I love bright brass when it is polished and clean.

Sassy Brassy, I love brass too.

Dear Sassy Brassy;

Me too! When we were building cabs in the family room earlier this year I knew I wanted "antique" brass sconces and bookcase lights and brass pumpkin knobs for the door. I love them all and I was 100% right -- they look great!

I look forward to seeing your FR update.

Yours respectfully,
Likes Brass Too

Thank you Sassy, I'm very glad you said it. Just this past weekend I bought these.

My sassy brassy friend!! Brass has been "classy" and in style for several centuries...ain't never going out...
What's really "out" is the "trendy Wendy" stuff....like ORB and nickle silver.....natural brass and chrome and wrought iron is always "in".....has been for 3 or 4 centuries.....why should things change.

I like brass too, as long as it's not shiny. Also love chrome and ORB. Don't listen to the naysayers.

Yep, I'm a brass fan, too. I like it in both shiny polished and naturally aged patina finishes.I also like polished and brushed chrome and some brushed nickel (i.e., the brighter brushed nickels that look like a 'warmed' polished chrome, and I like them better with a patina), but brass will always be my 'go to' choice for hardware in most rooms. Bronze I only like in sculptural pieces, and usually with an aged or rainbow patina (liver of sulphur can create a rainbow of lovely patinas on a lot of metals.)

As others have said, brass is classic. Never out of style, except to those who feel that they have to follow trends.

I have brass-look hardware in my house for the most part (built in 1987) and while I wouldn't mind replacing it because it isn't my favorite, I can live with it (it goes with the rest of the 1987 look of the house, LOL) and I would rather spend the few decorating dollars I have on other things that matter more to me.

I like many of the other finishes, like polished nickel or brushed nickel, ORB, copper, and I love pewter. The only finish that doesn't thrill me (but lives on in a ceiling fixture in my upstairs bath) is antique brass.

@les917--you always have such notable words of decorating wisdom. When I get my "update" complete--I can't wait for you to take a look. You can find that "it doesn't quite look right" and correct it every time.
I like to take a few dollars and add some of the trendy stuff to my classic things and get an updated look. I too love the other finishes. I have some ORB mixed with my brass and I think it looks very warm. I have a friend at work who is always in a constant state of remodeling. She literally gets her kitchen done and within months she's at it again. I just wears me out talking to her about it. So much easier to do little pops of refreshing, especially as I get older.

Love2weed,
I love the title of your post. I, too, like brass and especially like to mix metals. I just think it adds interest to a room when the dominant finish is sprinkled with a little of this and that. I get amused when some people act like you've just admitted to having leprosy if you even say the hush-hush word, "brass."

I'm quite certain that some family members were mortified when I hung a brass chandelier in the dining room. And to add insult to injury, I've added a whole slew of brass accessories to that room. There's another room in the house that's turning all brassy, as well.

I've started noticing more and more brass colored finishes in lighting, frames, accessories, hardware, etc., but they've renamed it "aged gold" "antique gold" or some other similar thing...anything except calling it that "B" word.

I think many people's only exposure to brass was the faux antique brass of the '70's, followed by the tinny extra-shiny plated brass of the '80's. I know mine was, and when I had enough adventures that I had seen actual solid brass in all it's various stages of patina, well, there's just nothing else like it.

I passed up an old brass candlestick lamp at the thrift the other day (I already have too many lamps) but now I wish I had bought it.

Just purchased shiny LIFETIME brass front door handleset to replace the not-so-shiny non-lifetime brass one. If anyone would like to see, I can show you a pic of the old one, there really is a difference, and you get what you pay for with that word, lifetime!

I have ORB in the kitchen and laundry room where it makes sense because the rooms are Arts & Crafts/Mission style. It's in one other room, my studio, right next to the kitchen. Everywhere else is shiny brass that makes sense for the styles of the rooms.

I think I know what you mean. As I frequent these boards, and watch decorating TV, I'm becoming influenced by the newest and latest trends. We will be completely redoing our house in two years (need to wait for my retirement money to be available to us), and so I'm collecting ideas.

I, too, have gone through the, "We need to get rid of .....", only to realize that I love it, and so what if it's not what is being touted by the latest decorating experts.

Brass has that ultra shiny to me "cheap" look when it has been lacquered. Remove the lacquer and allow it to tarnish.....then polish it, or if it's a cabinet know just touching it will keep it polished.
If you like a darker brass finish, go for the real thing....remove the lacquer from your hardware or fixtures and allow it to mellow. That ORB you say you must have because you have mission styling, the real thing is just tarnished natural brass. I have a friend who was redoing an old house....restoring it actually. His dad was helping with some of the finish work.....and one evening he did him a favor and polished up the wonderful mission light fixture.....so instead of a dark finish it was now shiny brass, but it's darkening down evan now.

I don't hate brass either. I did just change my 25 year old Quikset shiny brass door knobs throughout my house because they were in terrible shape. I replaced with oil rubbed bronze because we didn't like the silver finish in the only price point we could afford, and I wanted to try a change. I've got stainless steel finishes in my kitchen and shiny brass in my master bath. Definitely keep what you like, and I think many people have a mix of finishes in their homes anyway!

I had no idea brass was "out" until I started reading this board. Well, too bad because I like it too! I'm fonder of the tarnished brass over shiny, but I still like all of it.

I recently inherited 3 old tarnished brass pieces and I couldn't believe the added beauty and sophistication it brought to the room.

I agree with Betsy, I also like mixed metals.

Long live brass and out with trends!

I like brass, but my exceptions are shiny or brushed brass faucets and shower enclosures. Anything else goes.... I especially love old brass...

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I just restored two of these neoclassical sconces for a friend.
They are brass (originally were gilded in 1910).
Anyone who doesn't like the way they look on her landing will have to deal with it. ;)