Interior Design Tips: How to Mix Metal Finishes in Home Decor
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Whether you’re decorating a cozy corner or revamping an entire room, selecting all of the finishes can be daunting. It’s easy to spend hours down the rabbit hole of Pinterest, only to emerge feeling more confused. Which shade of blue paint is best? Will this tile work with my cabinets? Should all of the metal finishes in the room be the same … or can I mix them?
In interior design trends, mixing metals has increased in popularity over the past few years. When well done, mixed metals in kitchens, bathrooms, and other living spaces can create a “collected-over-time” look by bringing visual depth and interest to a room. Varying metal finishes across hardware, furniture, lighting, and other fixtures adds character that a “matchy-matchy” look may lack.
So, what’s the rule on using metal finishes in your home? Although there’s no perfect formula for determining how to mix metals, there’s a way to mix metals so it doesn’t look like a hot mess. Read on for my tips to pull off this trend and achieve a curated, designer look!
First, let’s start with how many metals to choose: I recommend selecting two metals per room. Personally, I would use the same two metals throughout the home, rather than having different combinations in each room. Start by selecting the dominant metal, which should account for approximately 60 to 75 percent of the metal accents in the room. Common dominant metals include satin nickel, polished chrome, or brushed brass.
Next, add a complementing accent metal. Like any good relationship, the metals should work well together, rather than fight each other. To achieve this, it’s about finding the right balance with metals.
Some metals are cool and some metals are warm, and using one of each will help create balance in the room. Chrome, stainless steel, and nickel are cool, while brass, gold, and copper are warm. To achieve balance, I recommend selecting one metal that is cool and one that is warm. Black is neutral, which means it pairs well with both groups.
But what about the finish of the metal itself? Some may disagree with me, but I recommend using the same finish when mixing metals to help provide cohesion in the design. If you’ve selected brushed antique brass as your primary metal, then adding another brushed metal as your accent would be ideal.
One rule that is important to follow is to keep metals the same per item group. For example, it would look odd to have half of the kitchen pendants in black and half of them in chrome. Instead, select black for all of the pendants and use chrome for the cabinet hardware and sink faucet.
And, lastly, choose what you love! Decorating your space is about personal expression. If you adore a particular metal, find ways to incorporate it. Mixing metals isn’t about rigid rules — it’s about creating an intentional look tailored to your taste.
I’d love to see how you mixed metals in your home! Tag me on social media @saltwood.interiors
YAY! I’m Christine, owner of Saltwood Interiors.
I’m passionate about helping people transform their spaces into homes they love.
