I think it really depends on all the elements together. Can you place a sample of your door style, counter top, flooring and pulls together to get an idea? You know, a 'story board' like the designers always do on design shows. I think it will help you visualize a little better.

Looking at samples together hasn't done it for me. I have many countertop samples and flooring samples.

I think I need some fresh opinions on whether or not brass goes with taupe, grey, black.

My idea of black grey and taupe may be different than yours but I think it will look ok. I have had brass now for 13 years and find it not as pleasing to me now. I think an ORB would look good with the above as well. good luck.
(It is hard to say yes or no without something to see persee!)

I like brass pulls.

taupe. (Zodiaq Antique Pearl)
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We just got our Zodiaq Mystic black quartz countertops installed this week. It is a charcoal gray color. The cabinetry is a very deep, warm cream--borderline beige, and my pulls are brass. They won't be installed until next week, or I would show you a pic. I loooove the way they all look together! (o:

I think brass will warm it up. Should look great. You know how we love pics, though. Like pics of the pulls now that we've seen the countertops.

Lisa

Not any more. I like brass too, but it's not currently in style and will make the reno look 'old'. Either bright brass or antique brass will look like you kept the old handles at the very least. Besides, the white cabinets you want, with the light gray-ish counter and the light wood floors have a clean, modern vibe. If you don't want nickel or another "silver", what about doing a colored glass knob? Or a ceramic knob? I'm not sure ORB would go with your pale color scheme either.

You don't HAVE to get knobs right away either. Live with it awhile and get them later. What is the metal on your light fixtures?

"but it's not currently in style and will make the reno look 'old'."

I don't know about that...manufacturers from Kohler to retailers like IKEA are featuring kitchen faucet finishes In Brass or Gold tones. So, you may be Ahead of the curve--not way behind it.

I think it could potentially be a particular SHAPE in brass, however, that makes it look the "D" word.

Regardless, I think you should use what you want. One of the problems with using whatever finish says "2009! look at me I am a brand new kitchen!" is that in 7 years, it says "2009. Look at me, I was done in 2009" --Not that any of your finishes are particularly that specific.

But still, if you want brass, us it. Sometimes its good to confuse people :)

Brass everywhere as in pulls, faucet, chandelier.

Here are some pulls that would match the faucet.

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Shanghaimom, I'd love to see a picture when you have them. I am considering dark grey and black quartz countertops and if I go that direction our kitchens would look similar except my white cabinets are not creamy at all.

Biochem, is that color scheme only for modern kitchens? Because I don't like modern style kitchens.

I agree with Palimpset, IMHO brass and gold finishes are cutting-edge right now, whereas silver/nickel/SS/chrome are mainstream.

Many plumbing fixtures brands are releasing new brass/gold finishes ... I have even seen golden induction cooktops lately (from Bosch)! A few high-end appliances brand have added matte brass touches on their gas cooktops (SMEG, Gaggenau ...). The black&brass cootkop from SMEG won a Design Award from WallPaper (snobbish british decor/lifestyle magazine).

I have noticed that golden cuttlery is back in many dept stores (well, at least this is the case here in western europe, maybe we're in a time capsule?).

A few belgian brands have pretty furniture featuring warm grey/taupe paint and antique brass hardware.

Regarding style, when I looked for solid brass hardware it turned out to be surprisingly expensive. Not because nobody'll buy it, and probably also because so much good stuff was sent to landfill over the past two decades, to be replaced with inexpensive alloys topped with in-style finishes. Trends run their quick, profit-driven little courses, but brass will always be a classic choice, as will gold but actually within reach.

As to whether it can work, yes, but you may need some kind of blender, maybe just in accessories, to marry its warmth with its cooler surroundings. If all else fails, you could always buy an hour's time from a decorator to make make it all work the way you want. I was just looking at a glossy magazine with an extremely expensive room done in large sweeps of purple and tobacco brown, much more extreme a clash than brass and taupe. I personally hate that combo, but it looks atrociously gorgeous, anyway.

faucet

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Monkey, I'll definitely post some pics when I have them. They are putting all my doors back on on the 29th!(Being enameled at the painter's shop.)
Then hardware!! So excited....
Anyway, the color combo definitely "goes". Go for it!

I just finished a kitchen with white, black, grey, taupe cabs and counters, and lots and lots of antique brass pulls. I'll attach the link to the thread for you to look at. The extra thing I have (and reason I went to brass) is the caramel colors in the marble we used, and some antique pine pieces in and near the kitchen. Somehow bringing in warmth to tie in the brass would help, I think.

We have some ORB hardware in places, too, partly to mix things up, and partly because brass would have blended right into the pine hutch. We needed some contrast.

Here is a link that might be useful: link with my finished kitchen

Segbrown, your kitchen is similar to an idea I am having about blackish/dark grey countertop and calacatta gold backsplash and similar brass pulls on white cabinets. Would you consider your floor dark or medium toned? The reason I am asking is I don't want dark floors due to more upkeep so I am wondering what is your opinion of blackish/dark grey countertops with light wood floor or medium wood floors?

Yes, our floor are definitely dark rather than medium. I doubt I would go lighter than "medium" -- but that should be fine for upkeep, even better than light. Our neighbors have a brown oak floor that is a couple of shades lighter than ours that looks fantastic. I would be careful to stay away from the orange-y oak (that's what we had before -- it was a great floor, but I don't think it would have looked as good as the browner color). The browns usually have some gold in them, too, good for the brass tie-in.

If I were you, I would go for any warmer tone of countertops (Kashmir Gold for example) to go with Brass. From your pictures, I think SS would be the best fit.

I think I may have to forget about the grey and taupe countertops. Considering blackish countertops vs light warm colors now.

Did you look at Toasted Almond, Savory, or Moroccan Morning?

They are all midtones with gold in them...not quite such a dramatic shift in palette from near off-whites to black.

Yes, I didn't like them. They are not calm colors at all.

I see brass as a very traditional choice, one I plan to make for myself in my future kitchen (finally back on track!). That being said, my countertop will be a natural material (marble or soapstone depending on fabricators). Have you considered a natural countertop rather than the quartz? My color scheme for my house is all taupe and grey with a splash of caramel and chocolate brown here and there.

What has drawn you to brass and what's your mission statement for your kitchen? I'm trying to understand all the elements together. Is your brass going to patina? That's the look I'm going for since I don't like the shiny, lacquered brass of the '80's that everyone hates.

I definitely think that before we know it, brass is going to be *everywhere*. It's already easier to find that it was as recently as June when I started planning my new house.

grlwprls, unfortunately today I got a sample of bianco antico granite today, which is taupe and white. same flooring dilemma as the antique pearl..trying to find a floor "cool" enough for the taupe. And of course brass doesn't look good with it and of course it isn't a calm countertop and of course you need a relatively dark floor to counterbalance all that white which I want to avoid. I am just drawn to taupe. I have some flooring samples and I don't know if they are cool enough to look good with the countertop.
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I don't really want to deal with sealing or stone cleaners or problems like chipping or staining, so I will probably go with quartz.

I think I want the brass to stay polished and bright.

I considered a brass hood but eliminated that due to too much polishing.

The mission statement would be: the kitchen will have classic elements including classic colors that are calm which I won't become tired of looking at and the surfaces will be hardworking and as low maintenance as possible.

I think low maintenance surfaces means light floors and light countertops. But I am concerned that the room will look washed out if I put a light floor and counter. And I don't want to go dark with the floor because they are higher maintenance.

Tonight I am thinking that a blackish countertop and neutral brown floor are very classic and will balance all the white everywhere else. But for black, I am unsure that a blackish counter will look good with a light floor. And I am concerned that a blackish counter will make the room look smaller and darker.

Here are some countertop samples I was able to check out for the holiday weekend from a fabricator.

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Torn in different directions. Countertop angst.

Okay, I will say that a "blackish" counter will *definitely* not be low maintenance. If I looked at my Absolute Black wrong it would streak and splotch!

Although if that's your "blackish" sample, I don't think you'd suffer the same fate. I tend to think that brass is going to pop more against that dark countertop.

I would suggest that you look at your samples on the same plane that they will be viewed. Meaning, your countertop is *not* going to be right on the flooring, and you'll be surprised how much different things look when you see how the light will play on them as horizontal surfaces.

I've never had the option in my New Orleans homes to "pick my floor" - we always just had heart pine and I decorated how I wanted. Never thought about the floor in terms of other items.

The blackish counter does hide some crumbs, but not as well as the lighter ones.

I probably should move them all to the countertops for the rest of the weekend.

Does the black counter look best with the gold or brown floor?