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No, this is not an article about my child’s chemistry class – I would be the last person he would ask advice. However, I do know a lot about the new design trend of mixing silver, gold and bronze metals in an interior.
In the past one of the biggest design taboos was to have dark oil rubbed bronze door handles and a silver kitchen faucet. I even received phone calls from clients while they were standing in plumbing fixture showrooms frantic that they could not find the correct color bathroom faucet with all of the features they wanted in the correct color. Well, times have certainly changed!
It is actually very fashion forward to have a variety of metals in one room and home but there are rules you need to follow. When considering mixing metals always keep in mind the temperature, hue and shine of the pieces especially if they are going to be in the same sightline. For example, a polished chrome foyer pendant with LED lights would shine brightly with cold blue undertones. It would look inappropriate in a home with warm beige walls, brown leather furniture and bronze door handles. And on the flip side, a kitchen with cool gray walls and white cabinets would not flow well with a new copper sink, stainless steel faucet and gold light fixture.
Fixtures are not the only metallic items in rooms. Accessories are the largest and most important ways to use metals in a room. Adding framed art, drawer pulls, vases and statues are great ways to add metals to a room. There are a few rules to follow.
1. Use 2-3 different metals at the most to keep a cohesive look.
2. Choose a dominate metal for 2/3 of your space and the remaining balance as accent metals with different shine levels.
3. Remember to coordinate the warm metals with warm hued rooms and vice versa for cool hued rooms.
4. If you do blend cool and warm metals consider hammered or textured metals on accessories or frames.
5. Remember that mirrors are neutral and will reflect the existing metals and add light to your space which is always a good idea.
Julie
