spray paint is the best thing for painting the fixtures that I've ever found, honestly. for most cases, Rustoleum is perfect for the job, and comes in a pretty good selection of colors. another option is to prime and paint with automotive spray paints (from the autoparts store) which sometimes come in different colors. a third option is to patina them either green or rust, since they're metal to begin with (there are a ton of kits for this out there)

I looked into this last spring when I was shopping for a used chandelier. I haven't tried this, mind you, but here's what I read: polish the chandelier to remove the tarnish; it will restore the brass to a shiny state; let the brass tarnish over a period of several weeks to desired patina; then wax the chandelier to retard further tarnishing. I suppose you could lacquer it too, but I think lacquer would be tricky to apply well. Also, when you say "antique brass," do you mean the antique brass finish that's painted on or do you mean an old formerly shiny brass chandelier that's tarnished & dark?

Outside playing, we have a linen slipcovered sofa now (Lee Ind.) and it has held up wonderfully (3 years). I really love it, Maybe I should stick with the same one if other linens don't hold up as well. Another issue is that this is the only fabric in the house that the cat doesn't scratch. I'll have to see if it comes in a lighter colour (but I'm pretty sure not). lukki, I really like the variation in those floors. That may account for it not showing the dirt as much. Ours are going to be stained on site, so I'm thinking if I start light and it doesn't look right, we may be able to darken it up a bit with more stain. crl, that is what I am most afraid of. I am willing to put form over function to a certain extent, but I think this is something that would drive me nuts. mlc, I know! I know! painting the wood may be the end of me. I'm starting to realize that the only way I could paint all of it would be if they wreck it while removing it and have to replace it with new wood. So if we just paint the coffered ceiling and leave the other millwork as is, could we paint the fireplace? We are planning on having builtins made on either side of the fireplace and I think those will have to be painted. Painted fireplace and builtins with everything else stained? Will that work?

Visual Comfort has a good selection of solid brass. Rejuevation is another site with solid brass fixtures.