BKO was a typo I made in a thread that seems to have caught on. I meant to say TBO (totally bathroom obsessed) but there was a two year old pulling on me, and I hadn't slept, and BKO came out instead. For some reason freaks who are TKO seem to understand that BKO (which makes no sense) means Bath LOL I have mixed finishes in all of my rooms (because I'm BKO AND TKO LOL) In my master bath I have antique gold knobs and gold tone lighting (antique stuff from the 1920's that I restored). The lighting also has browns involved in the design and the faucets are all ORB. The towel bars, hooks etc are all ORB as well. All of the finishes are what I would call "warm" in nature and the colors flow. Chrome would look terrible in that room. In the kitchen I have a SS countertop, fridge, DW and TC. My sinks are SS and the faucets (bar, main and pot filler) are all chrome. My lighting is a mix of antique pieces which have both aluminum (or antique pewter color) and a soft gold highlight on them with amber shades. My stove has both silver and gold on the handles (Lacanche) and my knobs are antique pewter. My other counters are granite with amber running through it prominently and the backsplash is amber as well as the glass in the cabinets. So in that room, I am mixing both gold and silver (warm and cool) tones. In the family bath I have a mix of chrome and brushed nickle. The faucets are chrome, as is the toilet handle and then the other pieces are brushed as are the knobs. The powder room has gold or brass fixtures and knobs. I hate having everything exactly the same except for the most modern of rooms (where that uniformity becomes important in taking individual elements out of the design). So the answer is....LOL you can probably do anything. :oP Does that help???

Most copper hood companies will lacquer your hood for you -- there's a coating called IncraLac that has the best reputation for durability on copper. That will keep it shiny and salmon-y orange, as long as you don't scrape it with something sharp during cleaning. On its own, yes, copper will darken, esp. if exposed to the steam from a range, but this might actually be preferable, depending on your desired color scheme. I know very few folks with copper sinks who have chosen the raw copper look; they all seem to buy the patina'd versions. I have unsealed copper counters and they were great "raw" but we actually prefer them now that they've darkened. Here's a page from one of the hood makers with some patinas for example: Here is a link that might be useful: patina & lacquer optons

I do seem to recall some issues a few years ago with ORB. Maybe it's better now? In 2008, we wanted darker hardware as well, so we went with antique iron for our hardware b/c of the issues I read about with ORB. For our fixtures, we decided to stick with a lighter "color" and went with brushed/satin nickel. For our drains in the kitchen, we went with brushed stainless. The powder room has a brushed nickel drain...big mistake! Both bleach & BKF destroyed its finish! (Our cabs are stained cherry with Absolute Black counters.) I wish I could tell you finishes are better today, but I just don't know!

As with all good design, matching everything exactly isn’t the right call. You want your space to be curated and custom, and if you choose the same hardware throughout the house (especially in different rooms), your home will feel builder-grade and boring. Your hardware should be sisters, not twins—meaning sharing some similar elements but not the exact same. For example, if you have a more modern aesthetic, pick 2-3 hardware colors and choose all modern hardware. That way, the space will feel cohesive and custom without feeling boring. We have some ideas about hardware, fromour favorites to everything you need to know about hardware to what paint colors go best with what hardware. Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress!