if you have a rustic home or a historic home such as we do here mixed finishes are a part of life. a decor which is born today will be cohesive in the moment, but time will change that…. over time faucets need replacing/fixtures need to become more energy efficient etc… so parts will be changed-out. eventually someone may come along and renovate/gut and replace all and once again…VOILA! Personally, i like antiques/worn/used/rustic…. so my personal aesthetic is far away from matchy-matchy.

I like mixing finishes as long as it's thought out and not haphazard. When I renovated my bathroom I have brushed nickel faucets and tub shower fixtures, then I did chrome on the towel rack, console legs, and shower curtain ring. Finally, I added an antique silver mirror with warm tones that ties in to the original antique brass door hardware and I added a bronze towel hook and cabinet door hardware. It sounds like a lot, but it works and I can mix in accessories at will.

monotone right angles controlled bits of color to me is quite disquieting. i prefer 'nature'. and to me, nature is more chaotic than 'updated' MCM modern decor. that's just me though. i know most people do not feel this way from what i see on here in Houzz….

I like the ceiling light you can see in the photo, can you tell me where to find it or the manufacturer? Thx.

Light fixture is a Capital.

I like what I like. Sometimes it matches, sometimes it doesn't. When it looks right to me I am happy.

Ahhhhh! I hate the word match! I think it is o.k. to mix finishes.

I prefer metals to match in small spaces, like bathrooms. In larger spaces, like kitchens, it's not so noticeable. Overall, I like things to match or coordinate.

I don't mind mixed metals and finishes. These days it's a big design trend, but I'd say get faucets/plumbing fixtures that you'll love forever, and do hardware that can be replaced easily and inexpensively in whatever finish you want. That way you can always match them later if you fall out of love with the mismatched look :)

studio M-sounds like a great idea but with the way styles change and come and go I don't know if it's possible to love any design idea forever. I look back at things that I thought I would love forever when I got them and now I think "What the hell was I thinking"? Fortunately that excludes my husband LOL!

I have oil rubbed bronze in the kitchen ie. faucet cabinet pulls etc. and all chrome in the bathroom.

I think it's fine to mix and match but you might want to have a common theme or style. It's totally an individual decision based on the total room.

Matched knobs, pulls, and faucets for me.

Absolutely mix.

I like faucets to match. Everything else I coordinate, but I hate matching. I would even prefer our living room and family room upholstered furniture to not match, but I had to let my husband have his way on something. I use pillows and throws to try and break up the monotony. None of our wood furniture matches. Our kitchen isn't a showplace kitchen. If I had my way, I would have weathered white cabinets, and an island that does not match.

When done right it's a wonderful eclectic look. Matchy-matchy is too often predictable, monotonous and boring.

I like to match the style of my fixtures but not actually use the same family of fixtures from the same company (so a matchy fan). I find there are so many different bathroom accessories that you can usually mix and match from different brands to give you a bit more variety yet stick with a similar general finish. Ie in our bathroom we went mostly with modern square rounded tap and faucets but we got more variety of width, height etc by going with a mix of Methven, Zuchetti and Parisi).

battinhs, I must have done something right, as I get a lot of compliments on my décor. It's not perfect, but it's comfortable. We wanted to live in the higher elevations of our city, so you don't get as much house for the money, but I love our neighborhood.

My community is new and there were a lot of models. The designers of the models mixed the finishes and it was beautiful. I'm doing that in my home. I think a lot depends on the color of the cabinets as well as the color and style of the faucets and such. If you like it, that's what matters.

See what goes together.

I like it mixed. Not only breaks away from old tradition but I also see where it would be so easy to change just part of them instead of having to do the entire room. I love when someone can be different and break away from the mold! Makes design fun!

On recent projects a a decorative artist I have seen this more often in eclectic interior designs. However it has been done with art glass door hardware (knobs) acrylic stair balustrades and even cabinet door pulls. I saw it to work very well within the contemporary/modern designs as well.

Mixing finishes is fine, but they should blend. It still requires thought and eye for color to mix things well. It's really like cooking, certain flavors enhance one another. I mix finishes all the time.

This is a huge concern for me right now, about to start construction on a modern mountain vacation home. I found a cool looking bathroom sconce that is a flat pewter(ish) finish but my planned lav faucet is satin nickel. Hmm? I recently read when mixing metals to keep either all shiny or all matte. Really? Opinions?

don't like matchy - matchy, however, everything should be cohesive and balanced and yet give you the feel that, the given interior, was developed over time and not as one stop shop project/reno spree.

I think it looks fine but would probably look better if the faucet was oil rubbed bronze. Great looking room.

I think the use of the brown seat and dark rug in the area makes it all blend together. Just a matter of taste.

Chrome faucets always look timeless no matter what they're mixed with

I say yes, mix the finishes. Think of cabinetry as a furniture item and let it stand alone with it's own knobs and pulls. Treat the plumbing fixtures as a different element.

Mixed finishes all the way. Nothing more boring and "builder basic" than a house completely outfitted in oil rubbed bronze or satin nickel from the door hardware to the lighting fixtures and faucets. Yawn.

Fixtures should match (faucets, drains, shower heads,etc) but hardware and lighting are more furniture related and you have leeway. I mixed finishes in my parents master bath and I love the unexpected and purposeful look. Far from cookie cutter.

The renovation of our downstairs (guest bathroom) is moving along. All the tile, plus the head and faucets have been installed, and the mosaic trim will be finished within the next 90 minutes.

The new vanity is scheduled for delivery tomorrow, but installation will have to wait until I find someone to remove the old one — but now I'm stuck on which of two faucets to buy. All the other metal trim in the room is oil brushed bronze, but now I'm torn between one by Pfister ( Santiago GT42-STOY) in Tuscan Bronze, from the same collection as the shower faucets . . . and one by Kraus (FUS131010 RB) in the same metal finish, but which has an unusual handle that keeps grabbing my attention.

I know it probably seems like such a simple choice, but like picking a flavor at Baskin Robbins, those are the ones that always seem hardest for me to reach. Generally I stay away from formal balance except when no other option exists, and prefer single, interesting, unique accessories over pairs — but for some reason, this decision feels different.

For our restroom, I originally purchase everything in Brushed Nickel but realized that the shower glass is really expensive. I switched the shower glass and sink faucets (2) to chrome. For the overhead shower head, the contractor already installed the valve and I cannot find a smilar one in chrome so I can change the valve and return the original nickel set. Valve alone for Moen is pretty expensive.

Is it okay to mix and match just the shower head? Is this tacky?

Orignal Shower head:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/MOEN-Ashville-1-Handle-Shower-Faucet-in-Spot-Resist-Brushed-Nickel-82968SRN/202707681

New Fixtures:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Coastal-Shower-Doors-Newport-Series-48-in-x-70-in-Framed-Sliding-Shower-Door-with-Towel-Bar-in-Chrome-and-Clear-Glass-1648-70B-C/205467404?keyword=205467404

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Pfister-Courant-4-in-Centerset-2-Handle-High-Arc-Bathroom-Faucet-in-Polished-Chrome-with-White-Handles-F-048-COPC/205831705

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Design-House-Westmoor-Single-Post-Toilet-Paper-Holder-in-Polished-Chrome-560524/204688335

We are building a new home and I am having brushed nickel for all the finishes. However I have 3 pendent lights in the kitchen I get to choose myself (yes we are going with an economy builder where you have few choices). So my question is, shall I go with brushed nickel pendents as well? I am thinking maybe to go with a rustic bronze so that it will tie in the other elements of my space, such as wall decor with dark frames and rustic bronze table decoration etc. What do you all think? Will the pendents just look out of place?

It's early, haven't had my coffee, but already a new phrase - blendy-blendy. I usually recommend "complementary" in these combining dilemmas, but blendy works. No more agonizing abt your choices! This new phrase can be a guideline for the new Houzzers.

I've been pondering this question all week. I'm redoing the main bath, and discovered that the hardware on the old vanity is solid brass. So, I'm gonna salvage that vanity, and pop that brass off the vanity's new color of navy. But, I want the room to have an overall art deco feel to it. So, it's gonna get a little metal crazy in there. Fixtures and vanity light are chrome and deco style. switch covers and mirror will be pewter, but also with funky art deco textures within. So, pewter mirror and covers, chrome light and fixtures, and brass hardware on the vanity itself, which will be painted navy. We will see if this ends up being insane or not .

I have a question white cast iron sink with bronze faucet . what colir should I use the drains white or bronze?

I just had one installed in February, I went with the oil rubbed bronze drain to match the oil rubbed bronze faucet. I like everything to match which is a matter of personal taste. I'm sure the white would look equally as lovely. Again to mix and match or to match everything is all a matter of personal choice.

thanks for the advise. decisions decisions..

Hi, TerrierO5

If you are talking about the drain cover at the bottom of the sink, I've had the same question during several renovations of all 3 bathrooms in my home. But in each case, they were determined by the color of the faucets.

For example, our first major renovation (in the early 1980s) was an upstairs addition that included a new master bedroom and bath. In looking for accessories, I was captivated by a pair of antique gold handles shaped like dolphins, and when I realized I could also get a matching lighting fixture, my decision was made. Over the years, several components gradually had to be replaced — including the stems for the faucets, but one way or another, I've managed to keep everything working. While I love both the faucets and lighting fixture as much today as ever . . . and had to resist the recommendation of the contractor that redesigned the shower last year (only possible because a wall and pocket door separate the shower and toilet from the larger "dressing area" containing the vanity and storage cabinets) the experience made me think twice about selection when we later redid the downstairs bathrooms.

For the next project ,a few years later, we chose shiny chrome fixtures with white porcelain handles . . ..but last year, when a snafu by the contractor who was just supposed to reattach a short length of exterior vinyl trim on the window in the second downstairs bathroom ended up with assorted problems that basically left the room unusable, the whole room unexpectedly had to be "redone."

Had I known how extensive the project would become, I would have planned accordingly, but since it started with an original shower tile that been fractured beyond repair, my initial goal was jut to restore or replace as much of the tile work as necessary for it to look "normal" again. As it turned out, the entire shower was demolished and rebuilt from the bottom up. The oil rubbed bronze shower head and faucets worked well with the new wall tiles, so I chose them and added matching floor drain.

But realizing how dated the vanity next to the shower looked, I replaced that, as well – chosing faucets from the same collection, but added a few brushed nickel accessories to tie in with the same kind handles on the vanity.

But a question similar to the one you have asked came up when it came to the drain covers on both of the last two sinks. Actually, it wasn't just the covers, it was the whole drain assembly, which includes the knob that pulls the stopper up and down.

Still, I was facing basically the same decision: you have described. The sink is white ceramic, but the cabinet below is espresso, with brushed nickel handles. (Both parts were sold as a unit along with a large, matching mirror with espresso frame.) I struggled with the decision, but finally decided to stick with the rubbed oil bronze faucet and stopper assembly . . . and am glad I did.

Also replaced the ENTIRE pop-up drain assembly in the second downstairs bathroom, because the original "shiny chrome" finish was starting to look scratched and pitted. Definitely something I will consider the next time I re-do that bathroom.

What about bright brass knobs on dining room buffet. What color chandelier. Does it need to be bright brass. It's formal cherry dining set

It is more than ok, it is not because your faucet is shiny that your lighting fixtures have to be the same, or even same color..here, have a look: the sconces are a light silver plated finish but the faucets are chrome and a lot more grey...it works !

Better question.. why not? Some contrast never hurt anyone!

Agree with Designer Drains. Some contrast does not hurt; of course it needs to be cohesive with everything else in the room and adjacent rooms.

I absolutely fell in love with some bronze light fixtures, but I don't want to have to do bronze faucets and shower heads as well. Will likely end up mixing!! Not sure what the most complimentary shade will be but I'll live!

You need to be more aware of the balance and composition within the room. Plan it well, otherwise you may as well be chewing on a ball of aluminum foil .

I like mixing. It helps to create a layered look that's very appealing in a home. I associate matchy with builder grade or some boring hotel. Though perhaps in a small powder room or bathroom using the same finish is cohesive.

I'm looking for some advice on this issue. I generally like things to match, but I'm having a hard time deciding what would look best in my new construction home. It is a very open design with the living, dining, kitchen, and breakfast nook all visible at once. The kitchen faucets, pulls, and knobs will be satin nickel with stainless steel appliances. The part I am struggling with is the lighting. I would possibly like to use ORB for the flush lighting in the dining and the living room fan because I have a dark brown leather couch and a few ORB wall decorations, but I'm not sure it would work well with the 2 hanging pendants and a chandelier in the breakfast nook visible. Should all be nickel, just all lighting be ORB, or is it okay to have them different in different "rooms"?

I think that ORB is different enough that it could work. What metal is in the hanging pendants and chandelier? That might influence your choice.

Most of my metal is polished brass (high end from the 1960s) but for my family room lamps I choose ORB because I have a lot of brown in the room and I didn't want more shiny metal. The chandelier over the dining table in that room is white plexiglass and the shades on the ORB lamps are also white.