It's really hard to give you an opinion as to how much is too much without being able to see the things or how they fit together in your layout. All those things may fit together, and I can see any of the hardware choices with your cabinets and counters, but I'm having trouble seeing the copper hood and nickel/pewter light fixtures. It may all work, but it may be one too many.

For the record, I have a number of different finishes, so I don't think everything has to match -- it just needs to make sense. Can you post photos or links for your hood adn light fixtures? If you can do the same for the hardware, it would be easier to see how they might work together.

hi lascatx. thanks for replying! I agree, the nickel pendants and copper hood are what are bugging me, in my mind, anyway. The copper hood is being fabricated for me by a local shop. It will start off really shiny but will patina (quickly I hope--but that is a question for another thread I guess).

What I was hoping to achieve was a Victorian look--I was sort of thinking the black would be a neutral, the copper, once patina'd, would be sort of neutral (there will also be some exposed brick and I think those two will work together). I can't really explain the nickel except that at one time I thought it was period appropriate and would just work...our old lights died right before the reno began and I took a leap and bought these. The issue is that I was going to get one more pixture to match...

here is a link to the pendants. there are three of them and they are quite near the hood.

Here is a link that might be useful: my island pendants

Why not just have your copper aged before you get it back? My copper sinks are already black (or patina'd) so you'd be starting with your neutral (blackened copper). I think the two shiny's are going to be distracting for a while :(

I have several finishes in the kitchen, but they do relate to each other. I have both silver and gold on the antique lighting (more of a pewter color because they're antique fixtures) and silver and gold on the stove handles and pot filler. Stainless on one counter and silver (chrome) for my water fixtures then pewter for the nobs. BUt still it's just the two colors (silver and gold).

In your case, it feels like you're mixing warm and cool colors (shiny copper and chrome/nickel). I believe that one or the other works, but not necessarily together. In my master where we have the copper sinks, we have antique gold pulls and lighting, keeping the warm tones together.

It really is in how it all flows. From your initial description, I wouldn't mix them...but if you can darken that copper finish and turn it into a neutral, then it might work.

I would not do hinges and pulls in different finishes. That never flows well.

I think you can have several finishes that work together, but your hinges and cabinet hardware should be the same. I have a range that has stainless and aged brass on it, white inset cabinets, hardwood floors and soapstone countertops. I used satin nickel hinges and cabinet hardware, a polished nickel faucet and am currently trying to decide on pendants. I have looked at aged brass, satin and polished nickel and all work fine.

Pick the hinges and cabinet hardware you love and then work from there.

igloo, I'm worried that you're right, and I should scrap my brand-new pendants that I love...I hadn't thought of it as warm and cool but you're right about that. Except that the nickel is a little warmer than, say, chrome (why I like it). Do you really think it might work, once the copper has a patina? (and by the way how do I fast-forward that process? is there a chemical I can apply? I don't think the sheet metal shop is going to do it for me.)

pluckymama, you're right about the cab hardware...I am a little nervous that ORB is one of things that will look dated first...however, hardware is also one of the easiest things to change, right? so I will figure out if these hinges are really black or ORB and go with that, because I guess that's a neutral.

They are putting in the hood in the next couple of days hopefully and I will post pictures. I am one of those people who needs to see things in person, so maybe I will figure out the nickel question then...

anyone else? if you have shiny nickel anything, what other finishes do you have with it? thanks!

I got a fantastic deal on a chandelier for my banquette area. Only problem - ORB instead of black. Bought a can of spray paint and plan to change it to black, which will go with the rest of our furnishings well. You could always paint your hinges or hardware, or whatever. The new spray paints are made for metals, plastics, etc. Just an idea....

My appliances will all be stainless, sink black silgranit, faucet satin nickel. Trying to decide between satin nickel hardware, or black. I feel your pain...By the way, I don't like everything matchy matchy - it adds character to have a few different things going on as long as it's not glaring. Good luck!

Holly, You can make anything work. And you can make mixed metals a theme. But since all of these are spread all over the place, I think your instinct is right, and it could use editing. The Victorian theme works in your favor, in that in those times they used whatever and weren't so magazine spread oriented as we are. But they also had fewer choices to combine with.

I agree that the polished nickel pendants are one of the biggest offenders, not only for color, but because they're shiny and your other finishes are matte. Kris might be onto something with the paint. Is it the shades of the pendants you like? Glass or something else not metal? Because if you really like them and don't want to paint you might be able to take the drops from others that are antique nickel to go with your other fixture, or copper to go with your hood.

I actually like the idea of glass knobs for the cabinets (if you're into Victorian glass knobs), and that might be a chance to add color as well. If the shafts are a brushed or antiqued nickel then it further reduces the confusion without making nickel dots all over. They'd go with the not quite black hinges, which, as Igloo pointed out, will go with your hood as the patina develops. And yes, there are chemicals you can add patina with.

On another tack, if you're thinking of adding patina to your hood, you can look into patinating products and see if they'll also work on your pendants, hinges and cup pulls. They'd still end up different colors, but perhaps you can add a patina that brings them all together.

Hmmm...this is very interesting...patinating the pendants.

I do love them the way they are though...and I was sort of counting on that Victorian vibe (i.e. not everything has to be matchy-matchy). All the finishes are historically possible for a Vic kitchen.

I'm going to wait till the hood is up to decide...I think. I really do have to order these lights. And even though I love the nickel in the kitchen, when I think of the family room I see something warmer.

With all the money we have spent I could just chalk these three brand-new Rejuvenation pendants up to one of those inevitable missteps (luckily haven't made too many so far). But I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet.

Holly, keep in mind that your nickel pendants won't stay shiny and new looking forever. I have a nickel pendant in my kitchen that's probably 5 years old (Restoration Hardware) and it's quite tarnished now. I'm not complaining because I like tarnished metals; just wanted to pass this along.

I won't have matching finishes, but I don't have copper thrown into the mix. I agree with igloo that aging the copper might be the way to go.

We're doing nickel pulls, latches and glass knobs on our painted cabinets, and ORB bin pulls and latches on our stained oak island. I didn't buy Eastlake pulls, but I wanted the color that's typically associated with them. ;o)

I'm undecided about our pendants, but in general, I think mixed finishes work quite easily in older homes.

I thought I was being careful about not being too matchy matchy, but then the doors arrived and the hinges are ORB. Was I asleep when I placed that order? I thought I said chrome. I would like ORB or Black knobs/pulls for the kitchen cabinets. But the bathrooms I want matte chrome but the doors are ORB. Won't it look funny to have these two together. For example the doorknob and hinges would be ORB going into the bathroom and then the faucets would be chrome. Isn't that going to look awful??

Say whatever you want my feelings will not be hurt. I just want some truthful answers about how this is supposed to work.

Rejuvenation in the past had custom finishes available including copper. I don't know that you could return installed fixtures but you may be able to get the lighting you like in copper

I don't see a problem here. Your hood, your pendants, and your cabinet hardware are all separate elements of your kitchen, and they don't have to match each other. The copper hood is a design element, the nickel pendants stand alone as another element (and play off your SS appliances), and your cabinets and pulls in a dark finish will sound like they will go along nicely with your black granite.

It's so easy to start to second-guess decisions as things begin to come together. I know that I'm guilty of this with just about every major project we undertake at this house. Remember that a certain amount of apprehension is normal, and keep your eye on your goal.

Connie

i kind of agree with hartwood. these details can drive you crazy. i am thankful that i let this go early on. i have SS appliances and a SS faucet. I chose weathered bronze pulls on my white cabs. I thought that i needed SS pulls too, but really wanted a dark color to pick up the dark brownish/black tones in my perimeter granite and the absolute black on my island. I'm glad I went with the dark ones, they look great. Now, I bought a wall mount pot rack to hang copper pots on. I'm not sure how the copper will look, but it is only an accessory that can be removed.

I had similar issues with my copper countertop - how the heck does a fridge match that?! I got 'antique copper' finished lighting from Rejuvenation, copper faucets from Moen, and a vibrant bronze fauct from Kohler. Somehow, it all pulls together. I think the main idea is to decide on warm OR cold, bright OR rich, and the colors aren't as vital as we worry they will be.

Check out the potions below for ready-made patina options without having to fiddle with chemicals yourself. These are super easy to apply (dip or brush on, wait, wipe), and is never final, since you can always sand away any disappointing results or goofs.

Just remember to either order the fixtures uncoated (if available), or use some lacquer thinner to remove the protective coating the factory puts on them, so that the patina liquid can work on the metal. This has been a charm for me with many new brass items I've had to match to my existing vintage ones.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jax Patina formulas

Hi--I thought this post had sort of dribbled away but it seems to have revived itself. I was thinking of posting a followup anyway--so here it is: I have decided to just get what I like. Connie, you and I are thinking alike and I hope we're right! The black will go with the counter and be a neutral, the copper is just itself and is beautiful, and ditto the nickel and it also goes with the stainless steel. And to really confuse things I am getting hand-rubbed brass fixtures for the family room. I went to the store and saw them in person and they were too warm and beautiful to resist. I have decided that the Victorians did not have the luxury of ten finishes to choose from--things would have come one way (and I think iron knobs, brass lights, nickel kitchen fixtures and copper hoods were all actual Victorian choices) and so what I am doing is sort of authentic :)

can you tell that I'm at the point in the reno where I just don't care anymore?? ;)

thank you everyone for the patina suggestions--will let you know how that goes.

Holly

Yeah! you go girl, get what you love so that everytime you look at it you smile :)

I'm doing easlake bin pulls too. house of antique hardware has them in a variety of finishes, not just cast iron. I haven't decided yet whether I'm doing bright brass, unlacquered brass with aging solution applied (most likely) or painted. For the texture and look they give, I think they're well worth the hassle of trying to incorporate with the rest of your hardware.