How to Mix Metal Finishes in the Kitchen
Leave matchy-matchy to the catalogs and let your kitchen's personality shine with a mix of metals for hardware and fixtures
Houzz Contributor. I'm an interior designer, homeowner and founding blogger of the before + after super-site, http://www.raenovate.com/.
Houzz Contributor. I'm an interior designer, homeowner and founding blogger... More »
A friend recently came to me heartsick with a design dilemma. She's redoing her kitchen and has fallen in love with oil-rubbed bronze bin pulls; however, she isn't keen on bronze faucets and pendants. Whatever is she supposed to do? I'm here to say that they don't have to match! People tend to get all matchy-matchy when it comes to specifying the appliances, decorative hardware, range hoods, plumbing fixtures and lighting in their kitchens. I believe that variety is the spice of life, and there's nowhere better to get a little spicy than in the kitchen.
A beautiful mixed-metal kitchen could feature copper sconces and pendants, oil-rubbed bronze pulls and hinges, and a faucet and pot filler in polished nickel (nickel is always my go-to finish for plumbing fixtures). What metals would you mix?
A beautiful mixed-metal kitchen could feature copper sconces and pendants, oil-rubbed bronze pulls and hinges, and a faucet and pot filler in polished nickel (nickel is always my go-to finish for plumbing fixtures). What metals would you mix?
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This polished-nickel faucet sparkles next to the oil-rubbed-bronze cabinet hardware.
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| I spy three distinct metal finishes in this traditional New York kitchen: copper pendant lights, stainless steel appliances and oil-rubbed-bronze cabinet hardware. |
| Filling a kitchen with contrasting cabinetry finishes is also in vogue. If you like the idea of mixing metals but aren't sure where to start, consider selecting a different metal to complement each cabinet type. For example, in this kitchen oil-rubbed-bronze knobs and hinges pop against the white cabinetry, while brushed-nickel pulls outfit the walnut island. |
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by knowles ps
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| In this Seattle kitchen, brushed plumbing fixtures and appliances work superbly with oil-rubbed-bronze decorative hardware and pendants. |
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| Combining a warm yellow brass with nickel is one of the bravest metal combinations you can make. Tenney Construction fearlessly and seamlessly combined brass drawer pulls with nickel plumbing and lighting fixtures in this Texas kitchen. |
| The light from the kitchen sink window and bronze sconces is beautifully reflected off polished nickel fixtures here. |
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| It's "opposites" day: Nickel hardware graces the black painted island, while oil-rubbed-bronze drawer pulls stand out on the white cabinetry. |
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by Natalie DiSalvo
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| Copper and stainless steel can go together like peanut butter and jelly. As you can see, you can pair stainless steel appliances with a copper range hood and countertops. Do you mix metals? Tell us how (or why not) below! |
Ideabook published on July 19, 2012.
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People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
Now I am going to go through houzz photos to pay more attention to this :)
One thing that I do notice from the examples given, there is no polished chrome added into the mix. Nickel yes, but not bright chrome which doesn't surprise me as perhaps it is my eyesight but I have actually on occasion at first glance mistaken a nickel finish for that of a soft 'n brushed ''gold' which we do know is part of the family of traditional elements so understandably it should work well with copper and oil-rubbed bronze.
Presently, I am lusting after the new soft golds that they are beginning to bring out on the market in plumbing fixtures and cabinet hardware.