressed. Updating both 1950s bathrooms entirely (goodbye vintage pink tile!). I am crazy for polished nickel and am planning for that with all the plumbing and faucets. The vanities will be painted white (SW Westhighland White), with quartz calacatta countertops. My question is the cabinetry hardware. In the master bath, it is approximately 3 ft. away from a built-in dresser wall that has beautiful Ribbon and Reed Antique Pewter drop pulls and knobs (patterned and matte finish) for hardware. I would like to use the same pewter hardware on the bath vanities, but was not sure if those two metals would compliment each other. The rooms will be very neutral colors, porcelain calacatta style tile in shower with a warm grey accent window piece and carried over to the counter backsplash. The guest bath will have white subway tile with calacatta marble accent tile stripe for tub surround. Floor tile is a light grey/beige porcelain tile for both baths. Do you think that polished nickel and antique pewter can play nice together? And if so, I would say that the polished nickel plumbing would be the dominant metal as the vanities will each only have 4 drop pull and 2 knobs of the antique pewter. Would you recommend that my mirror and lighting be in the pewter to balance the polished nickel or maybe adding countertop accessories in pewter. Lastly, I am unable to locate a polished nickel curved shower curtain rod. What metal would I choose instead? Thank you for your advice!
Hi Kathy!
Sounds like a great design plan so far. In terms of your questions, it’d be best to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. Best of luck with the bathrooms!
Trying to decide what to do in our renovation! I have bought a few things that are oil rubbed bronze, including all of my light fixtures, buy my husband just informed me he ordered nickel hinges for the cabinets. Do I change the cabinets to oil rubbed bronze and keep that same color through out? Or do I make my cabinet pulls nickel, and have oil rubbed bronze door handles, because I already have those too!
Hi Pressly!
Nickel makes for a nice, cool contrast if oil rubbed bronze is the dominant finish in the bathroom. Adding nickel cabinet pulls so that the hinges aren’t the only nickel features in the room would be a great idea.
Hi. Loved the article! Wondering what your take is on when buying vintage pieces to mix in a room. My living room has lots of gold, as I like a French look. Sometimes the pieces are different gold tones as I cannot get them to match. How can I work with the gold tones that I have in lighting, sconces and mirrors?
Mixing tones is totally fine! If all the finishes are exactly the same, it can sometimes feel a bit overkill. For more specific advice on how to work with your lighting fixtures and mirror, contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com.
Hello! Great article! We have just bought our first home and as its a new-build, naturally all the bathroom brassware is modern chrome… (Which I’m not a huge fan of!). However we don’t have towel rings or toilet roll holders yet, so would it look bad to get black, or oil rubbed bronze towel rings/toilet roll holders with the chrome taps/finishing, or shall I just stick to chrome until we can afford to replace it all? Many thanks!
Hi Jess!
We’re glad you enjoyed the article. As long as you don’t go beyond two finishes in the bathroom, you should be good. Something darker or warmer could act as a nice counterpoint to the dominant chrome.
I have just purchased a home that I’m trying to blend what I have with what is in the new home without redoing everything. It is an open concept kitchen /living room area where the kitchen has light hickory floors and cabinets with black and flecks of red granite counter tops and in the living room. I am incorporating brushed nickle table and floor lamps and brushed nickle hardware on the wood furniture which has a modern feel. The light over the table is a mesh cylinder in a bronze color. My question is should the finish on the fan in the living room be brushed nickle to reflect the brushed nickle in the living room or bronze to coordinate with the lamp over the table. Both pieces can be seen as you walk into the room.
Hi Judy!
Sounds like you’re on the right track! If the lamp is the only thing that’s bronze at the moment, it may be a good idea to go with a bronze fan, so the lamp doesn’t feel too out of place with the dominant nickel finishes.
Hi Kathy,
Doing a master bath reno and plan to keep existing brushed nickel lights and doorknobs but thinking about going with chrome faucets and shower hardware to add some sparkle (and save a few $). How do you feel about those two mixed? And which would you recommend for towel rings if we do use both?
Another idea: using black or bronze vanity drawer pulls. Too much?
Thanks!
Hi Karen!
Thanks for reaching out to us. As long as you don’t go beyond two finishes in the bathroom, a touch of chrome would be a welcome addition. Try contacting our design team at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com for more specific advice.
Thank you for this excellent article and all of the helpful comments. Finding this is a decorating treasure and a huge help! We are switching out lights in our kitchen/dining area. I found a beautiful caged lantern in oil rubbed bronze to hang in the dining area and for the bar, I would like to use round glass pendants with matt black rods and brass accents. In one article I read, it said that it’s fine to mix metals as long as there is a contrast in them; otherwise, it looks like you have made a decorating mistake. Now I am worried that the matt black on the pendants isn’t enough of a contrast with the oil rubbed bronze on the dining lantern. The fixtures are close together. Would it be better to get the pendants in gold instead of matt black and brass? It’s too late to change the lantern, I’ve already ordered it, but I can still change the pendants. Thanks so much for any help you can give. I don’t want to make a decorating faux pas!
Hi Anne!
We definitely understand your concern. Matte black and oil rubbed bronze may be a bit too similar, so gold would be a great alternative. It’ll also add a bit of warmth and sparkle to the room. Best of luck!
Hi! Thanks for the helpful article. What are your opinions on mixing oil rubbed bronze and black? We recently did our bathroom with all oil rubbed bronze fixtures but have now found a black mirror and black shelves. Is it okay to mix those two metals?
Hi Michelle!
While it depends on the exact finishes, sometimes black and oil rubbed bronze can be a bit too close to each other. You may be better off with another metal that provides more of a contrast. If you like, our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com can be of more assistance!
Hi again, instead of asking my question in a different field I asked here but I will be very happy if you will answer me anyway.
Thank you
Hi, we are going to refurnish our living room, we choose a gray velvet sofa and chair for two sides and for the third side two white chairs with nickel legs. The cabinet dishes is also white and the windows drapes are between white to beige color. My question is if it’s ok to go for a clear coffee table with nickel all around or same table with gold or another option for white top and nickel legs?
What about mixing gold accessories?
What carpet color will you recommend?
Thanks in advance
Hi Seriy!
Thanks for reaching out to us! Your best bet would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. Best of luck with your remodel!
Do you think these will clash …I’m in love with both items . It’s for the hall on the middel floor so 4 sets of door handles and a light that needs to look good from above and below as its visible from up and down the stairs.
https://www.johnlewis.com/tom-dixon-beat-fat-pendant-light/black/p1819477
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=jbgO%2fUi5&id=839D3297A9B8638737D05ADB80B944F43022AA13&thid=OIP.jbgO_Ui5Q0oP-yzXkZ5tOgHaHa&mediaurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.courtyardah.co.uk%2fimage%2fcache%2fcatalog%2fCroft%2fgrace-lever-ant-brass-500×500.jpg&exph=500&expw=500&q=grace+handles&simid=608028257857505971&selectedIndex=6&ajaxhist=0
Hi Louise!
Looks like a good plan! No need for the light to match the door handles perfectly. These should play off each other nicely.
Hi, I’m redoing my living room and dining room( which are both in one large room) can I mix pieces of furniture with a champagne gold and a yellowish gold together?
Hi Freeda!
There’s really no set rule for this – it’s all about personal taste. See how the two shades look next to each other and if you like it, go for it! Just pick one to be the main finish and use the other as an accent.
Thank you so much for this helpful article! We are renovating our kitchen currently and have chosen a warmer white for the cabinets, stainless appliances (all of which, except for the double wall ovens and trash compactor will have cabinet facings), white farmhouse sink with chrome faucet which will be on the island, countertops including the island will be Taj Mahal quartzite. All exterior and interior door knobs will be matte black. My dilemma is about the cabinet and drawer hardware and the pendant lighting. If we went with chrome hardware for the cabinets to match the faucet, how would it look to have two lantern style pendants over the island in like a satin brass? Thank you.
Hi Karen!
Glad you found the article helpful! Sounds like satin brass would provide a nice, warm contrast to the primarily chrome finishes in the kitchen. Go for it!
Hi Kathy,
We have a new, open concept house with Benjamin Moor Silver Satin walls, white kitchen cupboards, white/grey counters, dark oak floors, grey sofa, and brushed nickel kitchen hardware. We have recently put in black curtain rods with white curtains, which looks amazing. We also have two matching gold metal and clear glass lamps with white shades, each on top of a glass side table with black metal framing. We are working on adding lighting to the living/kitchen/dining rooms, and we are having the biggest challenge figuring out if we should go with black or oil rubbed bronze fixtures, or polished chrome. Specifically, we are looking to add 3 pendant lights over our island. Polished chrome would definitely fit in, and I do like the shine, but I’m wondering if the black/oil rubbed bronze look would work? We don’t have any black in our kitchen, but since it’s such an open space, the living room curtain rods are close by – so this is where we are having a hard time. To be safe, I have thought about going polished chrome with a clear glass shade for the pendants, and then going black or oil rubbed for the ceiling flush-mounts and dining room fixture. Do you recommend that all lighting is the same metal or would different look ok in such a small space? All of the lights I’m referring to are in the same area – you would be able to see them all.
Hi Hayley!
Thanks for reaching out to us. Black could definitely work and would be cohesive with the living room, but if you like the look of the polished chrome, go with that! Whichever you prefer, it’s probably best to stick with one metal for the lighting since it’s a small space.
Thanks for such a helpful article! I’d love your advice on a bathroom we are designing. I was planning on using all brushed gold hardware, but have found a beautiful freestanding copper tub.
Do you think brushed gold taps would work with a copper tub? If not, what metal would you suggest?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Hi Belle!
Glad you found the article helpful! Brushed gold could definitely work – it all depends on your taste. Nickel could also be a nice, cool contrast for the copper.
Hi,
Hoping for advice. We are currently renovating a farmhouse. I like farmhouse/industrial/rustic look however I wanted to make my bathroom really luxurious. The bathroom it very narrow and long and little head height . I love gold, white with a rich teal for the bathroom but money is getting very tight. I have already lost my battle for a bath. I wanted sanity unit and countertop sink. I am most likely going to have to diy the unit and was thinking of pallets but my husband just laughs! Even though the colours lend to modern I don’t want modern. Cost wise with having rustic unit I have chosen black taps etc and have searched for the cheapest black heated towel rail but I am still earning for teal, gold, white.
Looked for gold heated towel rail and so far way out of budget. Your article makes me wonder if I opt for the cheaper chrome towel rail and go gold or antique gold taps etc. Would any of this work with teal and white? Or do I need a complete rethink. The towel rail is an issue as it is on wall in front of door by sink. It needs to be close fitting to the wall and I don’t want it to overpower the room which I think they can do. I am looking at thinner ladder styles rather than chunky ones for that reason and they need to be under £100.
I do have a tiny toilet/sink en-suite so could opt for teal in there instead as no towel rail necessary but the bedroom off it will have a traditional bed frame hospital style so that room will be rustic too and I do want the rooms to have a flow.
Please help
Hi Jacqui! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hello!
Love the article! I recently bought a house and want to update the kitchen. I wanted to do a deep navy island with brass fixtures and a white marble countertop. My kitchen cabinets are a like grey and I wanted to put the same brass fixtures to have a more modern look and tie in the island I am adding. I will also have the marble cup tops in the kitchen as well. My sink, faucet and appliances are stainless. Do I need to re think my awesome brass cabinet fixtures and just go with brushed silver or something? Thank you for the help!
Hi Megan! Sounds like you’re on the right track. As long as you stick to two metals, brass would be a welcome accent to the stainless appliances.
Hi, great article! I need some help. We just brought a house. My appliances are stainless steel. We went with a mirror dining table with a chrome base. The chairs are dark gray with a dark brown wooden base. Our floors are dark brown wood. We love these gray sofas but the base of the sofas are golden. Would that look weird? We are also stuck on bar stools. We like gray bar stools as well but don’t want too much gray to look boring.
Hi Anam! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hello Kathy,
I need some help please! I have oil bronze in my kitchen hardware with pecan wood cabinets and black island with granite counter tops with grey, black, brown, and beiges. The kitchen, family room, and kitchenette are all one room. My sofas are off white with light teal and Aqua pillows and seagrass rug. I want to put a Italian chandelier in the family room and pendant of verigated warm tones with speckles of black. I am also thinking of a RH trestle round natural wood. Will this marry with everything else going on in the room? Would you use black metal barstools?
Kathy H.
Hi Kathy! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
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Hi! We have a bathroom with warm tone beige tiles. We chose a wall mount brushed copper faucet but can’t find any of the other fixtures to match. The Schluter piece my contractor used in that bathroom (without asking me) is in polished chrome. How would it look if I did the rest of the fixtures in polished chrome and keep the brushed copper faucet as an accent? It is a small powder room. Will be putting up a mirror, sconce, towel bar and toilet paper holder. Thanks!
Hi Rachel,
You can definitely have the faucet as your accent metal, however if there’s no other copper in your bathroom at all, you may want to consider copper hardware or decorative pieces to support your color palette.
Hi! I am redoing a small powder room. We are doing navy wallpaper and warm taupe marble chevron floors. All hardware is polished nickel. Can I do a brass sconce above the mirror? Should the mirror be closer to nickel or brass if I go the brass light route? Also, unrelated, but what color do I do my molding and baseboards?? My marble isn’t available as a baseboard option!
Hi Eumy!
You have so many great questions, your best bet would be to connect with one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com
Hi, I need help! We are building a farmhouse type of home. Hardwood floors, beams, wrap-around porch, metal roof & clawfoot tub. The kitchen is going to have white cabinets with a gray island. One of the bathrooms will have a gray tile. The house will have several colors of gray paint. We were going to use Brushed nickel as all of our fixtures but my husband really likes the look of oil rubbed bronze. Can we use oil rubbed bronze as our door, lights, hinges, faucets with so much Gray in the house?
Hi Kerri,
Yes!! I’m a big fan of oil rubbed bronze myself 🙂
I just purchased a new house and it feels like the builder emptied out all of their miscellaneous hardware pieces. Door handles throughout are chrome, kitchen cabinets pulls are aged brass, stainless appliances, a copper sink, oil rubbed bronze faucet, all bathrooms are decked out in gold, and laundry and mud room have a dark silver metal. Where do I start to clean up this mixed mess without spending a fortune? The sink can’t be removed from the island without a major renovation (I checked).
Hi Suzanne,
Pick two or three of the finishes you like the most and keep them as is. Then, replace the rest of the hardware to match. I think focusing on the kitchen would be the place to spend your money. It’s where people tend to gather the most and where it seems like you have the most amount of metal finishes that you can simplify. Your finishes do not have to match from room to room, so I would worry less about that if you’re working on a tight budget!
This is such a great article!
We have an “Antique Silver Leaf” light fixture – which looks like a brushed nickel with a touch of a gold/brown type color. We mostly have brushed nickel light fixtures in our kitchen, except for this one in the dining area – and they currently look nice together. Is getting a polished chrome legged table a big ‘no’?
Thanks!
Dee
Hi Dee,
I’d just make sure the finishes don’t clash, but otherwise a chrome legged table is perfectly fine!
This is so helpful and reassuring! A question… I’m wanting to do predominantly brass in my kitchen and in at least one of the guest baths. If one is doing brass hardware (faucets etc…) in one room, is it preferable to do the same in each bathroom? Or is it fine to do stainless in one bathroom and brass in others? Lastly, since GE’s new Cafe’ line has options for bronze handles etc… I was going to do that, plus brass faucet and 2 large brass pendants over my island. Now I’m thinking this may be TOO much brass! Curious your thoughts on that! Many thanks for any advice!
Hi Terri! Thanks for reaching out to us. Matching metals between bathrooms can be nice, but definitely not necessary. In terms of your other questions, your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out.
Dear Kathy,
I recently purchased a gorgeous Knoll rosewood credenza with a white carrera top, chrome legs and pulls. I’d like to partner it with a RH Reynor Desk in Brown Walnut with Burnished Brass. Think this would be a good partnership? (I so wish we could add photos!)
Cydnee
Hi Cydnee! Thanks for reaching out to us. Sounds like this could work. If you do want to get some further advice (and send photos), feel free to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi! Thanks for the great article! I’m remodeling a small bathroom, and a bit confused about the hardware options! The room will have darker gray patterned tiles floor and white subway tiles wall. We love the look of matte black fixtures, and have all shower fixtures, vanity faucet, and light in matte black. I spray painted the vanity hardwares and made them satin bronze. We are getting glass shower walls and door, which will require a 1 1/4” thick header that goes all the way around the top. I’m wondering what metal we should get for the glass hardware… Brushed nickel seems like the simplest look, but is it too much to introduce a third metal? Black or bronze will match other fixtures, but I’m afraid that the header will stand out too much against the white wall…. Please HELP!
Hi K! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi. Great article. We just did a whole house Reno. All faucets and cabinet hardware are in chrome throughout kitchen and bathrooms. Door knobs and light fixtures are brushed nickel. Is this ok? Thank you so much!
Hi Patricia! Thanks for reaching out to us. Sounds good! Best of luck!
This article is extremely helpful. However, I am still at a little bit of a loss in my kitchen. We are building our home and I just decided on champagne bronze faucets & pot filler (brass) in the kitchen. I thought I could do these with chrome or nickel cabinet hardware and brass lighting but I’m starting to doubt myself. I’m searching and searching design photos and can’t find any examples of this. Everything is chrome faucets with gold lighting or gold hardware or both. Will this look ok in reverse??? If I have gold lighting and gold faucet (so everything above the cabinets in gold) and then chrome hardware, will it look misplaced??
Hi Jessica! Thanks for reaching out to us. If you like the way it looks in the design photos you’ve seen, it should still look good in reverse! If you want some further help, feel free to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi! This article is very helpful! I have a question about an island chandelier in my kitchen. We have cream cabinets with oil rubbed bronze pulls and faucet. The appliances are stainless steel. The chandelier I am looking at comes in this really pretty antique silver (some gold hues coming through). Could I do that? The space does open to the family room and eat in kitchen. In my eat in kitchen I have an oil rubbed bronze/black chandelier. I personally love non matching in a home. I am worried it will be too non matching in such an open space. thoughts? THANK YOU!
Hi Brooke! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi Kathy! Great read! I’m so glad I found this thread while shopping for lighting for my new house. I am using matte black door hardware and brushed nickel lighting throughout the house. The walls are super light gray and bedrooms are a touch warmer but still super light.I found a chandelier I absolutely love for my foyer however it’s antique silver (slight gold undertone). Would this clash with the other metals I’m using? Thanks so much!
Hi Barb! Glad you enjoyed the article! It can be a bit difficult to advise without seeing everything, so your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out.
Can I mixed polished brass lights and satin brass lights in a kitchen? One set of pendants above the bar and another above the dining table? There will be also stainless appliances, white cabinets,with satin brass pulls and an antique wood buffet and some antique barn wood shelves.
Hi Beth! While we generally suggest to sticking to a maximum of two metals per room, it’s really up to your personal taste. If you think it looks good, go for it!
Hi Kathy I hope you can help… we are redecorating my daughters bedroom and she has her heart set on grey bedside tables with yellow gold legs with matching chest of drawers. Would it be okay to have a desk in the same room with rose gold legs and rose gold bedside table lamps ?
Hi J! Thanks for reaching out to us. While this should be fine, it really depends on how you think the two shades look next to each other. If you’d like some further help, feel free to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out.
Hi! I’m in the middle of redoing my master bath. The shower trim and fixtures are chrome,cabinet pulls are gold, and vanity light fixtures are chrome.
For my sink fixtures I have an antique brass and a black faucet. WHich one would be better to use? Bathroom will be a white I think… floors are a white/blue design. I feel it may be too much going on ? Decisions were made before i was really sure.
Hi S! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
We are redoing our downstairs after a flood. Most of the house is sort of 80s/90s with gold fixtures and finishes everywhere. For the down stairs I don’t just want to put more gold in as over the years we will update the rest of the house and might want to do something different. Much of our furniture is from my mothers so it’s traditional and has gold or ornate things to it. Our downstairs has some things that are gold that I was thinking of leaving but where we are doing new fixtures I want something more today but that does not clash with all the gold and brass. I thought black but all I can seem to find is oil rubbed bronze and that seems like it would not really go. I need a ceiling fixture and two sconces for the landing when you go downstairs. They will be right by a closet with four brass door pulls. Also in the power room I need a faucet and wall sconces. The toilet and window hardware is gold. The mirror we were going to use is kind of an antique brass. Again I can’t find just plain black but only orb. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to get more gold fixtures.
Hi Gael! Thanks for reaching out to us. So sorry to hear about the flood. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out.
Hi Kathy,
We’ve planned a few projects around the house this winter to list our house for sale in the spring. Most all fixtures in the baths and kitchen are shiny silver but I love the rose gold tones. If we keep faucets, light fixtures, etc silver where should I try and bring in the rose gold? I’m also trying to figure out what wall colors would be best? Warm or cool neutrals? Thanks!!
Hi Verna! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
We are remodeling.
We painted our kitchen walls repose gray and our trim is Dover white. Our cabinets are aged white glazed with brown and island is repose gray with brown glaze and fantasy brown countertops. I have an oil rubbed bronze faucet and I have pendants that have a m ix of bronze, gray, white ect. Would aged pewter pulls look funny if I have an oil rubbed bronze faucet or do I need to stick with oil rubbed bronze pulls?
Hi Katie! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi Kathy,
Your article is so helpful!! I do have a couple of questions about kitchen pendant lights.
My kitchen has double islands and it was only wired for 3 pendant lights over one island and 1 pendant light over the second island. Would that look strange?
Also, would it be okay to use 2 different types of pendant lights over each island?
Hi Praise! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi! I am probably one of the absolute most wishy-washy people you’ll ever meet. We are currently building a new house and when it comes to the kitchen, I’ve probably changed my mind a dozen times. Anywho, I have already purchased all of my light fixtures, all being ORB with the exception of copper pendants that will hang over the island. My cabinets around the perimeter of the kitchen are a very light, soft gray, almost a taupe-white kind of color, and the island is a darker taupe gray kind of color. The counter top is a white quartz with a minimal amount of gray veining. My current dilemma is that I found matte black hardware that I absolutely love, but am worried about it clashing with everything else I have going on. One more little bit of info, the oven hood is also ORB (7 layers of ORB which looks black) with very subtle copper. Appliances are all stainless steel. Please help! 🙂
Hi Darcie! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Thank you for this article. We built a new house but chose brushed nickel for all the hardware and fixtures in the whole house. However, I started seeing blogs with houses with brass or gold fixtures and hardware, I fell in love with this color and went ahead and bought gilded iron kitchen island pendants. We installed the pendants and while I love the color, I am hesitant to replace all the cabinet hardware with brass or gold to match the pendants because I feel it will look too matchy matchy.
We bought 2 of these pendants that now hang over our island.
https://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod3270005&categoryId=search
We have an open concept kitchen with a breakfast area that opens into the living room. We also have 12 foot ceilings and have our kitchen cabinets built all the way to the ceiling that have brushed nickel hardware that are visible on the higher plane area (same plane area where the gilded iron pendants are). We are looking to make some changes and having real difficulty:
We wanted to choose a finish or finishes that would well with the gilded iron pendants. We cannot decide if brushed nickel or chrome works best with gilded iron / gold / gilt or if all 3 finishes work together.
1) Do we leave the brushed nickel cabinet hardware or replace with chrome cabinet hardware?
2) We would like to replace our faucet. Do we choose a finish to match our cabinet hardware or to match the pendants?
3) Since we have have gilded iron island pendants we are also looking to replace our breakfast chandelier (currently brushed nickel with white frosted shades). Do we choose gold/brass to complement the gilded iron island pendants?
Thank you so much.
Karen
Hi Karen! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi. Great article. I’m redoing our dining room. The walls are grey w/white trim and oak flooring. Door hardware is still pewter, we ar eventually replacing the door but not yet due to cost. Fans have gold hardware. Our chairs are purple velvet on the front with gold and purple design (kind of like damask print) on back and our table is grey wood. Rug is cream and grey flowers. We are thinking of replacing the rug. I found mirrored chevrons that are rimmed in gold I wanted to put up on walks. I’m trying to go for a room reminiscent of being in a LaDuree shop. Was going to put up signage above our large picture windows and wall opening (all windows and openings are roughly 3 feet wide at least) but am struggling with deciding to use gold above windows and a pewter above wall opening or if I should just keep all gold? I might put up two shelves with metal accents am worried I’ll have too many mixed metals. I hope I’m explaining this decently. Should I pick 2 metals and keep finishes the same for this room? Help I’m a mess. Please advise. I’ve tried to include lots of detail so you can get a better visual picture. Thanks, Beverly
Hi Beverly! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
We currently have all oil rubbed bronze fixtures. I really love the aged brass faucets. Would they work well together if faucets were aged brass and door and cabinet hardware remained oil rubbed bronze? I’d eventually like to replace the interior doors with solid wood doors and use vintage style crystal knobs.
Hi Sara! Thanks for reaching out to us. This should indeed work. Best of luck!
Hi Kathy,
We have purchased polished nickel fixtures and antique brass sconces for our bathroom. We have white cabinets and marble countertops/tile. Would you go with polished or satin nickel for the cabinet hardware? I was originally going to do brass hardware, but my husband is anti-brass so trying to limit my usage. Thank you!
Hi Lauren! Thanks for reaching out to us. Probably best to stick with polished nickel since that’s the finish you have with your fixtures.
Hi, I’m so happy I found your blog! Everyone I know thinks I’m crazy for wanting to mix metals in my kitchen. I do have a question if I’m doing it right… I just installed white upper and grey lower IKEA Bodbyn cabinets. My fridge is a Big Chill white fridge with chrome handle. My stove is a white porcelain 1950s Wedgwood stove also with chrome hardware. I wanted to use brass long handles for the cabinet hardware. My contractor thinks if I’m going to do that, it shouldn’t be shiny and recommends a brushed brass instead. I’m torn!!! I’d love for your advice! If you need more of a image of the space the floors are pecan colored with hints of grey and my walls are going to be covered in white subway tile.
Hi Milla! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi.. we are building a custom craftsman home in TN. Interior door knobs and cabinet hardware will be oil rubbed bronze. Cabinets are white except for powder room and a guest bath dovetail gray. Countertops marble. As I overthink everything I am starting to stress about faucets. Especially the kitchen. Does everything need to be ORB? It seems a bit much. Pendants in kitchen are the industrial polished nickel above the island where the sink is… Thank you for any advice! Christy
Hi Christy! No, you don’t need to do everything in ORB. An accent metal like polished nickel would be great to break things up. Hope all is well!
Kathy,
This article is SO helpful. I have a question though!!!!!!!! We are renovating our entire house and I am perplexed by the basic hardware (hinges and doorknobs). I prefer to have oil-rubbed bronze (ORB) throughout the majority of the house (den, bedrooms, hallways), but there is a section of our home that is primarily done in brass. Can we do ORB for all hinges and doorknobs, or should we do brass in the areas that have brass? See specific examples below.
Kitchen
Our kitchen has all brass finishes (cabinet hardware, faucet, pot-filler, and pendant lights over the island). The exterior cabinets are white, but the island is a navy. Honed Statuary Carrera marble countertops. Can we have ORB hinges and doorknobs in the kitchen (on an interior door for the laundry room and an exterior Dutch door leading outside)? Or should we stick with brass?
Entry/Living Room/Entry Hall
Our ceiling lights are brass and our living room hardware (3 sconces and 8 small knobs) are brass, can the doorknobs in the entry area (interior coat closet) be ORB? Note, the front door hardware is brass!
Bathroom
All fixtures and cabinet hardware are polished nickel. Should we do split finished doorknob (PN on the interior and ORB on the exterior), or should we do the entire fixture in ORB (so the bathroom would all be polished nickel except the hinges and the doorknob)?
SO confused and would love your guidance.
Thanks!
Erin
Hi Erin! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi Kathy,
I appreciate your advice on mixing metals. Our master bathroom is one place we are considering doing so. We are excited about the natural brass fixtures we just selected. We are thinking of brass hardware, as well. If given the opportunity, what metal and finish would you pair with the brass for the faucet and shower fixtures? We are considering polished chrome or nickel. Thanks so much!
Best,
Tara
Hi Tara! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Great article!! I know this is a bit old but I am desperately needing metal mixing help. We are currently trying to finish the master bathroom in new construction. I intended on mixing brass and black however due to budget constraints, both are out of my price range on shower systems (btw $400 more for a color change???). Anywho, my light fixtures are a brushed gold, white marble top on a vanity painted moscow midnight (deep pretty teal), and a bold floral curtain. Tile will be 4×16″ white with dark grout. Should I go with chrome since it is shiny? Can I get away with not matching the faucet to the light fixture? Originally, I had gold light, black metal rim mirror, brass faucet. Please help! I have made so many decisions I can’t think anymore…
Hi AK! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Wonderful post! And seems to have helped many people. I love mixing metals but I am trying to figure out how to solve a problem I’m having with my new kitchen. I was so intent on having a Delta champagne bronze kitchen faucet. Problem is they don’t make everything else I need, like the instant hot water tap or the air button for the garbage disposal. I thought of going matte black for all the sink fixtures, but would that look good if the cabinet hardware is all champagne bronze (a very light gold)? Cabinets are warm gray, counters white with gray veins and a hint of gold in the veins. Sink is white fire clay. Floors are a warm, but not orangey, wood tone to give life to all the gray and white. Stainless steel appliances (Bosch, so the tone is a little warmer than most). I will have matte black in other places in our home. And was going to do brushed gold pendants over the island, which, with our layout, puts the black fixtures in between the pendants and the gold cabinet hardware. We are mixing white plantation shutters and natural woven shades throughout the house. So lots of neutrals and textures, mixed metals here and there and some wood in the floors and woven shades to liven things up. I’m confident about where I’m going with just about everything but want to make sure the matte black fixtures will look nice with gold hardware in the kitchen! In the bathrooms I am planning on choosing a finish for fixtures and hardware and probably keeping them consistent within the room.
Hi Bryana! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hello, We are building a new home,open concept with white cabinets, grey painted island, stainless steel appliances, brushed nickel hardware. My dilemma is choosing light fixtures and ceiling fans. We need a light over our dark wood table and I found an new bronze contemporary oval/linear fixture with white glass that I love. I am unsure how to pull all the lights/fan in the room together. We have a stainless range hood over the island and a lounge area adjacent that needs a pendant or something that coordinates. I also found a silver linear chandelier that would be an alternative to the bronze light. Any suggestions would be helpful! Thanks!
Hi Nancy! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi! Thank you so much for sharing the article! My husband and I are in the process of renovating our kitchen and we are struggling with picking the color of the fixtures. We have white cabinets and crown molding, grey walls and warm oakwood floors. We are also planning to get either white or grey quartz countertops. For fixtures, we are stuck between satin nickel or champagne bronze/satin brass. We love the look of champagne bronze/satin brass but I’m afraid it will be outdated in a few years and satin nickel is a classic but then again champagne bronze/satin brass is so beautiful!! Any thoughts!? Thanks!!
Hi Miley! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Loved the advice you gave here! You mentioned having one main metal finish and one contrasting accent metal finish. By “main” and “accent,” do you mean more and less predominant or does that refer to sizes of specific pieces (like finish of a metal coffee table vs decorative item)? And if the latter, what category does hardware fall into since let’s say a media console is a large item but the hardware on it isn’t exactly plentiful.
Hi Saara! By main and accent, we meant one metal that’s used more and the other used less as a complement to the primary finish. Not necessarily about the sizes of the pieces. It’s really about the frequency and dominance of the particular metals in the overall design.
Hi! I am so happy I came across this article as it really helped confirm some of my decor decisions! I have a question… we are currently renovating our spare bathroom. I have chosen black and white floor tiles, black vanity, black metal mirror, and then chrome gold accents (faucets, sconces, vanity hardware) I found a narrow etagere bookshelf that I would like to incorporate; however, it is antique gold. Is it ok to combine antique gold and chrome gold into the same space? And if so, should I use the antique gold in other areas of the bathroom so it is not just the one piece?
Thank you SO much for your help!
Hi Julia! Glad you found the article helpful! Sounds like you’re on the right track. Introducing antique gold into other aspects of the bathroom could definitely help to tie in the etagere.
Great article! I am a little worried about our current bathroom. We made a slight decorating mistake and bought a oil rubbed lighting for our bathroom and put it up… everything else in there is a silver color and I’m trying to figure out how I can tie everything together! Should I put up an oil rubbed bronze curtain rod? Or switch out the handles to an oil rubbed bronze? Or just start over!! Thanks for your help!
Hi Yoshie! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hello,
Thank you for this article, it was helpful. I was curious we have white kitchen cabinets and want to update with brushed silver door pulls. Is it ok to have gold door knobs and hindges on our doors, or is it best to replace them with brushed silver too? Thanks for your advice.
Hi Nicole! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi. I love your article. I really want to mix metals and still can’t picture how it would look. We have bright white shaker style cabinets with all chrome hardwares and fixtures in the house, Graphite island, all stainless steel appliances. I love the french gold right now. Will adding french gold lighting/pendants and decor be too much of a contrast? Also love this one glass/black metal chandelier i saw for entry, too. Is that all too much? Oh wee have an open floor plan with front door color black and fireplace tiled in charcoal all the way up to ceiling with wood beam.
Thank you for your article and expertise!
-Ha
Hi Ha! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi, I’ve been reading all of the comments but haven’t seen this answered: can you have a stainless steel kitchen and prep sink, and have Brizo Luxe Gold faucets? Kitchen store says no. We have white walls, warm gray cabinets (was thinking brass pulls), and a white and gray quartzite. Many thanks!
Hi Lisa! Thanks for reaching out to us. Probably best to trust the kitchen store on this one, but it’s really up to your personal taste!
Would a chandelier that is “antique nickel” look okay with my stainless steel appliances?
https://www.shadesoflight.com/products/sleek-pagoda-frame-island-chandelier?via=57e1330169702d78ae0000a5%2C57e1338069702d78ae0002c8
Hi Julie! Yes, that should be fine!
We are presently redoing our “new to us” home. We have added dark brown bamboo floors in most rooms, white shaker cabinets, stainless appliances & sink & faucet. We will be getting Alaska White granite. We have a floor to ceiling rock fireplace, and another 4’ wall with floor to ceiling rock. Our ceilings in half of the kitchen, dining room, and living room are made from pine done in the 80’s, translation kinda orangy yellow. My husband doesn’t want to paint the boards, and surprisingly I have grow to like them somewhat. I figure I can lighten the feel some with lighter jute rugs, etc and we do have a lot of windows & patio doors. Our home kinda looks like a mid century modern home inside and out. I’d like our home to be decorated more like a modern beachy farmhouse, if that makes any sense. I love the modern beachy look, modern farmhouse look, and even industrial look. Anyway my question is do you think oil rubbed bronze doorknobs, stainless appliances & sinks & faucets, oil rubbed bronze or black lights, and oil rubbed bronze cabinet pulls would all work good together? I don’t know if all that would be too much with everything already in the home. I haven’t decided on furniture yet, but maybe either navy couches, and white chairs, with a brown leather ottoman or I really don’t know 100% yet. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Kathleen! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Kitchen remodel and open floor plan on main… just bought beautiful oil rubbed bronze light fixtures going for modern farmhouse look… appliances sink and faucet all stainless. I need to buy cabinet pulls for white cabinets and love matte black and have accent pieces that are black iron. My question is can I mix matte black/black iron with oil rubbed bronze and stainless steel??? Seems like matte black and oil rubbed are too close but not the same?? Thanks for your help!
Hi Jen! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi kathy
I would like to ask u would a beige wooded classic furniture match with golden stainless coffee table and golden side tables or not ?
Bare in mind my reception walls are light beige and floors are beige marble
Hi Monica! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi there,
My kitchen cabinets are a cherry wood with a slate grey stain, they’re mostly grey, but with hints of brown mixed in. My counters are white quarts and appliances and sink are stainless steel (under mount). I found beautiful champagne bronze knobs and pulls, but I’m wondering what color sink faucet I should do. Matte black or the matching champagne bronze? I have pendant lights that are glass with a black pole and also a natural colored round wood table, with a black iron base in a nook off of the kitchen. Not sure what color chairs I was going to do, either natural or black.
I’m just worried that if I do a champagne bronze kitchen faucet there will be too much gold (which my husband is not a fan off) and also, that it will clash with the stainless steel appliances.
Thank you in advance for your help!
Danielle
Hi Danielle! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi Kathy,
I LOVE your site. We are updating our home. we want to do dark brass door knobs for the main hallways of the house. Floors are original maple hardwood and walls are light gray. Do you think that would ok even though all the other metals in the house (remodeled kitchen and bathroom) are brushed nickel?
Thank you so much! :
Hi Raemarie! Thanks for reaching out to us. Sounds like a good plan. The brass knobs could provide a nice, warm contrast to the brushed nickel.
Hi Kathy!
Love this article. My fiancé and I are in the process of building a house and we picked out all of our design selections pretty quickly with the builder – now I am obsessing over every detail and wanting to change my mind. I am stuck on my light fixtures – I really love all metals. The entry way/foyer currently has 2 antique gold lanterns (Minka Lavery 4447-582), kitchen island will have 3 mercury glass pendants with a chrome base (Kichler Everly – KK42044NIMER) and then the open dining area will have a oil rubbed bronze pendant (Millennium Lighting 3245-RBZ). The ceiling fan in the living room is dark wood with oil rubbed bronze hardware and my door hardware is ORB too. Kitchen cabinet hardware is all stainless steel and colors are white and soft/light gray. Anywho…am I crazy/is this too much? Help! 🙂
Hi Caitlin! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi Kathy! Love your article! Thank you for posting it!
We bought a new house & renovating all of it. All paint will be light gray (to the bluish side, not beige side). Dark hardwoods. White trim. Kitchen uppers will be white. Island will be light gray. White sparkle quartz countertops & light backsplash. I had already decided on brushed nickel hardware & faucets for kitchen & bath. But I just ordered beautiful latern-like pendants for the island in ORB. Even though my style is traditional, I love the look of the farmhouse ORB in light fixtures. So planning to do my dining chandelier & bedroom & hallway semi-flushmounts in ORB. Do you see any issues with having ALL hardware & faucets throughout the home being in brushed nickel & ALL light fixtures being in ORB? Also what is your thought then on doorknobs if I do this? I was originally planning on brushed nickel for all of the knobs. I just saw photos of ORB on doorknobs, & it is beautiful & stands out, but I am feeling like if I went that route then I would need to carry the ORB elsewhere throughout the house like hardware and faucets, which I was not planning to do. Should I reconsider this? Appreciate your thoughts and perspective!
Hi Hillary! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi Kathy,
I am super stressed out at knowing what to do with our kitchen in the house we are building.
I want a white kitchen and I want to decorate with copper pieces and our cast iron collection will also be displayed as well.
Can I do stainless steel appliances with this setup? I am afraid it won’t go well and look too noisy. I am tempted to do all white appliances for that nice clean and seamless look. I don’t really like appliances being the focal point of a kitchen and I am afraid the stainless will stick out too much. But I am also realizing that nice modern white appliances are hard to come by.
What are your thoughts?
Hi Deanna! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi! We are redoing our living room and have nickel finishes with wood beams and fireplace. For the ceiling light fixture, is it ok to do a bronze finish light?
Hi Megan! As a rule of thumb, as long as you stick to two metals max, you should be fine. So yes, the bronze light should work!
Hi Kathy!!
Love, love, love this article. I do have a question regarding mixing the metals in my own home. I have stainless steel appliances with brushed nickel hardware throughout the whole home. I decided to do oil rubbed bronze fixtures and am wondering if I should do brass accessories. My living room is neutral with shades of grays and taupes. I’m thinking I need to warm it up a bit with brass lanterns and candle pillars in some open shelving. thoughts?
Thank you!!!
Hi Alyssa! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi Kathy! You have no idea how refreshing it is to have come across your article. I have been at a loss with my guest bath remodel. We’re going with grey and ash wood look Italian porcelain plank flooring, white marble with slight grey coloring for the shower. Very light grey walls. My dilemma is the vanity has a black marble counter with antique brass fixtures, lighting and mirror have a lot of muted gold. I’m having a lot of trouble finding a glass shower door and shower fixtures to match. There’s chrome, brushed nickel, oil rubbed bronze. The usual candidates and I just can’t visualize what would go best with the antique brass without clashing. Thank you!
Courtnee Welbourn
Hi Courtnee! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
This article is so timely, because I’m having trouble with the metal finishes in our new kitchen reno. (Mostly modern farmhouse style with some vintage touches, like jadeite accessories and white subway tile.) We have a vintage-look, diner-style table which is a chrome base and white top with gray and white vinyl chairs. We were thinking black hardware for the white cabinets and sink, but I’m wondering if they should be oil-rubbed bronze instead or chrome as there seems to be more choice. We will have 3 lighting fixtures, a pendant over the white farmhouse sink, a pendant over the table, and a sconce over a little coffee bar which will have floating wood shelves. I can’t decide on the finish for these either! Can I mix the oil-rubbed bronze with the chrome and stainless? Is matte black better? I’ll be grateful for any advice! Thanks so much!
Hi Sharmilla! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi Kathy ! This article was very helpful, so glad I stumbled upon it. I have a question regarding mixing different golds together. Specifically mixing a brass (shiny gold) faucet with brushed gold handles and drawer pulls. We have brushed gold light fixtures throughout the house as well. I purchased the brass faucet before I purchased the light fixtures and things didn’t get installed until later and now I’m wondering if I made a mistake with the brass faucet ? Is it ok to mix metal finishes ? Would I need to add in more brass accents to accentuate the faucet ? We have an open kitchen and floor plan and you can see the mixed finishes very clearly when you enter the home. I REALLY appreciate your help with this! Thank you in advance.
Hi Jordan! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
This article was the most helpful I have read!! We are building a new house and I am using champagne bronze (gold) hardware in the kitchen. After read this article I think I will go with a chrome faucet. Though I Have 3 bathrooms to choose faucets for and all colors are grey/beige accent tile, with white subway and white cabinets. The master is a grey and white marble. Also all my lighting seems to be the farmhouse style bronze or iron like metal in the main living areas. Should I just make it easy and use chrome everywhere else and accent with gold decor? Or would you say they are all their own room so it wouldn’t matter if downstairs had gold and say a powder room had Oil rubbed? Thank you!!
Hi Monika! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi Kathy,
I am wanting to replace my light fixtures on my main floor. I found a fixture that I love for over the dining room table that is a large rectangular dark distressed wood beam with black piping that hangs from the ceiling. I have 3 pendant lights over the kitchen island. Would it look ok to have these fixtures in bronze or should they also be black to match the piping of the dining room light? It is all one open space.
Thank you!
Sarah
Hi Sarah! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Thank you so much for this article. I could not have come across it any sooner. I am right in the middle of changing my foyer area, and although I read in the article how different color metals can be mixed; could a rose-gold console table, a beige wall unit with rose color piping (1 tall piece) go well with an antique gold pendant light above? Oh, and I may add a pretty gold color (looks close to antique gold) bow chair too. What are your thoughts please? Thank you in advance!!!
Hi Harriet! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hello Kathy, I am so grateful I found this blog. I like your taste and advice about mixing metals. I am renovating a home and need some help.
In the kitchen I have stainless steel appliances. I have a bronze Hubbardton Forge chandelier over my breakfast table and intend to put pendants in the same finish over my island. My faucet will be a centerpiece in my kitchen because of where it is. Do I need to stick with a bronze faucet and bronze cabinet hardware so as to only have two metals, the stainless steel appliances and the bronze accents? Or can I use a polished nickel faucet with the bronze lighting and stainless steel appliances? If I can use a polished nickel faucet then would my cabinet hardware need to be polished nickel also or could I use the bronze cabinet hardware? What would be your choice?
Also I have already installed polished nickel faucets in all of my bathrooms except chrome in one. I have a lot of dark (bronze or black) chandeliers and sconces in the remaining areas of my house but I wanted polished nickel in my bathrooms because it looks so clean and spa like. Do I need to bring in the bronze tones with the lighting and cabinet hardware for harmony with the rest of the house? Or can I bring in gold and do the bathrooms in totally different finishes from the rest of the house even though in some areas you see the bathrooms from within the bedrooms as there are no doors between the berry and bathrooms in my guest rooms?
Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer!
Hi Sherry! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi! We are remodeling our kitchen. Can we mix oil brushed bronze with gold? Cabinets are white and island is navy blue.
Also, my appliances are all stainless steel. 🙂
Hi Kathy! I just read your article in searching for help with mixing metals. So informative!!! We just recently moved from a new transitional home to out of state to a home with oil rubbed bronze on all door knobs and very traditional. They changed out /updated 3 light fixtures on the main floor with brushed gold/brass . The cabinetry in the kitchen and family room are wood color and we hope to paint the wood white at some point to match the white trim in the Home. We would like to update the fixtures in the home at some point as well. Would u do the brushed gold everywhere then like the other 3 fixtures or just go room by room? Would u do the kitchen island lights in that gold since the breakfast nook area already is? When we paint the kitchen white could we do polished nickel or needs to be that brushed gold? Thanks so much for your suggestions 😀😀
Hi Heather! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Hi Jennifer! You can definitely mix together oil-rubbed bronze and gold since they offer a nice contrast. My only suggestion would be not to mix your hardware finishes unless you’re going for a very distinctive look. Keep the hardware one finish, and bring your other metal finish in through the lighting or decor.
Thanks for this great article! I have a question about a new kitchen that will be white, black and warm gray (all is new except we are integrating an existing stainless steel refrigerator). The perimeter cabinets will be light gray, the island dark gray, all countertops black and (a little) white soapstone, and backsplash is white gloss subway tiles. And I’m thinking a warm brushed gold pendant light over the kitchen table. Here’s my question: can we mix unlacquered brass hardware for the island cabinetry (and sink?) and brushed/satin nickel for the perimeter cabinets? The dark gray and black look great with unlacquered brass but there’s the stainless steel refrigerator to take into account, too (which is why I’m considering brushed nickel)… please help!
Hi Alicia! Thanks for reaching out to us. Your best bet here would be to contact one of our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com. They’d be glad to help you out with this.
Kathy,
If I’m doing white kitchen with stainless appliances can I do gold hardware and gold pendent lights?
The dining room flows right off kitchen could I do a chandelier in rustic iron? I guess I’m asking if iron and gold can mix? Thank you so much!
Hi Vanessa! Yes, gold and iron can indeed mix. Thanks for reaching out to us!
Hi Kathy, I find this article super helpful and love your design esthetic! I do have a question: I am currently moving and need to buy larger furniture at my new place but keeping most of the decor from my current place. My living room is mostly white/black with gold accents. Lots of gold accents ie. pillows, my coffee table which is gold metal and glass, a few large bowls, etc (can you tell I love gold?) I’ve been looking at a sectional for a small space and the one I love is all black with silver studs. I want to keep my gold accents in my living room (including my white/gold accent pillows) but will that look tacky on a silver studded sectional? I usually love mixing metals (like my two tone watch) but dont know if the black/silver studded couch is TOO strong of a contrast to go with all the small gold accents I have. Please let me know your thoughts.
I am also redoing my bedroom and wanting to bring in mirrored accents with silver but need to incorporate white shelves that hold my shoes. How can I best mix white and silver furniture without having a strong contrast?
Thanks so much!!!
Thanks for reaching out! If you love the sofa, go for it (it’s so hard to find a sofa I love, in my opinion). The silver studs and gold accents will mix beautifully and isn’t too harsh of a contrast at all.
White and silver furniture can also pair together since white more or less acts as a neutral. Just make sure to include some sort of color in the room as well.
If you need more design help for redecorating your bedroom, feel free to reach out to our Design Bar! Get more info at http://www.designbar.com
Love this article! I’m comfortable mixing metals for the most part (I have oil rubbed bronze door hardware and matte antique gold kitchen hardware), but when it comes to coordinating lighting, I get confused. Can I go with a matte gold or brass for my eat-in kitchen ceiling light (maybe sputnik-inspired), and a chrome or nickel finish light in my entry foyer? (I was eyeing a 10″ dia mirrored ball pendant for here). I am just not sure if eating area light and entry light should be the same color of metal or not. With that said, I have an oil rubbed bronze orb fixture hanging over my staircase, which thankfully isn’t visible from the main floor. But this light is what’s really throwing me off, because if I mix my metals on the main floor by using a brushed gold look and a chrome/mirror or brushed nickel, then I’ll have 3 different metal finishes in my home. Too much?
Personally, I say the more the merrier when it comes to mixing your metals. Is your lighting the cohesive detail that brings all of your rooms together? If so, keep them consistent, but if not certainly feel free to mix! Three finishes is perfectly okay.
Thanks for this article. It was very helpful. Here is my question. We have brass plated fixtures everywhere (e.g. fireplace, door handles, faucets, shower frame, dining room chandelier, etc.). We are redoing a bathroom and I would like to use polished nickel or brushed nickel (faucets, cabinet hardware). Would it be a problem to use nickel in the bathroom (cabinet hardware, light fixture, faucet) if everywhere else in the house uses brass plated fixtures? Also, if the door handle is brass plated, would I have a problem with leaving it as is and using nickel hardware in the bathroom? On a side note, the new bathroom vanity will be stained in mocha.
Thanks for reaching out!
Since the bathroom is a completely different room, you can definitely get away with using a nickel tone in the bathroom even if most of your fixtures are brass. Hope this helps!
Hi Kathy!
Your article is so helpful and informative!! I need some advice, please 🙂
We are building a home and we picked out satin nickel lighting and plumbing fixtures. The door knobs are also satin nickel. The kitchen cabinets are a brown grey, floratta white granite, and ash wood tile floors.
The house is an open concept so the living room, kitchen, and dining are all in one large area. I really want to do a mixed metal look for the kitchen pendants and the dining room chandelier, but I am so scared about how it will end up looking since the kitchen sink and appliances are satin nickel.
What kinds of other metals will go with this look?
Thank you!!
Thanks for reaching out! Since your kitchen only has one metal tone, you can really go in several directions to mix your metals. A brass/copper tone might be a good contrast. If you’re looking for more design help, definitely reach out to our Design Bar and they can assist you further!
I need help please! We are trying to renovate our hall bath. It’s not huge and there are no windows. Several years ago, we did have the shower/tub redone with tan stone, with touches of oil rubbed bronze. Currently the bathroom is a deep garnet color with dark bronze accents (mirror frame, curtain rod). We are about to get new flooring, vinyl that mimics the stone in the shower. I want to repaint the bathroom vanity (currently it is white) to save some money. The sink will be replaced with a solid white sink and we have ORB faucet ready to be installed. We kind of tried to go with a Venetian theme and it does look pretty nice (some tiles had some bronze medallions so we just carried it over). I want to change the vanity to a gray color, but using small ORB knobs. I want to paint the walls but I don’t know what color. I’m leaning towards blues, but I don’t want anything very bright. I also don’t want anything so pale it looks white against the few white things in the bathroom (sink, toilet, tub, a wall decor piece). What color gray would be good with the ORB hardware and white sink, sitting on a flooring that looks like old brown stone? And what color walls can I use to make it a little more sophisticated?
Hi Carleen,
Thanks for reaching out! Paint color can be quite a challenge, and there are usually several options that work so it ultimately will come down to selecting a hue that makes you feel good and at home. It’s definitely best to consult with a designer so you can actually look over paint options in person and discuss the look of each. If you need help, feel free to check out http://www.designbar.com where our design team can actually 3D render your space, including paint color. Or if you have a local designer that does consulting, they may be able to help you as well!
I recommend you check out the Sherwin-Williams Alpaca grey, or functional grey. They’re 7022 and 7024. I’m painting my walls alpaca and trim functional, and I chose elephant ear for the brick fireplace. They’re warm grey, almost greige colors that would compliment the brown stone and bronze and let the white pop.
I’m getting 6 panel door for my bedroom. Can I use brushed nickel hinges and door handles if i have Brass door handles and knobs in my kitchen?
Definitely. The kitchen and bedroom are two separate spaces, so unless you want all finishes in your home to match there’s no issue with using different hardware in the bedroom.
I really enjoyed this article! I have a super basic question. We are remodeling our master bathroom. It’s a small space. The vanity is white with a granite top (that looks like marble) and has shiny silver cabinet pulls. Before it arrived, we ordered sconces that are brushed nickel. Do i need to exchange them for shiny silver? We haven’t purchased the faucet or other accessories yet, like the towel rings. Should everything be shiny silver, or if the brushed nickel will be okay, should that be the finish for all of the extras? The walls will be Bejamin Moore Horizon, the floors will be a light gray, and the shower and walls will be white subway tile with dove gray grout. Thank you!
Thanks for reaching out! Both options are okay!. A shiny silver and a brushed nickel will have two very different tones, they will look kay together but if you’re trying to match them/have a one-note look, I would use all one finish.
This article is so great! I am picking out hardware and lighting for a new townhome, which has an open floor plan so you can see from the kitchen to the eating area and on to the family room. I have chosen a light grey palate for the walls, and white accents in the kitchen (cabinets, counters, backsplash).
I absolutely love the brass accents with the grey, but am wondering if I have to do throughout the entire area. For example, I want to put brass hardware in the kitchen and a brass chandelier in the family room, but all of the door knobs are brushed silver in the house. I think it will be too off putting to change all hardware to brass when in an open floor plan.
Can I do both brushed silver and brass? Going for a Mid-Century Modern/California look.
Thank you in advance!!
You can definitely mix your metals here! You have a large space to work with where multiple finishes can play off one another. Brushed silver and brass can look great together 🙂
Hi! Great article! I am remodeling our master bath. The trim on the shower door is silver (we are not replacing this) but all of the accent pieces I am finding are dark iron (shelf, mirror, light fixture). Would it be bad to have a silver shower trim and faucet but the rest of the accents iron? I’m seeing a trend to mix metals but I’m not sure. I’m thinking perhaps incorporate some sort of silver accent piece on the shelf (maybe a potted plant/candle/jar) to help tie it together.
Thanks!
Missy
Thanks for reaching out. You can totally go with iron and leave the shower trim as is. I don’t think there’s a need to go all silver.
Hi Kathy,
We are getting our house ready to sell and are updating/replacing a few things. Our bathroom has me going crazy. We don’t have enough finances to do a remodel so I am trying to embrace the brass. The walls are painted a light warm gray, the countertops are creamy marble, with oak cabinets. The shower and all fixtures are brass (your typical 80’s/90m’s bathroom I guess). The door pulls need desperately to be replaced and 1) I wanted to matchy match by instinct but can’t find any good brass pulls 2) but then got to thinking it might be okay to do chrome or brushed nickel pulls even though everything else (the shower, towel bar mountings, and faucets) are brass. What is the best way to mix metals when brass is the main focus?
Hi Kelley,
I think you hit the nail on the head! Matching the brass would be okay too, but if you want a mixed metal look, something cool and contrasted like chrome or nickel would be best.
I’m glad I found this article. I have stainless steel appliances in my kitchen – so I thought I had to do faucet and pulls all stainless steel. I saw a chandelier that I LOVED that was chrome – and decided to just go for it. Then I decided to make the faucet and pulls all chrome. So appliances stainless steel, chandelier, pulls and faucet chrome. I was nervous making the choice, but the guy at the store said it’s okay to mix Stainless Steel and Chrome – so I am going for it. My cabinets are a medium to dark gray, I have medium brown flooring and gray walls with white quartz countertop and white backsplash. I’m hoping the Chrome and Stainless go well together. After reading this article I’m excited! 🙂
Let me begin by saying: thanks a heap for this article. It definitely helped steer me in the right direction. But as most of the readers here, I am in dire need of some advice. I recently purchased 8 dining room chairs that are neutral ivory with a metallic sheen. The chairs also have a gold accent strip on the back about 6 inches wide (I wish I could attach a picture!). I’m wanting to order the aluminum chrome chain terzani chandelier to go above the table. Since that’s quite a statement piece, I’m wondering if it would be awkwardly competing or complimenting the chairs?? Please help.
Ah, I just realized that I could attach links to the items in questions.
https://caracole.com/Product/Detail/CLA-016-285
https://www.yliving.com/terzani-atlantis-long-suspension-light.html?PID=9567479&source=pla_gg_9567479_terzani-atlantis-long-suspension-light_767303660_41076072620_device:m&utm_medium=pla&utm_source=cpc&scid=scplp9567479&sc_intid=9567479&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1MnV0bbv1wIVVVgNCh0t7g0tEAQYASABEgLDW_D_BwE
that chandelier is gorgeous!
Hi Zebal, thanks for reaching out! I took a look at your attached links and think they could go together beautifully. If you’re looking for some more design advice you may want to set up an appointment at our Design Bar. You can check it out here and set up an appointment! https://kathykuohome.getfeedback.com/r/7oa4WUy8/c73f58b2-2f21-46e6-b3da-81908b6fedf7/q/1
Hello!
We are currently remodeling a home and have completely renovated the kitchen. We have all stainless appliances and white cupboards with brushed nickel pulls. The countertops are going to be a chocolate stained butcher block and the floors are light grey. Above the island i was planning to do brushed nickel pendants with glass globes, however our dining area is extremely close to the kitchen and i am having a hard time figuring out wether or not i should do a darker light in that room. I am going for more of a modern farmhouse theme but with the kitchen and dining area being so close i am worried about mixing the metals in the lights. Any recommendations? Thank you so much!
Hi Gina, thanks for reaching out! You definitely have options, you could keep it dark using an orb or an iron, and that would stick to your theme depending on the piece you choose. Or you can keep it bright and extend the look into the next room! Either way sounds like it could work well!
I loved your article. I’m currently remodeling my home. I love how the black/oil rubbed bronze looks on the doors but I don’t think I want to get dark light fixtures and faucets. What other color metal do you recommend that would match with the black door knobs?
Hi Iris, thanks for reaching out! You definitely have options a lot of metals will coordinate well with a black door handle. It will all come down to personal taste, and the decor in your home. You may want to choose something with more of a pop for your interiors, like a gold or brushed nickel. Good luck on your remodeling project! Hope this was helpful:)
Thank you for the great article on mixing metals! We are doing a kitchen remodel and I am struggling with some of the details. We are opening the kitchen walls halfway which will look out onto our living and dining room areas (which are cream and beige tones). The kitchen cabinets will be a medium grey, stainless steel appliances, and white counters/backsplash. I would love to connect the warm tones of the living and dining areas with brass hardware in the kitchen. My only hesitation is that I don’t want to feel like I need a brass faucet too, with brass pendant lights over my island. Would it work to do oil rubbed bronze hardware with the grey cabinets and then add in bronze carriage pendants to add in the warmth of the living and dining rooms? I’m struggling with this one! Thanks for any feedback!
Hi Annie, thanks for reaching out! Love your idea to use oil rubbed bronze for the hardware and pendants. Don’t restrict yourself to a brass faucet if your not in love with it. From how you described the space it sounds like a brass faucet could work but its not your only option! Hope this helped 🙂
Hey, great suggestions! Thank you for posting, I just googled metal spindles, cabinet pulls, door knobs, light fixtures and up you popped!
We are choosing interior finishes for our home being built and I’m stuck… satin nickel door knobs have been picked early on in the process then cames kitchen cabinets – white shaker style, stormy black soapstone counter with waterfall island sides, dark white oak floors and open concept great room… we need to choose cabinet pulls, metal stair spindles finish, light fixtures and paint. We really don’t have any idea when it comes to metals. We are having stainless appliances and sink with chrome taps. I’m early 50’s and have many different tastes LoL. I like the modern farmhouse, classics, transitional, industrial… help?
Hey Cathy, thanks for reaching out 🙂 It sounds like you’ve picked out some cool toned metals already which based on how you’ve described the room sounds great. You may want to consider something like a natural iron for the spindle or something with a dark finish to act as a neutral. It sounds like you have some room to mix in some worm tones like a copper or gold if you’d like. Good luck on your project! Hope this was helpful.
Hi Kathy,
Love your advice & article! We are building a new home in the hamptons style. For our kitchen I am so torn. We will be having a honey oak floor, with white cabinets and calcatta grey marble counter top and splashback. I have fallen in love with a gold tap set but I wonder if I need to also then get gold cabinet handles or if I can go with chrome handles and have the tap as a feature? We haven’t chosen anything as yet so it is sort of a blank canvas.
Thank you,
Jade Samantha
Hi Jade, thanks for reaching out! So happy you liked the article 🙂 If you get gold cabinet handles you’ll create a great unity in the space that will go with the warmth of the honey oak floor. But if you choose to have a gold tap set with chrome handles you’ll create a fun layered space, plus the chrome could work well with your counter and backsplash. It sounds like a win win that comes down to personal preference. Hope this helps and good luck with your project!
Thanks for the mixing metal article! We are building a house and are finally seeing the kitchen come together! It is an open concept floor plan with dark grey kitchen cabinets with satin nickel pulls, statuary marble quartz (white with light grey marbling), and an aqua glass subway tile backsplash. We will have stainless steel appliances and hand scrapped hickory rustic wood floors (some grey tones mixed into the wood). Our light figures throughout the house and door handles will also be satin nickel. We will have light grey walls with white trim.
For our kitchen island I want to bring in some warm tones (and pull out the warmth from the hickory floors) with some copper pendants that have a little natural wood accent. Do you think these will look out of place or bring in more character and warmth? Thank you!
Hi Tracie, thanks for reaching out. That sounds like a great way to bring warmth into the space! The copper will add warmth while acting as a great compliment to the floors. Good luck with your kitchen!
LOVE this post~ thank you and love all you do. We recently bought a walnut dining table with matte metal legs (steel but matte) we have 6 white leather chairs with metal legs and was wondering could I jump on the band wagon and add two end chairs of navy blue with GOLD or brass legs? The table is by the stairs with iron (dark) spindles. Is this all too much ?
Hi Ashley, thanks for reaching out. We’re so happy you liked the post! If you choose to add the end chairs it could be an interesting addition of a warm metal that would compliment the walnut table. Sounds like a fun pop of color too! Hope this helps, good luck!
I am updating a bathroom and found a fabulous copper tub. However, my existing color scheme is black & a rough pitted iron on the faucet fixtures. What color fixtures should I use when I redo the shower & tub (the existing fixtures are no longer available and can’t find anything like them). Or should I not purchase the copper tub?
Hi Melanie, thanks for reaching out. A copper tub sounds stunning. If you purchase the tub you can choose fixtures that coordinate with the tub or you can choose a cool metal to contrast the copper. Good luck with your bathroom!
Hello! Love this post. I just bought a new house that’s basically a blank state except the kitchen. Don’t love the kitchen but it has to wait because we are redoing everything else. It has medium cherry cabinets, slate floors, and black appliances. Current pulls are kind of a dark brass/light bronze, but I may change those. It needs a new faucet but sink is stainless. My main issue is that it is part of a long, fairly open space in my house that also includes the dining room. I’m thinking i need to do maybe ORB and gold in the dining room to go with the kitchen, but don’t necessarily want this throughout the house. If I do them both in this combo (upgrading pulls &a faucet in kitchen), is it okay to do other rooms in different metals? My very large living room connects via a doorway but is a separate room. I’d like to stick with lighter metals in there (husband is partial to silver tones, but I’d like to branch out into copper or gold too). We do have an existing mantle display that is basically all types of metal in different objects, and I love it (and it gets compliments!), but don’t think that much variation would look good across the entire room. Do you feel like it’s better for the main rooms of a home to be cohesive in style, or is it ok to mix it up from room to room?
I’m awful at this so I appreciate any guidance!
Hi Jen,
Thanks for reaching out! So happy you liked the post:) Having different types of metal fixtures and accents in different spaces is a great way to create visual interest throughout your home. Having different looks in different rooms keeps things fun so we say go for it. Good luck on your project!
Hi Kathy
Found your article extremely helpful and was hoping you could give me some advice. We are decorating our bathroom and have matte black metal window frames and a matte black shower inside a large white tiles shower. I can’t change these two particular features but was thinking that going with a matte black faucet for the sink as well might mean there was too much black as the room is only fairly small. Would it look silly to have the sink faucet in a different metal to the shower? If not what would you suggest I use?
I would also like to have a wall light coming out above the vanity which would be a bit of a statement piece what metal would you suggest may work for this? Then depending on what i do with the sink faucet and light which metal should I match things like the towel rail/ring and toilet roll holder to – the black or the other metal?
I would have loved to go for a more traditional style bathroom but due to the vanity, shower and window decisions made without me it’s going to have a fairly modern feel and the walls will mostly be cream/white to try and open the space up.
Sorry for all the questions but I’ve been struggling with these decisions for weeks! Thankyou!!
Hi Sophie, thanks for reaching out!
We’re so happy to hear the article was helpful. As for your faucet and vanity lighting you have options. If you keep the faucet black (which wouldn’t be silly) you can make even more of a statement with the lighting fixture. On the other hand if you coordinate the faucet with the lighting you can break up the black and white look. In regards to the type of metal you should use, you could use a cool metal, a silver finish or a brushed nickel, or you could go warm with copper or brass accents. Because the rest of the space is black and white a variety of metals would be a good fit. Good luck on your project! Hope this was helpful.
Hi Kathy,
This article is SO helpful! Thanks for sharing. I, too have a mixing metals question. We just bought a ranch style home built in 1954 which has an open floor plan. We have incredible hardwood floors throughout. The kitchen was recently updated with white cabinets that have dark (almost black) hardware. The appliances are stainless and we have a white (painted brick) fireplace with a black chain screen. We are going with simple, white pendant lamps that have a coppery hammered metal on the inside. The inside has a warm gold hue when the lights are on.There is another fireplace in the living room which is a natural brick with a brass screen. We decided to go with two goldish brass ceiling fixtures in the living room to play up the fireplace. They have a mid century modern feel and a white glass light diffuser plate https://www.houzz.com/product/17410468-harbour-point-3-light-semi-flush-mounts-in-liberty-gold-transitional-flush-mount-ceiling-lighting. BUT now, it’s time to pick a new chandelier and the one that is most appealing has a polished nickel finish. It has a white shade and is simple and contemporary http://www.lampsplus.com/products/possini-euro-design-concentric-shades-25-inch-wide-pendant-light__p0980.html. Would this be too incongruent for the whole space? Any tips would be most appreciated! Thanks for your time and your fantastic site. 🙂
Hi Cassandra, thanks for reaching out. So happy to hear you liked the article! As for your new chandelier it sounds like it could be a refreshing addition to the living room and would play well withe the brass screen. Good luck on your project!
I found this fantastic article because I just bought a new gorgeous champange faucet for my powder room. Now I’m hesitating getting it installed. The rest of the fixtures are polished (light, towel and toilet roll holder). Should I change these out or embrace the mix?! When I see mixed metals it’s usually the light and accessories are the warm tone and the faucet the cool. Help! 🙂
Hi Lori thanks for reaching out! Warm faucets can be absolutely stunning, so we’d say embrace the mix. Good luck with your bathroom!
I’m doing mostly unlacquered polished brass (hardware, kitchen faucet, frames) with iron/matte black accents in the main areas on first floor. In different rooms such as kids bath, master bath on 2nd floor, is it ok to have a somewhat different themes in each room? Was doing slightly more industrial in kids bath with matte black and some chrome accents, then in master bath, polished brass accents with chrome….or do i need to simplify?
Hi Stephanie thanks for reaching out. Love that you’re mixing up the themes in each room. It sounds like your theme change is also on different floors so it definitely won’t be over complicated. Good luck with your project!
We are building a new house. From our great room on the main level you can see the two large foyer lights, stairway light, kitchen pendants, and great room ceiling fan. I love kitchen pendants with chrome rods but the two foyer lights I love are glass with delicate iron work as the framing for it. I am in a dilemma as to whether these will look cohesive and then what color do I do for the stairway light (thinking black) and for the fan? Then what hardware matches on the kitchen cabinets. I have a chrome faucet. Help! 🙂
Hi Heather, thanks for reaching out. The chrome pendants and the glass/iron fixture sound like they would pair well together. For your stairway light try to choose a metal you have already used or a neutral like the black you said you might go with. Hope this helps and good luck with your project!
Interesting read. My wife and I are re-doing our kitchen and are debating a brass ‘subway stile’ type backsplash. Counters are a dark gray, cabinets are natural birch. Appliances are stainless. Would the brass backsplash be too much? I don’t want it to be too busy, but I’d like something that stands out.
Hi Kibbis, thanks for reaching out. A brass backsplash sounds like a great way to mix metals. The brass would be a great counter to to the stainless appliances while adding so much warmth to the space. Good luck on your kitchen!
Hello. I have polished nickel hardware and lighting in my kitchen. The dinette is a dining room style room beside the kitchen but I have a gold framed piece of art in there. i would like to do gold light fixtures in the dinette. Can I do so?
Hi Sonia, thanks for reaching out. You can do gold fixtures in the dinette and it will create a unified space. The nickel and gold work as warm and cool metal choices so it sounds great. Good luck with your project!
Your article is just what I have been searching for! We are building a home and are currently selecting lights. My style is classic farmhouse. I have selected two very beautiful glass pendants from PB to go over my island. My kitchen sink is directly across from this island. I found this really nice looking matte black pendant that I was thinking to put over my sink. I am hesitant though because I am not sure if mixing glass pendants with a metal pendant would look ok. What would you suggest? Thanks so much!
Hi Kristin thanks for reaching out! You could definitely mix a glass pendant with a a metal pendant. The glass will add a layered effect to the room that we love. Good luck on your project!
Great article! We have stainless steel appliances, a dark grey iron sideboard, and a wood-top harvest table with hot rolled steel X legs. These are all in one room. I’d like to buy white Tolix/Marais chairs for the table but am worried there will be “too much” metal. Would love to know what you think…
Hi Tez, thanks for reaching out! Seeing as the chairs will be white it doesn’t sound like there will be too much metal in the space! Hope this helped, and good luck on the project!
Hello Kathy!
Very interesting article! It looks like you are an expert in this field that I have been looking for! I would like to ask you about your opinion in terms of mixing metals in our house that we bought recently.
Initially in our quest room I was going for a copper look with browns, grays and blush pinks , I have bought a copper lump , however the picture frames are gold tone , wall paper is in natural brown/shimmery gold tone and the sofa that I am looking at atm has silver legs. Would you suggest trying to avoid mixing 3 different metals ( copper, gold and silver or would it be better if I returned the gold and keep only copper, silver and maybe rose gold? Also would you go with grey/silver toned flooring or more warm in browns?
Another question is regarding the living room space, our kitchen is open to the living room and it has grey flooring and it is white and black with silver handles ( the kitchen is of a large sizer) and the living room has a blue sofa..would you keep the same scheme in terms of metals with silver ( I would quite like to make this space warmer as atm is quite dark and not sure if to keep the floorinf the same as in the kitchen or perhaps in brow.)
Thank you so much!
Patrycja
Hi Patrycja, thanks for reaching out! For the guest room you could keep all three metals and create a fun metallic experience. Or you could take away a metal to create a more unified pallet. As for the living room you could add some warm metals to balance out the kitchen like gold or brass. Or you could continue the silver to create a theme that ties the two rooms together. Good luck with your project! Hope this helped 🙂
Loved reading your article! I’m building a house and a new kitchen. Afraid to make any decisions! LOL. I have Dynasty Omega kitchen cabinets color is Beach House, which is a creamy white color, around perimeter of kitchen with Cambria Berwyn countertops. The color of my island is called Rain which is a light gray color with a walnut wood island top. Island is 112 x 60. Can I mix Polished nickel lantern pendants over island with oil rubbed bronze sconces around kitchen? And then not sure what finish to use for cabinet hardware and kitchen faucet? Any help you can give would be EXTREMELY appreciated! Thanks!
Hey Aimee, thanks for reaching out! You can totally mix the polished nickel with the rubbed bronze it sounds like they’ll contrast nicely. For the hardware you can go with a metal you’ve already used or you can introduce a finish as a pop! Hope this helps and good luck on your project!
Our new master bathroom has gray floor and shower tiles which are accentuated with silver and brushed nickel tones in the listello. The walls will also be painted gray. Our faucets are brushed nickel finish. I found a gorgeous crystal orb chandelier but it only comes in two finishes– antique bronze or champagne. Which finish would look best? The ceiling heigh is 14 feet. Thank you!
Hi Kristine, thanks for reaching out. If you go with the antique bronze it will be a grounding accent to compliment the bright brushed nickel. If you go with the champagne it could add a warm and elegant touch. Ultimately either way is a win win its it comes down to personal preference. Hope your project goes well!
This is a great and helpful article. I am researching mixing metals and hadn’t seen anyone else mention black/iron so thank you for including it. I have been wondering though if the size of space affects whether the metals should be mixed and if yes, how much? I am installing a very small bathroom that has a walnut vanity and a matte black faucet. (i love matte black). The stand-up shower has chrome trim and handle and since was I unable to get a matte black shower panel in my budget I ended up going with black & chrome. In my mind I had wanted to have a simple gold mirror and/or wall sconces; but given that the space is very small and there is already black & chrome faucets, would you ditch using any gold or make a statement and go with a larger gold object(s) like wall sconces or a mirror or both.
Hi Nettie, thanks for reaching out! Glad you liked the article. Even though the bathroom may feel small there’s no reason not to mix metals. You could definitely add a touch of gold to play off the warmth of the walnut. Gold would also counter the other cool tones in the space which would add visual interest. Hope this was helpful, and good luck on your project!
Love this article. I have a new-to-us house and we are updating the 1970’s wood/gold look. The space I’m slowly decorating is a long section in the back of the house, one is our “formal” dining space (we aren’t that formal- it’s a huge dark colored farm table and nice upholstered chairs in a neutral/linen) and then the living room. The walls are Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter so a nice grey leaning “greige”. The only thing I have actually permanently mounted on the wall is a steel sign with a saying on it. It’s in that “modern farmhouse” vein- actually ordered it from a certain HGTV designing duo’s site. I’m going to make that a family gallery wall and am trying to figure out what frames to put around it. I have black, I have unframed canvas prints and I was thinking some in a light wood with silver metal lining the inside. Not sure how the black will mix there and I think I’d need another style frame to fill it out- and then if I do non-picture accents what should those be? So that’s problem #1. Problem #2 is what to do for my coffee table in the living room. I have been drawn to the brushed gold base with marble or white topped styles. I figure being on the other side of the space they won’t compete and might help define the spaces a little more? I can’t even think about colors for curtain, a rug for the living room or any of the rest of the living room furniture! I want Navy as my main accent color if that helps. Thanks for any advice!
Hi Laura, thanks for reaching out! A gallery wall is such a fun addition and love the idea to mix metals in frames. As for you table the distance will help not to create competing themes! We’d love to offer more specific advice, you may want to set up an appointment through our Design Bar services which would let us work one on one with you to create the space! You can check it out here https://kathykuohome.getfeedback.com/r/7oa4WUy8/c73f58b2-2f21-46e6-b3da-81908b6fedf7/q/1.
I have a beautiful chair with bronze nailheads, and want to buy a couch that matches it beautifully but has smaller silver nailheads. Can i do this? If I bring in other things to tie them together? Or is that a no no? Sorry if you already answered it….I just want a specific answer regarding the nailheads and i respect your opinion.
Hi Vickie, thanks for reaching out! You can definitely do a combination of nailheads, I like your idea to bring in other items to tie them together. Good luck with your project!
Hello Kathy,
I am loving all the posts and responses here!! I need help with my kitchen remodel. I have all black stainless samsung appliances and I chose a copper farm sink and a copper hood system. My cabinets are white tops and gray bottoms. I am torn and I need to know if I could use antiqued brass for my hardware and faucet. I am feeling that if I use copper for everything it will be overload. Is it possible to mix copper and antiqued brass this way?
Thanks!
Heather
Hi Heather, thanks for reaching out! You can totally mix copper and brass they’ll both be warm but the brass will add a cool element. You could also use copper all over if you felt like you wanted a very unified space. Hope this helped! Good luck with your kitchen remodel!
Need advice! We have gutted our bath, which is 2 sections with a cherry wood vanity w/brass pulls, vanity will have a black granite top with white vessel sink, tilt mirror with narrow brushed brass frame, brushed brass sconces w/white linen shades, small gold leaf ball chandelier, white shiplap floor to ceiling behind vanity, cranes wallpaper with white creams and brownish black on other 3 walls. Can I use a chrome vessel faucet with all the brass? There will be a chrome shower head and faucet in back section and chrome commode lever. In back section there will also be 2 large brass hooks on shiplap walls(shiplap will go 3/4 way up, then wallpaper). There will also be a brass tissue holder. So what’s your opinion on 1 lone CHROME FAUCET in front section?
Hey Cynthia, thanks for reaching out! I think a singular chrome faucet could be a fun pop of a cool metal. It sounds like you’re creating a warm space so a cool chrome could be a great contrast point. Good luck on your project. Hope this helped!
Hello Kathy! Wow – what an amazing article to come across! Love your vision! While we are remodeling our kitchen which started out as a small project of getting the cabinets painted white, turned into a complete re -do. Which makes me happy but a few of the early purchases, I wasn’t into because I was just happy that we were doing something and my husband wanted black stainless appliances and white cabinets – I said fine because I just was figuring it wasn’t even close to what I wanted. Well, three months latter we can’t change those two things but i wondered about mixing metals with the black stainless appliances? We will have Mont Clarity countertops with a very large table – not island – in middle with Cambria Berwyn ( has taupe/tan/gray and silver metallic flecks) as the table top. I was hoping to mix polished chrome and brushed brass handles, knobs and pulls…? And pendant lighting to be one or the other – Now my husband says “that is too trendy” . I am really not trendy but I like tradition with a little bling…. Any thoughts? Thank you and thank you for this article!!!
Hi Natallie, thanks for reaching out! I think mixing in some chrome and brushed brass could be a fun addition to the space. If that feels too trendy you could pick one of the two metals to add just a touch glamour. Good luck on your project! Hope this helped 🙂
Hello 🙂
I found your article informative and well written, but I still feel uncertain about what I want to do. So hopefully you can help me as you have helped so many previous commenters!
We are finally renovating our 1950’s bathroom which belonged to my husband’s grandparents! Basically gutting it completely and starting over from scratch. (Hooray!!!) I will explain the furniture and finishes I have in mind so you have a better picture of what the room will look like before thinking about the metal dilemma.
The floor will be white porcelain long subway tile in a herringbone pattern with narrow gray grout lines. The toilet, tub, and sink all white. The walls and trim painted white. The vanity countertop white quartz. The alcove for the tub tiled in mostly large solid white tile except for some very pale sea glass blue/green accent mosaic tile. I plan to use the same or similar mosaic tile for the backsplash of the vanity (hopefully all the way up the wall above the vanity, budget permitting). Topped with a large round mirror. The vanity base will be custom made with reclaimed weathered gray barn wood, which I’m imagining to be a major focal point in the room aside from the mosaic tile.
Now for the metals…
We have chosen brushed nickel for the wall mount faucet and all shower trim. Basically everything is up in the air… I love copper. I ideally wanted a copper faucet but we settled on brushed nickel due to budget. I’d like to incorporate copper in the bathroom where I can, without it clashing with the brushed nickel faucet and shower trim. I found a cute mason jar and copper hand soap pump that I’d like to use in there. So according to your article it would be okay to use that as an accent metal, right? Could I also use copper knobs and handles on the weathered gray barn wood vanity or would that clash with the cool gray tone of the wood and brushed nickel faucet? Should I go with black iron instead? Also, I have no idea what color frame to get for the round mirror above the vanity… I would love to do a copper frame of course, but would that clash? What about the toilet paper holder, towel rods, hand towel ring, shower curtain rod and rings? Copper or black iron or brushed nickel? Would it be okay if the only brushed nickel in the room is the faucet, sink drain, and shower trim, or is that not dominant enough? Should I stick to 2 metals or can I do 3 here, and how to go about it? Normally I can picture designs so easily but for this one my mind is not letting me! Please help 🙂 Thanks!
Hey Catherine, thanks for reaching out. You can definitely use copper as an accent it could work as the warm compliment to the satin nickel’s cool tone. When it comes to the frame you could do copper and let it become your secondary tone. As for the smaller items like the towel rods and toilet paper holder you may want to stick with a metal you’ve already used or try a natural iron to act as a neutral. Feel free to contact our Design Bar service to set up an appointment if you’d like some more detailed advice, you can use this link https://kathykuohome.getfeedback.com/r/7oa4WUy8/30ea28c7-1a3e-46a0-8970-47db64251c6a/q/1. Hope this was helpful and good luck on your project!
How do you feel about different color metals on different floors of the house? For example oil rubbed bronze on the main level with brushed nickel upstairs?
Hey Carolyn, thanks for reaching out! All about different metals on different floors of the house. There’s no fear of competing designs with such separation. Good luck on your project:)
I LOVE this article! It’s giving me so many ideas!
I was wondering…
I have a pretty small apartment (basically a studio) and my furniture color scheme is white and slate grey (sofa, bed, etc.) Would you suggest gold and silver accents to ad to the basic idea of decorative accents?
Hey David! Thanks for reaching out 🙂 Adding gold and silver accents sounds like a great addition to the space especially with a cool neutral pallet. Good luck on your project!
Hi. We are building. We are in the process of picking out lighting. The nook chandelier and kitchen hardware is oil rubbed bronze. Would pendent lights for the island that are matte black look ok. We have white cabinets and a dark expresso island.
Hi Christine, thanks for reaching out! That sounds like a combination that could work really well. The difference in metals could create a slight differentiation between the spaces in a great way! Hope this helped 🙂
wondering if oiled bronze faucet/shower would look ok with polished nickel cabinet hardware and maybe nickel lined mirrors?
Hi Christy, thanks for reaching out! Oil rubbed bronze and polish nickel sounds like a great combination. The nickel will pop and the faucet and shower can ground the space. Good luck!
Hi,
I have just moved into a new build modern house with grey carpets throughout. I decided I wanted a grey, blush, marble and copper/rose gold theme in our bedroom and I bought a mirror, ceiling pendant and bedside lamps based on this. However having now bought a gold lamp for a different room I can see how well the gold compliments the blush, marble and
greys and I’m wondering whether I should have gone for
Gold accessories instead? Could I add in some gold metallic accents or will this look confusing? We also have a bit of Chrome on the door handles and wardrobe handles! Any advice would be much appreciated 🙂
Hi Kathy,
Great article, thanks for this info. I just had a powder blue grass cloth hung in my powder room and previously had oil rubbed bronze faucet and towel holder, etc. I have a fabulous gold mirror I’ve found and some prints in gold frames I’d like to hang but was concerned about mixing the two (gold+oil rubbed bronze). And if I do, what are your thoughts on the finish of the light fixture as I’d like to replace the one I had.
Thanks!
Allison
Hi Allison! Thanks for reaching out 🙂 Mixing gold and oil rubbed bronze with a powder blue back drop sounds amazing. The oil rubbed bronze will let the gold shine and both will look great with the blue. Good luck on your project, hope this helps!
Hi, we are building a home. I already have a wooden table with a brown top and black legs. I would really like to go with polished nickel for hardware on cabinets and pendants over my island and table. Am using white cabinets with the island painted a gray tone. Would like to go with granite with a gray tone also. Would a polished nickel pendant over the island and over the table look bad? Someone suggested using bronze over the table and island, but I really don’t want to use bronze. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Anne
Hi Anne thanks for reaching out! A polished nickel pendent sounds like a great way to accent the space. If you decide to go bronze that could work as well but when in doubt go with your gut. Hope this helps.
We have been slowly updating our kitchen. we have brushed nickel hardware and island pendants that go with the light cherry cabinetry and greysih/caramel tile we just had installed. We are thinking of replacing our kitchen table chandelier that is currently brushed nickel with a polished nickel orb/teardrop one. Would that be ok to have the brighter nickel for the table and the rest brushed nickel?
Hi Julie, thanks for reaching out! That sounds like a fun swap that could work really well. Having an polished nickel orb chandelier could be a great focal point for the space. The difference between the chandelier and the pendents could create elegant visual interest in the space. Good luck with the update! Hope this helped 🙂
I have white shaker cabinets, white statuary marble with grey veining, stainless steal appliances (with stove that has black chrome), light grey porcelain floor with a backsplash that has stainless steel, marble and glass rectangles. I figured the faucet and handles will be stainless steel, but can the island pendant lighting have a chrome finish? ALso, do I have to stick to stainless steel for handles (vs chrome) if backsplash contains stainless steel? Thanks!!
Hi Steve, thanks for reaching out. If you choose to have a chrome pendant it could be a fun way to play with having different cool metal tones in the same space. If you choose to have chrome for the pendant and handles, the stainless in the backsplash will work well too. Good luck with your kitchen!
Great read! We are currently designing a new kitchen with Navy blue wooden cabinets and a carrera marble worktop and are having a slight dilemma choosing the handles. We love how copper looks against the blue as well as the worktop but our built in appliances and extractor have stainless steel accents and we are not sure whether the two metals will work together. Would it be safer to with a pewter or chrome handle? Thanks.
Hi Tom thanks for reaching out, glad you liked the article! Copper and a navy blue sounds like a stunning combo that would bring warmth to the kitchen while the stainless accents would add a cool tone. If you go with pewter or chrome handles you’ll get a more unified space so you cant go wrong. Hope this helps !
This blog on Mixing Metals is just outstanding. Your responses to client comments & questions turns out to be just as educational. Bravo! Well done!
Hi Kathryn,
Thanks! We’re so glad you’re finding the blog and our comments helpful!
Hi ….
my house was built in 2014…. brown woods, bronze fixtures….
My faucets are bronze or orb…. just learned that term…. can I use gold/brass hardware?
Hi Gina, thanks for reaching out!
You should go for it! Gold and brass hardware will emphasize the warm tones you have already established. Hope this is helpful!
Hi, I am so glad I found your blog! We are doing a major remodel and addition to a 1957 brick home; all interior finishes are polished chrome (lighting, plumbing, door hardware, etc.). The front door is walnut with polished chrome entry set. We are having simple square downlight sconces installed every few feet along the brick front and “Pearly White” painted hardie board back of the home, as well as glass and metal sconces next to each door. Our new windows are Marvin Integrity ORB and the new steel columns will be painted ORB. I don’t love ORB light fixtures, I like the silvery tones. A designer friend says I need to switch the exterior to ORB to coordinate with the windows and columns. I have found a couple of neighboring homes where they mix the finishes successfully, but they only have their home numbers and one front-door sconce in the chrome, whereas I will have several sconces plus patio fans in the polished chrome/nickel finish….. Will it look awful in the front with the ORB windows and columns if I don’t use ORB color scheme with the exterior lighting? Need to let contractor know which finish to order. Thank you in advance!!
Hi Angie, thanks for reaching out! This sounds like a fun project. When it comes to mixing metals its totally fine to mix cool and warm tones just try to keep one tone as a dominant and the other as an accent. For example if you have orb windows and columns, chrome sconces and fans could be a fun way to introduce an accent metal. If you decide to switch to all orb you’ll create a unified aesthetic which is fun as well. Hope this helps!
Wonderful article! Here’s my dilemma, would appreciate some guiding thoughts! 🙂
I’m getting ready to restore an original Eichler Mid century modern kitchen. I have stainless appliances and faucet and sink, but a gorgeous original bright copper vent hood that catches your eye immediately. I had planned to reface the cabinets in white and go for a white/gray quartz countertop. Could I get away with adding a bit more copper in terms of accent pieces and/or pulls? Should I think about being more bold with the cabinet color so that I can make the copper hood really be the showpiece? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Hi Dee,
Thanks for reaching out! You could absolutely get away with more copper. More copper would add warmth to complement your stainless appliances. As far as your cabinet color goes you have options. White is a great way to keep the kitchen light and still showcase your beautiful hood. However if you decide to go with a richer color for the cabinets you could create a more dramatic contrast between the cabinets and your hood. Hope this helps!
Hi,
Nice article.
In our bathroom we’re looking at having a matte chrome light and light switch but a mirrored chrome extractor fan and radiator valves. Do you think this would look okay?
Hi James, thanks for reaching out! That sounds like a great idea, mixing surface finishes while keeping the same type of metal adds variety without without complicating your color pallet.
Thankbhou for this great article!! We are completely renovating our 1800,s farm house and I’m having a hard time with mixing metals!! The kitchen will be red brick floors and backsplash with soft white Cabnets and black stainless kitchen aid appliances, white farmhouse sink and black leathered granite with cream and white movement. I’m leaning toward stainless faucets and pewter pulls but I don’t know what lighting to do over my island that will be black with a white granite top with blacks and cream movement!! I have a lot of old copper molds. Do I go cooper, orb or black??
Problem #2– my master bath will have s gray leather marble with cream and white movement and my vanities I think will be a complimenting shade of gray. I’m undecided on fixtures, mirrors and sconces!! Do I use stainless faucets? But what color mirror and sconces?? Then there are the door knobs through out, pewter? Black? All trim in house will be white, and floors will be hand scraped hickory!!!
Hi Carolyn, thanks for reaching out! When it comes to choosing your lighting you can go several ways depending on your taste. Using copper would bring out the warmth of the red brick floors. If you use an orb light you’ll compliment the farmhouse style with the orb’s rustic qualities. A black light fixture would go well with the black granite without distracting from your appliances. So you really cant go wrong.
One thought on your bathroom is to try to playing with the texture of the metals. If you pick one metal for the bathroom that compliments the hickory floor you could have fun while creating a streamlined color pallet. Good luck, hope this is helpful!
Hi! I am building a new house and have been able to make decisions fairly quickly until I got to door hardware! I want white cabinets, marble looking quartz and chrome faucets. This is for the kitchen and master bathroom. I am stuck on door hardware. Should I do black or chrome interior door knobs? I would also like to be able to do antique gold pendants over the island in the kitchen. Also can I do matte black on all exterior doors and chrome on inside doors or I that to much? Thank you!
Hi Christina, thanks for reaching out! Using chrome for the door knobs would be a great way to compliment the faucets without distracting from the gold pendants. A black knob could work well by creating a darker accent to contrast the chrome and gold. If you decide to do black on the exterior doors and chrome on the inside you could create a subtle exterior that leads to an exciting pop of metal when you enter the kitchen and master bath. If you decided to chose just black or chrome for the doors you’ll create a unified look which is great as well. Hope this helps!
I see you’re giving great advice here – one more question for you. I have a kitchen with white perimeter cabinets, black island, black soapstone on perimeter, white quartzite on island, stainless range and refrigerator, brass hardware, I’m thinking of brass pendants. What color should I do for my metal hood. I like zinc but is that too many finishes? Or will the light zinc blend with stainless and a darker patina blend with the black island? I was also going to do 2 brass sconces in the kitchen. I can also try a white hood or doing different colored pendants over the island. Or a polished nickel faucet to break up the brass and just do brass on the hardware. Oh there are too many decisions! Thanks for any advice 🙂
Hi Kimberly, thanks for reaching out! A light zinc hood could blend really well with the stainless appliances. If you are adding brass pendants and sconces matching your others metals is a great way to simplify your pallet. If you end up using a darker patina on the hood it could blend with the black counter allowing your metal accents to pop. Good luck on your kitchen, hope this helps!
Hi Kathy
First off this is a great article! Would love your opinion. My kitchen has white cabinets with white quartz counters and chrome finishes. I am so bored with my chrome pendants so I ordered pottery barn brass pendants (bells).. I’m hoping it will pop and it will all come together. You’re opinion is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Roseann, thanks for reaching out! That sounds like such a great way to mix metals. Your limited pallet will let both the chrome and barn brass pop. Good luck!
Hi there, great article! I am doing a kitchen renovation with white shaker cabinets, gray island and quartz counters. The pendants I love are the VC county industrial large pendant in polished nickel. I would do polished nickel hardware. My dilemma is the kitchen faucets I am considering are either chrome or stainless. I like the pull down kind with the coils. My appliances are stainless. In this situation would you do stainless for the faucet? I like the look of polished nickel or chrome kitchen faucet better but having trouble finding polished nickel. I’m worried about 3 different finishes.
Hi Angela thanks for reaching out! If you decide to use stainless for the faucets you’ll tie together the appliances which could look great while letting the polished nickel pendants stand out as an accent metal. If you find a nickel faucet that would look stunning as well bringing together the pendants and the sink. Hope this helps!
Hello, finding this site was a gem; these mixed metal elements are really pulling on all of my design heart-strings. I am conflicted with trying to replicate this design in my new build within my open kitchen area. So far I have picked out: stainless steel appliances, Du Chateau antique white floors, white cabinets, navy island, and Giotto Brazilian quartize island and counter tops (with blue veins). So far I plan on adding pops of brass/copper tones on cabinets pull handles and pendant lights. My question really is – will a matte black Brizo Solna faucet and pot filler look as though it is competing with these metals? Thank you and keep up the good work.
Hi thanks for reaching out! A black faucet and pot filler could add a rich dark quality that would compliment your navy island. The brass, copper and stainless tones are metallic and bright so you shouldn’t have an issue with them competing with the faucet. Hope this helps!
I love your article and have another question. In my kitchen I have brushed nickel faucets, bronze pulls and a bronze chandelier in my kitchen nook. I wanted to add 2 brushed gold lanterns above the main island. I have a large kitchen and family room. Is this too many metals?
thank you so much for your expert advise!
Hi Kathy, thanks for reaching out! Adding brushed gold lanterns sounds like a fun way to bring out the warmth of the bushed nickel faucets and bronze pulls. If you are worried about using to many metals and decide not to add the gold lanterns you could always choose a metal you already have to highlight it and add continuity. Hope this helps!
Hi and tnx so much for this article, it really talked to me…
Question: I’m putting in a new kitchen, bottom darker grey and top white shakers, white quartz countertop with grey veins, grey parquet look glossy tiles for floor white chevron for backsplash (didn’t decide about grout yet) and slate appliances (enough said?)
Now I can’t decide about cabinet pulls and faucets, either stainless steel look or gold brass/champagne bronze, I saw the Delta 9159 faucet which has a beautiful arctic silver or a stunning champagne bronze option, reasons for stainless steel are cuz they match in all the way but I’m afraid it’ll have a dull look because it’s all grey and white that’s why I wanted the gold to add warmth and life… but I’m afraid it shouldn’t ruin the entire kitchen if it’s off… and what do I do about grout for white backsplash, and maybe I should do a different color for cabinet pulls than faucet? I’d really appreciate your advice and thanks in advanced!
Hi Chesky,
Thanks for reaching out. We’re happy you enjoyed the article. There are good things about both choices. If you choose to go with gold look you will add warmth and contrast to the kitchen which will create a thoughtful layered aesthetic. If you stick with the silver/ slate look you’ll have a very unified pallet with the stainless acting as a metallic pop! As for the grout, you have options but white sounds like it could work well. Hope this helped. Good luck with your kitchen!
Such a great article! I am so glad I found this. My husband and I are currently looking at replacing a couple chandeliers in our kitchen that are currently black with either rubbed oil bronze or gold fixtures. I think the safer choice is the rubbed oil bronze since all kitchen knobs and our door handles are ROB. Too our dismay the faucet is still stainless still but matches the sink/appliances. We’d like to eventually put in a farmhouse sink with an ROB faucet so I’m worried if we got the gold fixtures we’d be managing a lot of finishes in the kitchen with all the stainless steel appliances, ROB already in there… but we both think the pop of gold could be a focal point… I’ve seen gold fixtures in kitchens mixed with silvers that look good but not any ROB… Would love your opinion!
Hi Dina, thanks for reaching out!
If you decide to go with the gold it could be an fabulous focal point. The stainless faucet could act as a fun balance to the all the warm tones in the room. However if you choose to go with ROB chandelier you’ll create continuity in the space which would also be lovely. Good luck with your project! Hope this helps.
I’m remodeling a bathroom to add a second sink. Cabinets are white and floor tile is charcoal. What do you think of ORB light fixture and chrome faucets/cabinet hardware? If those work, what would you recommend for the framing on the mirrors above each sink? (The mirrors are separated by an 18″-wide center tower between the sinks.)
Hi Julie thanks for reaching out! Orb light fixtures and chrome faucets sound like a great mix of cool and warm tones. When framing the mirrors you could continue to use chrome to emphasize the metallic quality of the faucets letting the orb act as an accent. Or you could use an Orb frame to make the chrome pop even more. Hope this helps!
Wow…what a wonderful blog!! I am building and like everyone else wondering if I can mix Polish Nickel faucet & island pendants with a Chrome Shaded Crystorama chandelier and ORB door knobs…on & on it goes…lol. However, reading ALL of these posts has made me feel better about mixing metals, particularly when dealing with open kitchen/LF/DR concept. Kathy…THANK YOU for your inspiration, your professional guidance & your willingness to give it so freely on this blog!! 🙂
Hi Christina, thank you for reaching out we are so happy to hear the blog and comments have been helpful! Good luck on your metal mixing!
Thank you so much for this article! I have always had a ?? over the problem of different metals, but you answered it perfectly with some great images.
Much appreciated.
Hi Bronwen so glad we could help!
Kathy, your article is so helpful…THANK YOU! I’m in the process of remodeling a 1930’s home. The kitchen will have antique white cabinets, satin nickel faucets (main sink and prep sink) and a sliding french door with satin nickel hardware. The style pendants I want over the island only come in antique silver. I’m struggling with what finish to use for my knobs and pulls on the cabinetry. Any suggestions?
The kitchen is open to the dining room. I have some beautiful original candle type wall sconces with back plates that are mostly pewter finish with some brass details that I’d like to use if I can make it work. The chandelier I’m looking at is a candle type with antique silver finish and crystal accents. Would love your thoughts on how well you think these finishes (kitchen and dining room) will all go together.
Hi Laurie, thanks for reaching out!
You have options when it comes to your knobs and pulls. You could create continuity by matching your knobs to your existing metals or you could bring in a darker tone to add contrast and tie the kitchen to the dining room’s sconces. It totally depends on which aesthetic you prefer but either way will be beautiful. In the dining room the darker sconces sound like they’ll add a great contrast to the silver finish of the chandelier allowing the crystal accents to shine. Hope this helps!
My kitchen is small and I want to use black or a dark metal knobs for the white cabinets, but I’m having a hard time finding plain black hinges. It was suggested to me that I just leave the brushed nickel hinges. I am concerned that it would look too patchy. The faucet is brushed nickel and won’t be changed. Any suggestion?
Hi Diane,
Thanks for reaching out! It could be a really nice touch to have brushed nickel hinges that tie in with the faucet. However if you decide to go with plain hinges that could also be a great way to bring continuity to the space. Hope it all works out!
Loved your article. But struggling with my kitchen. We are building a new home with a rustic look. Using oil rubbed bronzed fixtures for the faucets and stainless appliances. But struggling with having a copper farm house sink and hood. Not sure it will give the right feel. Should I go with a stainless sink and a wood hood and skip the copper all together? Would appreciate your insight.
Regards
Jeannie
Hi Jeannie,
Thanks for reaching out! You can really go either way. If you keep the copper farm house sink and copper hood it will create a singular accent metal. But if you go with the stainless sink and a wood hood you’ll emphasize the rustic style so basically its a win win. When it comes to mixing metals its so important to take tone and color into consideration. Hope this helps!
Greatly appreciate your article and I feel validated by all the questions regarding the dilemma of choosing fixtures and hardware. We are building our first lake home and leaning toward a somewhat sophisticated farmhouse feel. Open floor plan with stainless steel appliances, white shaker cabinets with a gray island. I want gray vanities in the master bath along with Carrara marble shower. I like brushed nickle or satin nickle hardware and fixtures in the bath and kitchen however I struggle with the rest of the house as I fell that iron or ORB would look best for the other rooms. I worry the nickle will start looking cold and bland but I do not know how or if I can mix the finishes through out the home. Thank you, Jamie
Hi Jamie,
Thanks for reaching out! Although nickel is a silver color, it actually has a warm undertone, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it reading cold. I’d recommend to go with your instinct and do the nickel with the ORB.
Hi,
We are remodeling our home and using Brookhaven cabinets in Nordic white which has a little warmth to the color. We are painting all of the trim SW alabaster. We are using Emtek modern crystal knob door hardware with the rosettes in flat black. We are using White mustang quartzite for counters and backsplash and a double sweep ventahood with mirrored vertical bands. We are having trouble with our lighting picks. Our designer wants us to do either the Hicks pendant (black and brass) (visual comfort) or the Alderly pendant (brass) with a large iron chandelier in the 2 story family room (open to kitchen) and two thomas obrien brass chandeliers for the breakfst and dining. We also like the lido medium chandelier with antique glass for the breakfast. My wife is a little nervous about the brass. Can you do polished nickel with the black door hardware and iron chandelier? The wall color is SW egret white. Considering black or brushed nickel cabinet hardware. Should we consider polished nickel for some of the hardware or lighting. Any advise would be appreciated.
thanks
Hi Bill, thanks for reaching out. You can definitely do polished nickel with black and iron. The nickel will be a metallic highlight while the black and iron pieces will not distract because of their darker tones. If you decide to use polished nickel for the hardware or lighting it could bring continuity into the room by emphasizing the nickel. Hope this helped!
Hi,
I have an older home that I’m renovating. My kitchen cabinets will be white and I want to do ORB hardware for the contrast. We have ORB throughout the home on the doors and windows. My windows are steel. My island will be a dark navy blue – I would like to go with an antique brass for the hardware as the ORB doesn’t contrast, but not sure if it’s a faux pas to mix the hardware colors. I was also planning on polished nickel faucets, but am concerned about introducing a 3rd metal. Any advice would be much appreciated 🙂
Hi Nancy,
I always say to not worry over “faux pas” when it comes to mixing metals. Instead, think more about what type of kitchen looks you love. Mixing hardware colors is perfectly okay, but then your look will have a more modern and eclectic vibe. If you keep with ORB, the kitchen will look more traditional and consistent, but your accents won’t pop as much. Totally up to you and how you like your spaces to look 🙂
Hi Kathy, For my small master bath renovation, I purchased an espresso colored vanity which came with polished nickel hardware. I purchased a beautiful polished nickel faucet to match. However, in searching for a polished nickel shower head and matching shower control for a stall shower, I found that choices are limited in contemporary fixtures in polished nickel unless special ordered and that can take several weeks. So, I purchased the 2 shower fixtures for the stall shower in brushed nickel. Now, my dilemma is whether to use polished nickel or brushed nickel for the tub faucet. I found a beautiful modern waterfall tub faucet online which is available in either polished or brushed nickel. I’m thinking polished nickel since the tub and vanity are directly opposite one another. I would appreciate your opinion on which metal would work best. Thank you!
Hi Jean,
Thanks for reaching out! I agree that the polished finish makes sense here 🙂
Great article! My dilemma is I have kitchenaid appliances, white shaker cabinets. Stainless sink. Should I go satin or brushed nickel pulls and knobs? Thanks
Hi Nihayet,
Thanks for reaching out! I’d say my personal preference is a satin nickel, but these finishes are so similar that you’d be okay with either. So I’d just go with your personal preference!
So glad I found this blog! I’m renovating my kitchen but have gotten stuck design-wise and could really use some input! We have black appliances and will be using Ikea’s Bodbyn grey cabinets with Nougat Caesarstone countertops, a white quartzite/acrylic sink, and golden champagne color handles. But from there we don’t know where to go! We’ll have a pendant light over the sink and two over an island, but I’m not sure what color their metal should be, especially since we’re not sure what color faucet we’ll be using either. Any recommendations? Thanks for your help!!
Hi Allison,
Thanks for reaching out! With all of the greys and whites, it makes sense to go for lighting that’ll add some warmth, so perhaps a brushed brass, or if your prefer silver tones a warm nickel could work as well. You could also consider continuing with the champagne color, or be super adventurous with a copper contrast tone. I’d stay clear of anything too dark or steel-y. Hope this helps!
Hi Allison,
Thanks for reaching out! With a grey and white palette, I’d opt for warmer metal tones in your lighting. I think a brushed brass could look nice, or if you prefer silver, go with a warm satin nickel. You would also be okay continuing with the champagne gold, or if you want to be adventurous, use a copper as a contrast metal in one of your accents. I’d stay away from any metals that are too dark or steel-y as they can make a grey kitchen read cold. I hope this helps!
Hi,
Loved reading your article. I am currently in our new house and decorating the family room. I like the modern look and have a set of chrome and mirror nesting end tables. However a chrome coffee table was not working with some of the other elements as I have dark floors and an inherited pewter console table. Would adding a set of white marble coffee and end table in bronze look odd? I’m trying to tie in the old and new but hesitant.
Hi Shanila,
Luckily white marble can match with most metal tones, so adding a white marble coffee table shouldn’t be an issue!
We have dark oil rubbed bronze (with the copper tent not gold) door handles and cabinet handles and knobs (just got, everything is house was shiny brass) we have just put up new lighting, oil rubbed bronze. Question, we want to trade out ballesters on staircase to wrought iron so should we go with satin black or oil rubbed bronze with the copper tent. Help please need to order asap! Thanks
Question
Hi Buddy,
Thanks for reaching out. Both finishes would work okay here, so I woul