Perhaps you’ve heard not to mix metals and finishes in a room or space. This was the thinking many years ago, but now- not so much! Creating a special look allows you to mix finishes in wood and metals.
Wood finishes have been matched for a long time. All your end tables, coffee tables and even your dining room table had to match. The thinking now is to trade things up a bit and use different styles of end table with a finish that coordinates, but isn’t necessarily a dead-on match. A dining table is the perfect place to be creative with chairs that are completely different from the table. Flooring is another place where color is changing. Floors are getting lighter in finish and cabinets are getting darker. This creates the pop between the two surfaces and brings depth and interest to the room.
Metal finishes can be mixed from light fixtures to cabinet hardware to metal table bases and chair bases. When mixing your metals, think about the tones and the temperature. Metals can be cool like a chrome or brushed nickel. But a gold or pewter, and even black, can be warmer. I like to mix two cools and one warm or vice versa. A great way to see examples of this is through a design publication or website. Check out rooms and how they are mixing finishes.
My favorite thing to mix is fabrics and I love to put as many as six in a single space, but that’s a different blog.
Kitchens are another great place to mix things up a bit. I do recommend keeping all your appliances the same finish, but after that have some fun. If you have an island, make the fixture a statement. A brushed gold light over a dark island adds drama and design to an open area. The hardware on the cabinets is another place to mix up your metals. By changing the hardware on the perimeter cabinets to a pewter and the island to a gold you have mixed metals and styles all in one.
The bath is another place to have some fun. Keeping your plumbing fixtures all the same finish is a given, but your lights and mirrors can be completely different, as well as your cabinet hardware. But keep in mind you may have tile colors and patterns to contend with, so make sure you realize something needs to match.
Mixing metals and finishes is the perfect place to play and bring your own personal style to your personal space!