Mix Metal Finishes In A Room, step by step

Q: Hey folks! What is your opinion on mixing metal finishes in a room? Thanks! – Shelly

A: Do it! We do not truly like anything that is 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 is the trick for making it look intentional and not mismatched and wonky? Well, as one example, let us look at our previous house’s wrapped up 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 did not 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 us 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 do not 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 is simply 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) simply because things that close can look less layered and balanced in distinct tones. The last thing you are going for is an I-updated-half-the-fixtures-but-left-the-rest-so-they-do not-match effect.

So that is 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 enjoy to know your absolute go-to. We are torn between the straightforward care (no fingerprints ever!) of brushed nickel and the quiet elegance of a plain oil-rubbed bronze curtain rod. Tell us all about what floats your boat in the hardware department. We are 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.