Q: Hey guys! What’s your opinion on mixing metal finishes in a room? Thanks! – Shelly
A: Do it! We don’t really like anything that’s too matchy-matchy, so as long as you make it look deliberate and layered (as opposed to haphazard and mismatched) the end result can be chic and elegant.
But what’s the trick for making it look intentional and not mismatched and wonky? Well, as one example, let’s look at our previous house’s finished den. We had a chrome-based floor lamp in there, along with oil-rubbed bronze curtain rods and they both stood on their own and didn’t look mismatched because we repeated both colors & materials again throughout the room (in the dark fireplace screen, tabletop accessories of both colors, and even the TV’s silver frame) which led to an intentional vibe. In other words, nothing is a sore thumb when you have a number of oil-rubbed bronze thumbs sharing a space with a number of brushed nickel thumbs. Does that make sense?
Let’s take this house that we crashed here as another example. There were a lot of stainless elements (the hood, the appliances, etc) and the lantern was a hammered gold color along with some other accessories in the room, so it all looked intentional and layered instead of accidental or mismatched.
In short: as long as you don’t do all chrome and one thing in an oil-rubbed bronze finish, it should look clash-y. Instead it’ll look intentional, layered, and possibly even more effortlessly stylish than strictly sticking to all one tone. Although in particularly small “concentrated” spaces like a modestly sized bathroom (with a faucet that’s just a few feet away from the showerhead and a light fixture) you may want to keep things consistent (like going with modern chrome all the way or antique bronze for every fixture and door knob) just because things that close can look less layered and balanced in different tones. The last thing you’re going for is an I-updated-half-the-fixtures-but-left-the-rest-so-they-don’t-match effect.
So that’s our take on the whole hardware quandry that haunts many a homeowner. And speaking of finishes (like oil-rubbed bronze, antique brass, wrought iron, chrome, and brushed nickel) we’d love to know your absolute favorite. We’re torn between the easy care (no fingerprints ever!) of brushed nickel and the quiet elegance of a simple oil-rubbed bronze curtain rod. Tell us all about what floats your boat in the hardware department. We’re all ears.
Psst- Itching for our take on matchy-matchy furniture? Check out this post all about what we think the “rules” should be in that department.
Bridget B. says
brushed nickel all the way! we changed out every single brass light fixture and doorknob in our house when we updated this past year. we also spray-painted the brass fireplace with mottled silver spray paint so that it would match.
we do, however, have a mottled gold curtain rod in the living room that still blends in due to some of the other tones in the room decor.
Jody says
Too funny I was just discussing this same topic with my friend. My husband and I are in the process of updating our bathroom and I love brushed nickel, however we have a clawfoot tub and the only new faucet/hand held shower fixture that I like and doesn’t cost a fortune is chrome, so I think we are going to have to go everything in chrome. Do you guys agree?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jody,
You’d probably win either way so if you do some chrome with some brushed nickel they’re both still modern finishes that don’t look mismatched like brass and chrome might look. Especially if you brought in more brushed nickel and chrome in the accessories (a chrome soap pump, brushed nickel frames, etc) just to hammer home the fact that the choice was intentional so nothing looks out of place. You could also go all chrome for a super seamless look- it’s really your call! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Susy M. says
Finish me. My husband, dad and I are going to Ruth Chris for dinner at 9:30. Then home for some movie watching. It is a quiet New Year and hopefully a healthy 2010 for all. May 2010 bring you a healthy baby and lots of love and happiness.
Sara says
I just switched to all brushed nickel doorknobs. I also like oil-rubbed bronze; however, it varies depending on the manufacturer and is therefore harder to match.
Jennifer S. says
I like shiny chrome in a white bathroom.
Jason says
Brushed Nickel generally – but it is hard to find inexpensive brushed nickel for the entire bathroom or kitchen faucet etc. Chrome has more options, but I’ll find it. I find 3 seperate shower controls to go in the old tile especially hard to find. I have brushed nickel spray paint, one of the first things bought, to tackle every brass switch plate in my renovation:)
I like oil rubbed bronze in some ceiling light fixtures or outside fixtures, although my outside fixtures are going to be classic black cuz the ones I like happen to be.
DE – J
Kate says
My favorite is the brushed nickel look. It’s just so clean looking. Everything in our home is brushed nickel except for the interior door knobs. I can’t decide if it’s a worthy investment. It’ll cost around $350 to change them out…but I’ve also considered spray painting them. I spray painted our deck light fixtures brushed nickel and it turned out really nice, but I’m not sure if the paint will hold up on door knobs.
What do you guys think? I was trying to look around at your photos to see your door knobs, but you can’t see any of them…except the front door and back door (which doesn’t look like you’ve changed out). I think I need a Home Depot coupon to make me want to spend more money over there :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kate,
We’ve heard that spray painting knobs can work if you use high quality paint and take the time to do it well (and avoid obvious drips) but of course upgrading doorknobs is always a great investment for resale (it makes the entire door look new). Either way you can’t really go wrong so it’s all about budget and how thorough you want to be. All of our doors are cheap faux-brushed-nickel knobs that were a cheap quick fix from Home Depot but we plan to upgrade them to nice solid doorknobs as opposed to flimsy spray-painted-looking ones someday. Our dream would be heavy white porcelain or ceramic knobs with chrome or nickel hardware. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Ashley says
We just moved into a 92 year old house. I changed all the door knobs from brass to oil-rubbed bronze. I also changed out the plastic light switch covers to oil-rubbed bronze. I feel that this metal tone fits better with the age of our house and the style.
Jessica says
I love mixed metals in our rooms – glad we have your seal of approval. :)
Paula M. says
Any finishes that aren’t too **shiny** are fine by me. Lately, I’ve been fixating on an “antique” brass finish for a floor lamp, not a shiny brass, but a very muted, aged look.
I don’t like shiny lamp finishes or shiny fixture finishes. I figure I’ll get my sparkle needs met through mirrors, candlesticks, art and other surfaces/objects.
And I definitely agree that it’s fun to mix up different finishes. When they’re subtle or combination-tones, that works out even better….
Amy says
Love brushed silver and chrome – right now obsessed with chrome in our bathroom renovation!
Rebecca says
My husband and I are building a house, and are having a hard time making hardware decisions. We are using oil-rubbed bronze everywhere, but I worry that a ORB kitchen faucet will clash with the stainless sink. Thoughts? And can I do an ORB faucet, stainless sink, and copper pendant lights over the island?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Rebecca,
Hmm, it’s certainly possible that an oil-rubbed bronze faucet could appear to “clash” with a stainless sink. Have you thought about using a white porcelain sink instead? Perhaps an apron front sink (they always look amazingly charming and cottage-chic together). Are all of your appliances going to be stainless? In that case it might look better to go with brushed nickel fixtures (as we did in our kitch) which doesn’t match the stainless perfectly but has a similar tone so it “goes” without being super matchy-matchy. Of course you can go with stainless appliances and all oil-rubbed bronze hardware/fixtures since you’ll be repeating both metal finishes quite a bit so neither one of them will stand out like a sore thumb. You just have to be sure you like the look of the stainless and the oil-rubbed bronze together in a room… so if you do it’s a great layered and interesting option for ya!
xo,
s
Leslie says
I prefer brushed nickel. Our 1996 house has all shiny gold door knobs and hinges so I asked for new brushed nickel knobs for Christmas and I am spray painting the hinges. I am also giving all the doors a fresh coat of white paint while I’m at it (they look brand new afterwards!). One down, 15 or so more to go :)
Sarah says
My fiance and I just registered for oil rubbed bronze bathroom accessories. We registered for each piece in the set. How do you feel about that?
I agree with not being too matchy but I thought we might regret not having each piece. It’s hard decorating a house we don’t have yet (still hunting but it was time to register).
Oh, and I’m drooling for that chair! The entire room has that classic-yet-modern feel that I LOVE.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sarah,
Just as we said in the post, in a bathroom or another modestly sized space (with a faucet right near a showerhead and the doorknob right near a towel bar) matching metal is definitely not a bad option. It’ll look coordinated and intentional and oil-rubbed bronze is a lovely classic choice. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Erica says
I love love love brushed nickel fixtures! I just got brand new faucets in my kitchen and bathroom, and I love the brushed nickel ones I picked out. Chrome is too shiny and flashy to me- I like the understated but very nice look of brushed nickel. I’m in the (very expensive) process of upgrading all my door hardware to brushed nickel as well. So far, I’ve changed the locks on two exterior doors and put a doorknob on my bedroom door, which didn’t have one when I moved in. The rest are nasty gold, but I might just spray paint them brushed nickel to match the rest until I get the funds to replace them all. My new kitchen fan also has brushed nickel on it to match the doorknob, the appliances, the faucet, and the curtain rods. I really don’t like to mix metals, mostly because I’m not a fan of gold tones so silver/stainless/brushed nickel is the way to go for me.
Sarah says
I have a question that is just slightly off topic – mixing wood tones. I need some kind of wardrobe at my entryway because I don’t have a coat closet, and the Ikea Aneboda (like you have in your new basement space) would be perfect. Except my living room/dining room is red, gold, camel, and all dark wood, and the Aneboda only comes in white or birch. Would either of those finishes work well in my space? (It’s an apartment, so the walls are off-white and the carpet is beige.)
Otherwise, how easy is it to paint Ikea furniture? (I’m a real novice painter.)
Thanks for your help!
Abby says
I have a similar problem right now with wood tones. My family is really into carpentry and I have several heirloom pieces but they are all differently tones and finishes. Other than painting it, any tips on making it look cohesive and not haphazard?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sarah and Abby,
Our take on furniture is exactly the same: feel free to mix and match tones so they layer into a room to give it character, but just be sure to repeat that color or tone in other places (the curtains, the pillows, the rug, other furnishings, etc) so it doesn’t feel out of place for an overall effect that looks intentional and balanced. If you have over two or three different wood tones in a room it might make sense to move one or two pieces that don’t match anything else into a different space with other tones in the same family (spreading out unmatched pieces so they appear to be grouped with other “like” furnishings can work wonders). Hope it helps! And when it comes to repainting furniture, here’s a handy tutorial: https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/02/how-to-paint-furniture/
Gel stain can also be used if you sand down any wooden piece of furniture to tint it so it works with other items in your space, so just ask around at a hardware store to find something great that will be easy to use. Oh and here’s a post about coordinating furniture to be sure that you don’t go overboard and end up with something too matchy-matchy… it’s a delicate balance!
xo,
s
Hannah says
Brushed nickel is my favorite, without a doubt.
And now for a little story about brushed nickel… My husband and I bought and older house and every floor vent in the house was super shiny brass. After a few coats of brushed nickel spray paint (the kind made for covering metal) all of our vents are beautiful, if I do say so myself. And it turned out to be a very durable solution. One of our vents is located in the path of our laundry room door and the poor little vent gets scraped over every day. There’s absolutely no visible wear and tear after almost 7 months of abuse!
Kristi says
Hi! Do you happen to know the paint color of this room or have a color similar that you would recommend??
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kristi,
No idea what the actual paint color of this room is but it’s extremely similar to Benjamin Moore’s Light Pewter so that’s a great place to start. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Paige says
I love your tips for helping the different finishes look intentional. We have a few rooms in our house that are still experiencing a bit of a metal identity crisis, so this will be very helpful until we can replace some of them. Thanks!
Melissa de la Fuente says
You two are adorable, your house is gorgeous and Burger is so cute! So happy I found you via the homies 2009 awards on Apt. Therapy. Happy New Year!
xo
Melissa
Katie says
I definitely agree about mixing metals. I also mix black and brown stuff within the same room too. We have a brown/tan/cream microfiber couch, brown throw rug, cream apartment carpet, and black coffee table, tv stands. It has a very rich look that I think would look a little dull if it were all brown or black.
YoungHouseLove says
Agreed! We love mixing brown with black, in fact we probably have a dash of black in every room and at least one or two rich brown leather pieces (ottomans, chairs, etc) along with dark chocolate furnishings to add interesting varied textures & colors. It’s definitely a luxe and layered look that’s less flat than all black or all brown would be!
xo,
s
bryn alexandra says
I’m currently working on a master bedroom that is black/white with both silver and brass accents – it DOES work! Rules are made to be broken ;)
I’m having it professionally shot on the 22nd so I’ll be featuring it on my blog sometime in early Feb.. so keep an eye out!
COCOCOZY says
I am totally cool with mixing metals. I somehow do this with almost every outfit I own because my jewelry is usually a different color metal then some accessory I am wearing. I think it works…and if it works in fashion…it has to work in the home…right? Is this deductive reasoning all wrong? :-) Love your blog!
Coco
http://cococozy.com
Julianne Hendrickson says
Oh I love oil-rubbed bronze. By the way, we have brushed nickel in our bathroom because we thought “no fingerprints” and it instead has water spots to be cleaned every week grrr…they all have their issues!
megan says
We just changed out all the brass knobs in the kitchen for beautiful brushed nickel knobs and drawer pulls and they look great! It already pulls our kitchen more together.
A question…we have a nice guest bath with white cabinets and robin’s egg blue walls (actually sea spray by glidden), and I love the antique-looking white knobs on the cabinets–however, the previous owner installed all white hardware, including white sink faucets and a white tub faucet(not sure why white instead of a classic finish). We’ve been debating a chrome/brushed nickel look vs an oil-rubbed bronze…suggestions?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Megan,
Why not get a few different colored knobs and hold them up in there to see which metals you like in the space? Knobs are super cheap and you can return any and all of them, but they’ll help you see if you prefer the oil-rubbed bronze to the chrome/brushed nickel look in a snap. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kelly says
I always say….oil rubbed bronze is my favorite color. Love it!
kelly says
we have more brushed nickel, but a bit of oil-rubbed bronze. i’m glad to know you think it’s ok to mix, since we do already! i think the nickel will last longer style-wise, i worry that the dark bronze is too trendy. we also have mixed woods, too, but i’m trying to narrow it down to two tones, plus white/cream painted…$$$ to replace furniture, though!
Dan says
I’m a nickel fan. My bathroom faucet needs replacing so I opted against another chrome piece and decided on a Delta faucet in brilliance nickel. It would be helpful if every manufacturer had to use the same term to describe its finish. Slowly, I am ridding my house of gold-plated/chrome hardware and fixtures.
LauraC says
We have two bathrooms in our house, and we just updated the light fixture and sink hardware to brushed nickel in the downstairs one. I had gotten a brushed nickel shower curtain tension rod, so that’s why we went with the nickel. I like it a lot. But . . . we are hoping to completely redo our upstairs bathroom next month (I still think you’re crazy to do it in busy Dec J+S! ;=)) and I hope to go with oil-rubbed bronze. So we’ll have a bathroom in each. Love ORB and think it goes with the age of our home (1940s). We did replace almost all of our original, brassy doorknobs with solid, egg-shaped, oil-rubbed ones and they’re one of my favorite things in the house now. We got them on clearance at Lowes and while they were not the cheapest knobs you can buy, they are totally worth the investment. We’ll never have to replace them (considering the original doorknobs lasted 60 years and were not as good quality)!
Megan says
I vote for brushed nickel most of the time. To me it’s more neutral, and I like that it’s lighter. If you have a super bright room (lots of sun) it can stand out against light walls and other decor. But I don’t (and I rent), so it’s chrome for me.
I did use oil rubbed bronze in a terra cotta colored powder room in my old house. It went perfectly with the color scheme. Anything nickel or even brass-ish would have looked totally out of place.
Gail says
It is amazing what a little elbow grease and polish can do for antique brass hardware. When we bought this 1929 house, we removed all the glass doorknobs and dull, dingy brass hardware, had a few nights in front of the TV with old rags and tootrbushes and brass polish, and now we have STUNNING shiny, looks-new hardware. Hard to believe it’s 80 years old.
And yet I don’t like my brass fireplace doors, which look dated and cheap, and are probably from the ’80s. Big difference.
I mix it up: oil-rubbed bronze, antique brass, and polished (antique) brass. I love brushed nickel, too.
Michelle says
Funny you are addressing this, we built our home 12 years ago and put mostly antique brass throughout the home. Now we are trying to update the fixtures but its difficult finding aged brass lights. I have spent literally many hours searching the internet. Keeping I have a budget to keep could you suggest a few options for the bathroom and kitchen fixtures. I would greatly appreciate your expertise. I also want to tell you both I spend much time reading your blog. Thanks, Michelle
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Michelle,
Good question! We love overstock.com, ebay.com, lampsplus.com, and nextag.com for searching through a variety of fixtures and finishes. Here’s hoping you find what you’re looking for!
xo,
s
Christina says
Our home is 110 years old, so with our bathroom remodel and bath addition, we went with ORB b/c that is very similar to all of the door handles in the house. It is my favorite look by far in a bathroom, but it can scratch and if it does, you see a shiny silver underneath. Our plumber stripped one of the screws so badly we needed to order another. Then, while installing the front plate which hides a screw on the shower handle, the edging got scraped. I’m going to break out the fine point permanent marker, b/c that will be better than the silver peaking through.
micaela @ hishouse;herhelp. says
thanks for discussing this topic! i deal w/ people being concerned about mixing finishes ALL the time and i say go for it! just be careful it’s not in a schizophrenic way!
Lindsay says
I’m all about mixing metals… in fact, I’m probably not as careful as I should be. I think most everything in our place is brushed nickel, but some of the original door knobs are brass and I like the mix. On a somewhat related note, I just painted our dining room a silver-gray (Ben Moore’s Silver Fox) and it looks amazing with our gold-toned linen curtains. Not metal, per se, but mixed metal colors.
threadbndr says
I’m with Abby – old Craftsman bungalow = oil rubbed bronze except in the bath and kitchen, where I have chrome. I’m planning to switch out all the switch plates to metal ones soon. My doorknobs are all ORB except the one on the inside of the bath – which is old (read very heavy) chrome over steel. I think I’ll have to have that one replated – the local motorcyle shop has a craftsperson that does that on old bike parts, so I need to see what it will cost me.
You know what it totally weird about my house? Half the plugs and switches are brown and half are white. I honestly think the former owners picked up whatever was on sale – I’m just peeved that they got rid of the pushbutton switches. The new reproduction ones are pricy!!
Leigh-Anne says
Like you, I love to mix metals. However, I am struggling to make it look intentional. You see, I have an ORB chandelier over the table in our eat-in kitchen, all the door knobs are ORB, but the faucet and cabinet hardware are brushed nickel. I can’t find an ORB fixture for the kitchen area in the style I like so I’m feeling compelled to get something in brushed nickle. But then, all the brushed nickle will be on one side of our eat-in kitchen while the ORB will be on the opposite. Our space is set up similar to Carla’s kitchen (posted in your portfolio). Any ideas? Looking forward to following you in 2010! Happy New Years.
YoungHouseLove says
We’d say go for the brushed nickel fixture! Since you have more of it in the room it’ll look intentional, and then since all of the ORB is on one side you can bring ORB accessories into the brushed nickel side and vice versa with accessories (think a large brushed nickel peppermill and a large ORB bowl or frame) to further integrate everything so it’s layered and lovely. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
kathleen dodds says
Can anyone help me? I have brushed chrome/silver/nickel (don’t know which but they look lovely) on all the taps etc in the bathroom. I want to put in a metal basin stand but can only afford the shiny chrome one. What if I take sandpaper to it – will that scratch off the shine? I’m nervous to spray paint as the idea would be to store a towel on it so I’m afraid the paint might come off on the white towels. Any advice very gratefully accepted!
YoungHouseLove says
You might be able to buy some sort of “etching cream” to give you that brushed look over chrome (sandpaper would be very hard to get an even finish so we would avoid it). Just visit your local home improvement store and ask what they recommend. You also might want to try overstock.com when searching for the basin stand (they have amazing deals that seem to be available in every finish). Good luck!
xo,
s
Cheryl Hannon says
If the shutters on the house will be black and the caming on the glass of the front door will be black, can I still do oil rubbed bronze light fixtures, house numbers and mailbox? the front door handle is already oil rubbed bronze. Can black and oil rubbed bronze co-exist peacefully side by side? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Absolutely! It’ll look great!
xo,
s
TiffanyM says
I love oil rubbed bronze fixtures. We have updated all the switch plates and door knobs in our 1960s ranch home. Now working on a bathroom renovation with carrara marble and subway tile and love the look of chrome with it. Having new vanities made up in dark stain, so hoping the rubbed bronze faucets look good, everything i see shows chrome, i am going to try something new, hope it works. It will all match because it is a small space an reusing restoration hardware cabinet hardware on new vanities. I just wish I could find a picture of something similar, I would feel better, what ya think?
YoungHouseLove says
Layer layer layer and it’ll look great! Just remember to bring in a few items in each finish (accessories, frames, etc) so it looks intentional and lovely. Good luck!
Laurel says
I was googling and came across this blog post. We are building a home and I was wondering is it okay to do one finish/type faucets downstairs and another finish type upstairs or would you keep it consistent? Thanks.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, that would be really nice!
xo
s
Judi says
I have just painted out all the golden oak in my house to a lovely off-white and chocolate brown (bathroom cabinets, railings, mantels). I chose to use flat black hinges and door knobs on the cabinets, which look great. The lighting fixtures that I have just purchased are mostly a dark brown ORB and I am now struggling with what metal to use on my interior and exterior door hinges and handles. I have a mix of ORB and black metal throughout the house. I am finding it difficult to find ORB hinges that aren’t too coppery coloured, so I am leaning towards black, but the selection of black door handles is much more limited than ORB. Help!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a toughie but I think either orb or black would work so maybe just see what you find that you like best? Good luck!
xo
s