Mixing Chrome and Stainless Steel - OK?

7 years ago

I'm agonizing with the fact that my kitchen's appliance, sink, light fixtures and knobs are in the brushed finish. My faucet, however, is polished. Will it look ok or should I change the order since we are still in the middle of construction?

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Melissa Kroger

7 years ago

I think it's fine. Chrome is a classic choice for a faucet and doesn't have to match everything else. My appliances, hood and apron sink are stainless and my faucet and pulls are chrome.

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Comments (9)

Fori
7 years ago
It's fine. I have a brushed stainless range with shiny chrome accented knobs. I have shiny chrome faucets inset into brushed stainless counters (with shiny chrome drain thingies). They are pretty much the same color family and quite compatible.

(I have polished stainless grab bars and polished chrome towel bars in my bathroom and I can't tell the difference at all.)
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OK I have been there and I can relate. So take my advice in the spirit in which it's intended, which is kind. Get over it and embrace stainless for the neutral material that it is. Honestly. I belabored it and put off replacing appliances, or insisted on white, only to realize it's no big deal. Get good looking stainless and you will forget about it in no time, I promise you! The thing with white is that it's not going to match your other whites anyway. And even if it does, guess what--it's going to change in a few years and you'll be like me staring at white cabinets next to a white dishwasher and wondering in my head "which one of you discolored?" The SS bothered me at first, especially fingerprints. But if you choose attractive ones, I almost guarantee you'll be happier than if you went through all the trouble to go with white. Panels are nice, if you can afford them, but really the lower-end brands that advertise "panel ready" products are disappointing at best. A cabinetmaker that I know tells me they're simply not designed for a good-looking panel installation. Share some pics of what you've got, and maybe people can help you out. In a small kitchen, I'd choose appliances (especially the fridge) with the fewest bells and whistles on the surface. Ice dispensers and curved fronts are really distracting. Go for low-profile, streamlined stainless and you'll be surprised how much it just disappears. I do totally understand your dilemma, but I think you'll be just fine ;-)
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To the OP, if you decide on an apron front sink in stainless steel, make sure to look at how the front panel is made. You don’t want a curved one. You also don’t want a SS apron front that is super thick. What Joe Corlett pictures above is more what you want. Some of the cheaper ones have the super thick apron - it intrudes into the usable floor area of the sink. An extra-thick apron also removes the ergonomic advantage of an apron front which is that it is easier on your back to have your body directly against the sink, than to have the slight lean required with an undermount sink with its several inches of counter in front of it. I like the design of the Elkay apron front sink, because it also has an offset corner drain, an advantage. However, I don’t have direct experience with it so I unfortunately can’t advise on whether it’s a quality sink or not. What you DON’T want - this apron front is more than 5” thick: The Elkay ECTRUF30179RC, https://www.homedepot.com/p/Elkay-Crosstown-Farmhouse-Apron-Front-Stainless-Steel-36-in-Single-Bowl-Kitchen-Sink-with-Bottom-Grid-and-Drain-ECTRUF30179RC/305866142, the apron front is 2-1/2” thick.
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wildchild2x2
7 years ago
I think adding a touch of chrome to a stainless kitchen is an enhancement. I have a chrome pot filler and faucet, The handle on my range is stainless but the end pieces are chrome. Kitchenaid has added a little chrome inside profile on their wall ovens to add some sparkle. It's a great look to mix metals and finishes.
greenwoodframed
7 years ago
We did it. SS appliances, chrome hardware and faucets. I think it works.
smm5525
7 years ago
It'll be fine! I'm doing chrome hardware and faucet, brass lighting and stainless steel appliances.
daisychain Zn3b
7 years ago
Voice of dissent here. I am a big advocate of mixing metals and have done so in both of our kitchens. However, we went for a chrome faucet this time instead of stainless and I find I don't like the way it looks with the other metals. I think it is the fact that the other metals are "warm" and the chrome is "cool".
friedajune
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
It is hard to find a kitchen which doesn't mix stainless steel with another metal. Most appliances now are stainless steel, and there are stainless steel sinks. As others have said, the polish of a chrome faucet is very nice against these finishes. The majority of homes do not have finishes on their faucets to go with their appliances. There is usually a significant upcharge for different faucet finishes over a chrome finish. Most people aren't on the Kitchens Forum, and they don't give their faucet's chrome finish vs. their appliances, knobs or sink finish much thought.

When you go to relatives' or friends' homes, does it bother you if their faucet finish is different from other finishes in their kitchens? Have you even noticed?
Stan B
7 years ago
Agree, mix of polished and brushed works well. It is impossible to match everything perfectly so complement rather than strive for everything to be the same. Add in a few more polished metal elements as accents and it will all blend nicely.
chispa
7 years ago
Not something worth "agonizing" over ...

Mixing Chrome and Stainless Steel - OK?

Melissa Kroger

Comments (9)

Fori

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