Tips For Mixing Metal Finishes in Interior Design

Hello World!  Welcome Friends!  Mixing metal finishes around your home use to be a major no-no for interior design. However, today’s design experts have realized that mixing metals can be an extremely chic statement, whether made through fashion or through décor.

Plus, let’s face it, as your home evolves switching all your metal finishes for lights, doorknobs, cabinetry hardware, and faucets every time you want to make one small change is overwhelming and expensive. Instead, here are a few tips to mix metals in interior design.

1. Choose a Dominant Hue

Even though you know you want to mix metals, it’s important to choose one dominant metal. You should always have a dominant metallic in a space where multiple metallic shades are present. Once you’ve got your favorite, pair it with one or two other shiny hues. That way, your room will have just enough luster without a completely overpowering metallic look. You may notice stainless steel is the dominant hue due to your appliances and dark brushed silver and bronze are favorable companions in the space.

2. Take Heed to Textures

There’s no one-size-fits-all texture when it comes to metals. Just as easily as you can find a bright, shiny gold accent, you’ll be able to find a matte bronze one, too. So, use this blend of textures to your advantage: you might just find that one shade in its brightest and shiniest version goes with another metal that’s duller and understated. Chances are, they’ll look great together.

3. Don’t Feel Boxed By Cool and Warm Tones

Another design myth? You have to choose to decorate a space with either cool or warm tones. For many, this notion applies to metals, too: they believe you simply cannot pair a gold with a silver, for example, unless you want a design eyesore.

What you’ll find instead is that shades of gold and bronze look even warmer and richer next to the coolness of silver and stainless steel. A great place to try this combination is in your kitchen, where there are so many opportunities for a small metallic accent on cabinet doors, drawer pulls, etc.

“Cabinet knobs and handles may seem like a minor feature, but they have a huge impact on the overall finish,” according to the experts at Cliffside Industries in their post about mixed-metal kitchens. So, don’t be afraid to pair your gold light fixtures with aluminum chrome cabinet pulls or to add warm brass hardware on cool bluish grey cabinets.

4. Add Coordinating Colors

Instead of matching metal finishes to each other, you may find it’s easier to match metal finishes based on paint colors or other colored decor in the room to bring it all together. For example, you may find dark bronze handles blend in with your dark colored cabinetry. Or you can tie your mod podge of metals together by having a mixed metal piece of art on the wall.

Many designers pair their metal finishes with clear Lucite accessories that are modern enough to fit in with the chic style of any mixed-metal scheme. Others prefer to finish everything off with a coat of neutral paint, whether it be white or a shade of beige.

Or, you could try finding color palettes that work around a particular shade of metal, although this could be more difficult if you choose two contrasting metallic hues. Iron and stainless-steel accents, for example, would go perfectly with light gray walls.

5. Don’t Forget About Iron

If you’re struggling with your metal mixing, don’t forget about iron. When it comes to metallic, iron is your most neutral option: the black metal is the perfect pair to just about any other hue on the shiny spectrum. Choosing iron will help you in your quest to mix metals, especially if that quest is a little bit tougher than you thought.

6. Let Others Inspire You

One of the best ways to learn how to mix metals is to observe others who have done it and use their ideas in your space. Interior design magazines, as well as sites like Pinterest, grant you access to the work of paid professionals. With their expertise in front of you, you are sure to find examples of a myriad of metallic hues mixed seamlessly. You can choose the same colors for your space and combine them for a similar effect.

Don’t Be Afraid to Mix Metals in Your Space

Even with the above six tips in mind, it can be daunting to embark on an interior design quest of your own. But if you mix metals wisely — choosing a dominant color, mixing textures, and coordinating the rest of your colors — you’ll find breaking the norm can have huge stylish rewards. All you have left to do is get started, so go forth bravely: before you know it, you’ll have the stylish, shiny house you could only dream of before today.

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