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Does lighting fixture have to match cab hardware?

15 years ago

We have matte black cabinet hardware (cup pulls and knobs) and I have been looking and looking for lighting with black fixtures to match. Can't find a one! Both at HD and Lowes, all they have is ORB.

Now, I LOVE ORB. Don't get me wrong. But would it be a design no-no to use ORB lighting fixtures throughout the house when we have the black hardware?

Also, a bit OT: Should all the lighting hardware in the first floor match?

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Comments (7)

boxiebabe
15 years ago
GW: I researched that question awhile back when the ORB lighting I found that I loved, didn't match my nickel cabinet hardware. The vote seemed swayed to the "no, it doesn't have to match". I tried like heck to find nickel looking lighting, but most of it was too cool and modern looking, and I found myself drawn to less modern looking lighting selections. I ran with it, and heck, I didn't even stick with the 'style' of lighting that would've been more in keeping with my other kitchen selections. Most of my kitchen choices are 'mission' style, and my lighting selection is, well I don't know what it is... it's MY style. How 'bout that? I found what I liked and went with it. I've often wondered about the mixing to styles, but I love my lights, so I just call my style "eclectic". Yeah, that's it, eclectic. :)
gardenwebber
Original Author
15 years ago
Boxie - thank you for that post! I hope more chime in.

Lighting is so expensive, I sure don't want to regret my choices.
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Sorry, ORB = oil-rubbed bronze! :) Our backdoor hardware is oil-rubbed bronze, which I hated at the start of our remodel, but which actually looks more at home now that it's done--it plays off of the black fixtures, I think. (We also replaced the door with a stained rather than painted door, which helped a lot too--so rather than "random finishes," we have the nickel on the cabinets, the ORB on the stained door, the brass on the painted doors/windows, and the black on the lights and accents (stove grates are black here too). Plus I totally forgot about the stainless hood, so yeah, we are not sticklers for matching finishes! (We do also have an older house, though, which I think gives us a little more freedom for finishes to vary than a newer house where everything was matchy-matchy to start with--even our windows and doors with original hardware vary in that some of the hardware and hinges have been painted over and are now "white" and some of the hardware is still brass.) Our kitchen is not open to any room except our breakfast nook, so we did match the fixture finishes there. But I don't think we needed to do that, necessarily. I would wait on your dining room fixture till the kitchen is done and see how you feel about matching versus not at that point.
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I like a mix. Our old house had ORB cabinet hardware, stainless plumbing and glass with polished nickel fixtures. It looked great together and was one of the reasons that the new owners (our new friends) loved the kitchen. This remodel will have PN, BN, and stainless. We're tying two rooms together and the FR has BN hardware where the kitchen will have PN with stainless appliances. gothaml, I look forward to seeing your lighting! I'm betting it's going to look wonderful.
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Suzy - I have the same problem...my house is traditional colonial, all the current hardware is brass. (Doors, lights, etc.)Plus my decorating style when I did the living room, next to the kitchen, has definite golden undertones.My new cabinets are white traditional raised panel. I've flipped back and forth on lights and hardware and so forth, driving myself crazy. Do I match the brass? And coordinate with the living room? Or go more current with polished nickel and coordinate the style? Ay yi yi. My current thought is to use hardware that is "pearl nickel" or "#15 Satin Pearl" (Hickory Hardware & Anne at Home, respectively).The slight pearl hint on the hardware looks rather silver-gilt like, and magically picks up the golden tones in the adjacent room. You do need to get a sample, though, it looks different in real life than on the computer monitor. The tricky part is that there aren't that many manufacturers with the finish, and each one names it differently. You can find lights that have the silver gilt gold finish as well. (named differently by every manufacturer!) Just a thought, hope it helps!
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They definitely don't have to match! Mixing brass with black is very common right now and looks incredible. Our vote is for C! It may be nice to get a light fixture that mixes the two metals like this example here.
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jen4268
15 years ago
I have polished nickel hardware and faucet, but I am using oil rubbed bronze in my island light fixture. I have nordic black antiqued granite, and the oil rubbed bronze looks more like an antiqued black. I think that you can use the other elements in your room to choose your light fixture for an overall look, and not worry so much on the cabinet hardware.
lascatx
15 years ago
Gosh, I hope not! I have brushed chrome and black cabinet hardwar (on different cabinet finishes) and my light fixture is something that is not black but not ORB either and it is rubbed with a bit of gold. I have antique brass in other rooms, and for me at least, it ties everything together without being matchy, matchy.
cpccarolyn_2008
15 years ago
No, absolutely not. You certainly don't have to have everything matchy, matchy,. Where light fixtures are in the
same room, it does look good when you look up and it blends.
In other rooms you can certainly use different finishes. I
have black pendant in my kitchen and dinnette. In my dining
room and foyer, I have a mahogany finish. In my bathroom,
I have ORB finishes. Hope this helps. Just pick what you
like and enjoy.
gardenwebber
Original Author
15 years ago
I am so relieved to hear your responses! Thank you so very much.
neesie
15 years ago
You know if you want to go with matchy-matchy you could try what Lisa LaPortia does on Design to Sell (HGTV). She frequently takes an existing fixture and spray paints a new finish! I imagine this works best with matte black.

For the record I cringe when I think that people are going to change out their whole house just because they are replacing one knob somewhere in a different finish. I'm a bit eclectic myself!

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