I have a dilemma regarding door hardware, especially bifold closet door pulls. When we built 14 years ago the entire house had the brass-colored (certainly not real brass) door handles. It looked fine then cuz our foyer and dining room chandeliers were contemporary lucite with brass. Now we have little brass in updated bathrooms and want to switch over the hardware but I cannot afford new chandeliers. And, our master bath is very expensive polished brass plumbing. Sooooo, my question is whether it would look awkward to have different finishes in different rooms. I am leaning toward ORB in the main part of the house (I have a lot of iron accents to balance with it). Then in the rooms with nickel or chrome I could do a silver-based finish. I'd leave the master bedroom with the brass for now. But,I'm not sure how that would transition from room to room. I think ORB might be the better way to go for everything since it is a neutral finish and would go with every room. Of course, my DH won't want anything changed at all. I can hear him now "You want to change out perfectly good hardware????"

Koehler has two gold tones, besides the polished gold: vibrant brushed gold and vibrant brushed brass. Did you look at those? I love them! Another thought: I see a lot of top designers mixing the metals - eg. brass light and cabinetry pulls in brushed brass with brushed nickel faucets and plumbing fixtures. Look at Jean Stoffer’s kitchens and baths - gorgeous!

When I was buying my polished brass pulls nearly 2 years ago, I made a comment about them not being "popular" these days, and thus, hard to find. The owner laughed and said it's still his best selling finish! There are many places where only polished brass will look right. It's wonderful to brighten up grays and other neutrals - putting black or brushed would make it all look quite dreary

It's not just fitting the style of the house (which may or may not actually have one stye!), but where the house is located. The Tuscan and Santa Fe look for bathrooms and kitchen backsplashes was not a great idea unless one lived in Tuscany or Santa Fe. Both certainly looked ridiculous in Des Moines. Stainless appliances are here to stay; black stainless is not. White really only work well in super high end kitchens where most are built in and concealed anyway. Cabinets that are kept simple - no fancy stains, not knots and "rustic" look, no glazes - are best. Shaker and slab will never scream "dated" like other styles. Asking a kitchen shop is problematic. If one asked the shop that did my kitchen what their top sellers are (it's one of the most high end shops in town), they would tell you "cherry" and "glazed cream". Both have been out of style for years, but that's what people in my town still seem to want as that's all they see. My gray kitchen is the first (and only!) one this shop has ever done. Perhaps in 20 years, gray will become "trendy" in my town! Think about ease of cleaning in a kitchen. All those highly carved corbels are dust/grease catchers and cleaning them is not easy. That's not where I want to spend my time. I think separate kitchens are returning in high end houses - or at least SOME separation. This is going to make deciding on how ones kitchen should look SO much easier. My gray kitchen is harmonious with the dining room on one side (totally separate room with a swinging door between it and the kitchen) and my back hall (single doorway, no door due to space restraints). But it is a separate kitchen and my LR and DR use lots of color and pattern, but my kitchen does not.