I don’t understand all these dilemmas which include “trend”, “on the way out”. Iron, gold, silver, copper, and aluminum, and alloys such as brass and steel…do you see one of these metals that went out of fashion?

Two different color cabinets…my great grandmother had two color cabinets.

Do what you want.

brass like this? lol - i still like brass and think as long as your designs are modern its still a great option - i myself am getting nickel fatigue lately

Do mix your metals. IMO metal finishes are timeless. It's just metal. What does determine fad is the use of them. The best designs mix the metals. If you go with one metal finish in a home it will look "dated" when the next "fad metal finish" comes out. In my home my cabinet hardware is the same as my doors hardware throughout. My pendants in the kitchen are a different finish but are the same as the metal finish around the fireplace box that you see from the kitchen, then the sink fixtures are a different finish but is the same for all the sinks throughout. That's just an example, there are different ways of mixing them up.

We have had dark lowers and white uppers for 12 years now and when we got them some were saying it was a trend. It looks classic in our 110 year old home and when we had a fire a couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to change then, but didn't. I love it. What we did change was the hardware to brushed brass. I figure if I get sick of it, hardware is easy to change out. Our light fixtures are brass as I think that is consistent with the age of the home.

If brass was the most popular finish at the time the house was built, brass in some form will look appropriate. Also if you mix, it looks less time specific.

People talk about nickel and ORB as if they are less susceptible to changes in fashion but they are relatively "new" finishes residentially.

When I wanted ORB to coordinate with the 160 year old blackened brass in my house in 1996, it was a custom order finish and I had to have a couple things custom plated and finished. There was no such thing as an off the shelf ORB faucet at that time.

Brushed nickel and stainless type finishes have been available since after WWII for commercial products but again, they were not readily available for residential things. When I wanted something in polished nickel in the mid 1990s, I had to find a metal plater who restored nickel.

Brass and chrome have been around all that time. Not trendy but still there.

My white kitchen with a steel (not stainless) topped island that I let rust a bit before having it coated, the butcher block drop down eating area (for chairs not stools), my butcher block bar counter, and counters under the windows.....I still love that kitchen. I have brass fixtures over my nightstand that are on arms. I really dispise the words trend, trending, now.....I just go with what I feel and do not care what anyone else thinks. It is my home and my comfort. They are saying Corian is not "in" and is dated, yet I have no problem cleaning my shower and it never stains nor is there grout to clean. I am seeing all of my friends Quartzite seems getting larger as we speak and they are only months old. Today I read that my white subway tiles are "out." Really?? It is like fashion who are these people that say what is in and out? My father told me to put clothes in a trunk and twenty years later turn the trunk upside down and you have todays fashion. He was so right. I just wish I had stayed the same size. lol

The honest truth is things do look outdated over time no matter how classic you go, but I personally love the new brushed brass and I think using it in places in your kitchen with the cabinet combo you discussed will look terrific. I love the inspirational photos you posted and if that is the kitchen and look you want I say - go for it and enjoy it!

Long stretch of lowers. Photoshop would be best... not sure I'd make a stark contrast between all lowers and uppers....

I'll be the curmudgeon here and say that brass has always reminded me of faux elegance. For me, it's too bright and intrusive, particularly hardware that's brass plated. I prefer to stick with something "quieter" like satin chrome, nickel, or stainless. They're less in-my-face, and have a cleaner, less fussy look.

Function will never go out of style.....which makes me think very dark lower cabinets are a great idea. I've had all white for 4 years and I notice the lowers take a beating with dark spots....to have dark there would wear better. So go for it!

Across from the kitchen is our family room, and I had planned to modernize it with a 12"x24" stacked medium gray tile (full height to ceiling) and built-in cabinets on the sides. Since I'm doing 2-tone for the kitchen, should I keep the base cabinets dark and do white shelves above, or would it be ok to do all white?

Great photo shop. If you are doing navy blue in the family room the palette of grays, (varying intensities), navy and whites will be stunning and the tile on fireplace will be super. Great plan!

Since nobody else has mentioned the practicalities, be sure that you talk to an HVAC specialist early in your planning -- there are clearly ducts up in that bulkhead, and it may not be trivial to relocate them...

ACM yes we've met with contractors and discussed relocating (and they've done this plan before too so are familiar) but thanks for the reminder!

So for the built in cabinets next to the fireplace... if I’m doing gray fireplace tile do you think white cabinets would be best- or would it be best to continue the two tone look with dark base cabinets and white shelves above?

I would depart from the white in the family room because it can start to look to "matchy-matchy", so if you do dark base cabinets, I would do both the base and the tops in the base dark gray for kitchen and family room side units next to the fireplace. I think it would look more chic and less "builder-basic."

i just redid my wet / coffee bar and had redone my kitchen a year ago, and was considering replacing the brushed nickel with the gold/brass. however, it requires carrying the gold in other parts of the house for continuity - i.e., door handles, light fixtures, faucet, etc. i really don't think it is here to stay. i really love the look of it on cabinet pulls because it really stands out and makes a statement. however, for longevity sake, i think i would go with chrome or brushed nickel. so...i just bought new chrome contemporary handles for all of the cabinets in the kitchen and bar and feel like that was the right choice.

Christine-

Sounds like a good solution. I have found that something that "makes a statement" is not always consistent with good design, particularly if there are other features in the house that also make statements. I've never gone wrong by following the maxim: "Less is more."

Very happy for this thread. We manage a luxury vintage apartment building, with both a 1920's section and a mid-century section (the architect did a good job in blending them). Need a new kitchen in our best unit, so am thinking dark gray or taupe-type color for cabinets. Thought I would have to go with nickel/silver-toned hardware throughout the unit, but this has convinced me that I can use ORB, even though other finishes are elsewhere. I'm not one who likes to make a big statement with the cabinet doors & drawers, as there are generally quite a few of them. I prefer to save the "statement" for somewhere else.

vicki-

ORB would not be my finish of choice in an apartment building. It is more easily damaged than finishes like chrome, and would show wear sooner.

Good point, kudzu9. Thanks!

Looking at your first photo of the kitchen may I ask the brand of the bras faucet and cabinet hardware? Im looking to do the same and having hard time matching hardware close enough.

We did a Delta faucet and emtek for the cabinet hardware. Perfect match! Just a FYI the Kohler is way more yellow, so we stuck with Delta for faucets

Beautiful! Can you tell me about that tall bath sconce? I love it!

Gorgeous!

@ Heatherk01 are the kitchen faucets Delta as well or just the bathroom?

thank you! Yes they are also Delta

Beautiful spaces....I would love to know where to purchase the gorgeous sconces between the mirrors!

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!

Sorry, auto correct - *Kohler.

doet- You can just use the edit function to fix stuff that needs correcting.

Do you know the color of blue on the cabinets (first pic)? Love that shade and looking to do similar!

Wow! Did you close off the loft??

Your remodel looks amazing! Did you work with a professional interior designer on this?

Choosing finishes for a remodel can be both exciting and challenging, considering the desire for a timeless look that will stand the test of time. For my opinion, brushed nickel is the finish won't go out of style. You can read this post: https://www.wowowfaucet.com/is-brushed-nickel-finish-going-out-of-style-in-2024/

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