6 Essential Tips For Mixing Metals in Your Home

Let’s look at mixing metals in interiors. You may feel you don’t know how to mix metal finishes correctly or you don’t feel confident pulling it off.

As a result, you may just play it safe and pick the usual generic satin silver-colored hardware, which can be boring. Hopefully, these ideas will help you mix metals like an interior designer!

1. Decide how many metals to use

Let the size of your space dictate this.

Mixing metals in the kitchen

A condo, townhouse, or smaller kitchen would look good with one to two metals maximum.

Pay attention to the finish of your appliances. If you have stainless steel appliances, you’ll want to consider stainless steel as one of the metals in your scheme.

Mixing metals in the bathroom

Standard-size bathrooms and small powder rooms look best with one or two metals.

There are always exceptions to the rules. This smaller bathroom uses three metals: brass (mirror and sconces), chrome (taps), and black metal (knobs). The room doesn’t look chaotic because the Roman shade and the dark stone counter and shower tie everything together.

If you have a huge bathroom, you can use up to three metals.

Working with what you have

If it’s not possible to swap everything out, you can work with what’s there. Be flexible and incorporate what already exists into your mixed metal scheme. Bring in your favorite metal as a secondary choice to work with what you have.

2. What style are you going for?

It can be easier to align certain metals with certain decorating styles.

Traditional

Nickel, antique bronze, gold, and brass give a timeless, elegant feel and feel most comfortable in traditional, classic interiors.

Contemporary

Matte black is quite contemporary. I feel like too much black metal can quickly become overpowering. Repeat it once, using it in only two places in a kitchen or bathroom.

Glam

Mixing multiple polished metals can give you more of a glamorous, luxe feel and lift a dull, flat space.

3. Select your metals

Once you know the number of metals to use and your style, choose a primary metal, secondary metal, and accent metal–if you’re using three metals.

Ratios

The primary metal is used for about 70 percent of your space and a secondary metal is used for about 30 percent of the space.

Here’s a general idea of how to use three metals. Aim for a primary metal used in 60 percent of the space, a secondary metal for 30 percent of the space, and an accent metal for 10 percent of the mix.

Laundry room

Matte black was used on the cabinet hardware, there are stainless appliances, and there are chrome accents throughout. Wood and woven textures warm up the space, as well as the warm undertones of the gray cabinet paint.

4. Pay attention to undertones

Undertones are important to getting the color right. If you get them wrong, things can clash. Avoid mixing metals that are in the same family but have different undertones.

Always remember companies have the same metal but in slightly varying finishes and undertones so they rarely match company to company. Buy everything from the same company to make sure everything matches.

5. Mixed metal combination ideas

Try the following combinations:

Satin chrome, polished chrome, and stainless steel

Avoid these combinations:

Polished brass plus brushed gold

More things to avoid:

Don’t mix more than three metals.

Don’t use metals in an even 50/50 mix and instead sprinkle them around the room.

Don’t mismatch faucets.

Don’t mismatch interior door handles and hinges.

Don’t mismatch your metal undertones.

6. Metal trends

Some metals have more staying power than others. Chrome, brass, and polished nickel will always be classics.

Matte black may be too trendy–instead, incorporate black light fixtures.

Unlacquered brass develops a dark patina, but it can be viewed as trendy, too. Brass, however, may be overused at times, too.

Mixing metals

If you choose metals you love, you have successfully mixed your metal finishes. I hope this was helpful to you. Leave me comments about how you’ve mixed metals in your home or lessons learned when mixing metals.