Mixed Metals at a Glance
- Hardware can make or break a space.
- Mixed finishes: Should all my hardware selections look the same? No. But maintain the same color temperature, just as you would with paint and other finishes.
- Keep in mind your home’s existing color palette: warmer colors work with warm metals, like gold, copper, and bronze. Cooler colors? Think chrome and silver.
- When mixing metals, stick to no more than three different finishes per room.
- Consult an expert: Capstone’s designer, Angela Miller, helps new homeowners make hardware selections everyday.
It’s in the Details
Hardware may be the last choice on your mind when building or updating your home. But hardware enhances any space. And it can be distracting, deterring from all those beautiful design selections you’ve already worked so hard for. Choosing the right hardware is crucial. But what’s the best choice for each room, and how can you be sure you won’t grow tired of the choices you make, especially considering the ever-changing trends in finishes? Experts have some helpful guidance, and 2018’s mixed metals trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
The Challenge
When we moved into our 1988 classic two-story home, much of the finishes had been updated. Hardwood floors and painted (rather than wall-papered) walls gave most of the home a fresh feel. While some of the choices hearkened back to the home’s roots (hello honey oak trim!), we were pleased overall that we could enjoy the home without feeling pressured to make drastic changes immediately. In fact, the office’s grey-blue fern-like print has really grown on me. Its print is similar to what has become popular in current wallpaper choices. So we will leave those walls as they are and enjoy what feels spontaneous in an otherwise neutral home.
But that begs the question: what other trends will “come back around” if we wait long enough? How quickly should we rush to make updates in decor and design? Besides, even much of the modern farmhouse design is reminiscent of my great-grandmother’s modest kitchen.
These questions challenged me especially as we considered our hardware and lighting options. It seems that throughout the original home originally, gold dominated, but several rooms had evidence of updates in pops of other metals here or there. I found myself more bothered by the combination of the gold door knobs, brushed nickel and chrome faucets, and antiqued bronze ceiling lights than I would have likely been had the original gold been maintained!
Now what? Change it all? With even the suggestion, my husband’s mental calculator was ringing up the cost of such an overhaul. Leave some of the hardware and try to buy replacements to match? I don’t want all of the hardware and lighting to be exactly the same. It’s too cold, too monotonous.
The Solution: Color Temperature
The answer lies in the same strategy used for making paint selections: color palette and “temperature.” While not all of our hardware and light fixtures should be the same, they should be a part of the same color temperature. These mood boards provide some inspiration, and they are to die for.