5 Compelling Reasons to Mix Metals in the Kitchen
A winning combination of metallic finishes can enhance kitchen styles from historical to contemporary
Becky Harris
July 18, 2019
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
For those who love a matching look, the thought of mixing metals can be intimidating. But mixing metals is a wonderful way to layer in texture, help create a historical or collected look and make a room more interesting. Here are five reasons to consider mixing metals when choosing finishes for your kitchen.
1. To Create a Strong Focal Point
In this beautiful kitchen by Bronzie Design + Build, a hammered copper vent hood provides a warm, textured and shiny focal point, while the rest of the metallic finishes are supporting players. Two large brushed brass pendant lights frame the hood. The cabinet pulls and knobs are a mix of brass and glass, while the bases of the counter stools are a toned-down brass that supports the metallic scheme without being distracting.
Note: When one element is the focal point, it’s the only piece that needs to be rendered in that specific metal finish (though you should feel free to repeat the finish elsewhere if you wish).
Another thing to keep in mind is that stainless steel appliances and sinks are so common today that they are widely accepted as a neutral that can work with all kinds of other metal finishes.
Cabinet paint: Rainstorm by Sherwin-Williams
Browse copper vent hoods on Houzz
In this beautiful kitchen by Bronzie Design + Build, a hammered copper vent hood provides a warm, textured and shiny focal point, while the rest of the metallic finishes are supporting players. Two large brushed brass pendant lights frame the hood. The cabinet pulls and knobs are a mix of brass and glass, while the bases of the counter stools are a toned-down brass that supports the metallic scheme without being distracting.
Note: When one element is the focal point, it’s the only piece that needs to be rendered in that specific metal finish (though you should feel free to repeat the finish elsewhere if you wish).
Another thing to keep in mind is that stainless steel appliances and sinks are so common today that they are widely accepted as a neutral that can work with all kinds of other metal finishes.
Cabinet paint: Rainstorm by Sherwin-Williams
Browse copper vent hoods on Houzz
This Charlotte, North Carolina, kitchen by Pike Properties has two focal points: the range wall and the island. Warm satin brass connects the two through the straps on the hood and the pendants over the island.
The designers chose one finish for the starring metallic players to let them stand out. The rest of the metallic finishes around the room needed to be less attention-grabbing. They’re a mix of warm and cool, with the satin brass cabinet hardware by Emtek falling into the former category and the stainless steel appliances and aged steel on the library sconces in the latter. Finally, distressed metal stools in blue bring in an industrial element that provides just the right touch of imperfection in the shiny new space.
Alden 1-Light Pendant: Savoy House Lighting
The designers chose one finish for the starring metallic players to let them stand out. The rest of the metallic finishes around the room needed to be less attention-grabbing. They’re a mix of warm and cool, with the satin brass cabinet hardware by Emtek falling into the former category and the stainless steel appliances and aged steel on the library sconces in the latter. Finally, distressed metal stools in blue bring in an industrial element that provides just the right touch of imperfection in the shiny new space.
Alden 1-Light Pendant: Savoy House Lighting
Mixing metals isn’t limited to eclectic, historical or transitional looks. Nicole Jui of Terracotta Design Build helped these Atlanta homeowners create a kitchen with sleek contemporary style, and mixed metals played a big part. The plum island adorned with brushed brass draws the most attention. White cabinets with chrome hardware provide the backdrop that makes the island such a standout piece. “We treat metals as neutrals,” Jui told Houzz. “You can mix and match them as long as you’re consistent with where each one is going, so it looks intentional.”
Shop for cabinet and drawer hardware
Shop for cabinet and drawer hardware
The brass shows up in one other well-edited application: the open-shelving brackets. This ties the bold island into the neutral palette of the rest of the room.
2. To Achieve a Modern Farmhouse Look
A good way to accomplish a modern farmhouse look is to mix new and old. When it comes to finishes, this means a combination of shiny and well-worn metals. And throwing in some brushed or satin finishes that land somewhere in between is a pleasing way to fill out the mix. In this kitchen by Anthony Wilder Design/Build, there are two standout finishes: one shiny (the brass knobs on the Lacanche range) and one crusty (the aluminum pendant shades in an antiqued charcoal finish that looks like wrought iron). The antiqued wrought iron look of the counter stools plays off the colors in the pendants. The brushed nickel finishes on the faucet and hardware land somewhere in between shiny and worn.
A good way to accomplish a modern farmhouse look is to mix new and old. When it comes to finishes, this means a combination of shiny and well-worn metals. And throwing in some brushed or satin finishes that land somewhere in between is a pleasing way to fill out the mix. In this kitchen by Anthony Wilder Design/Build, there are two standout finishes: one shiny (the brass knobs on the Lacanche range) and one crusty (the aluminum pendant shades in an antiqued charcoal finish that looks like wrought iron). The antiqued wrought iron look of the counter stools plays off the colors in the pendants. The brushed nickel finishes on the faucet and hardware land somewhere in between shiny and worn.
Here’s a closer look at the wrought iron look of the pendant lights, made by Currey & Co.
3. To Establish a Sense of Age
Kitchens of long ago were a charming hodgepodge of freestanding pieces, with different metallic finishes on the hardware and faucets. Interior decorator Robyn McQuiston wanted to make her own kitchen feel like an original part of her 1930s Florida home, so her remodel included a mix of metals. The shiny stainless steel appliances and sink clearly reflect a modern-day update, while the galvanized plumbing pipes that support the open shelves, aged brass cabinet hardware and distressed bronze on the mirror frame lend a sense of age.
Kitchens of long ago were a charming hodgepodge of freestanding pieces, with different metallic finishes on the hardware and faucets. Interior decorator Robyn McQuiston wanted to make her own kitchen feel like an original part of her 1930s Florida home, so her remodel included a mix of metals. The shiny stainless steel appliances and sink clearly reflect a modern-day update, while the galvanized plumbing pipes that support the open shelves, aged brass cabinet hardware and distressed bronze on the mirror frame lend a sense of age.
In this kitchen outside Chicago, interior designer Amy Storm helped her client design a kitchen that satisfied her penchant for eclectic style and also suited the history of the Foursquare house. The mix of metal finishes on the light fixtures, furniture and hardware helped accomplish this. The pendant lights have glints of golden brass, while the sconces are oil-rubbed bronze. The table and stool bases are blackened metal.
Ceiling lights: Hicks Pendant and Agnes Large Pendant, both Visual Comfort
Ceiling lights: Hicks Pendant and Agnes Large Pendant, both Visual Comfort
Accents elsewhere in the kitchen, like the hardware and the legs on this walnut shelf unit, are polished chrome. Their shine helps the shelves stand out as a freestanding piece, in keeping with an original kitchen in a Foursquare.
Learn more about this kitchen
Learn more about this kitchen
4. To Create a Worldly Layered Look
Designer Billie Marie Tharaldson believes that having a variety of metal, wood and countertop materials in a kitchen makes it feel timeless and less likely to need an update a few years down the road. “As long as you’re mixing materials, you’re not stuck in one genre,” she told Houzz.
In this St. Paul, Minnesota, kitchen, she switched up the wood finishes and countertop materials on various pieces of cabinetry and mixed the cabinet hardware accordingly. Note that she not only used different finishes, but also different knob and pull silhouettes. This makes the kitchen feel like it could be in a cottage in the French countryside, the type of home that’s full of layers that have been added over many years.
Designer Billie Marie Tharaldson believes that having a variety of metal, wood and countertop materials in a kitchen makes it feel timeless and less likely to need an update a few years down the road. “As long as you’re mixing materials, you’re not stuck in one genre,” she told Houzz.
In this St. Paul, Minnesota, kitchen, she switched up the wood finishes and countertop materials on various pieces of cabinetry and mixed the cabinet hardware accordingly. Note that she not only used different finishes, but also different knob and pull silhouettes. This makes the kitchen feel like it could be in a cottage in the French countryside, the type of home that’s full of layers that have been added over many years.
Note: A vent hood is a good spot for mixing two metals together, as in this kitchen. A standout range is another good place to introduce another finish. Brass adorns the periwinkle La Cornue range.
5. To Curate a Collected Feel
These Long Island, New York, homeowners love a good flea market treasure hunt. When they expanded and remodeled their kitchen, they enlisted the help of Mike Potapchuk to help them find ways to extend a collected look in the room and show off some of their favorite finds. Wrought iron pieces such as the decoration over the pantry door and the brackets on the shelf to the right of it were two of their favorite finds, and the look of the counter stools plays off those pieces.
A hammered copper sink under a window grabs attention by adding a colorful glint to the room.
Browse copper sinks in the Houzz Shop
These Long Island, New York, homeowners love a good flea market treasure hunt. When they expanded and remodeled their kitchen, they enlisted the help of Mike Potapchuk to help them find ways to extend a collected look in the room and show off some of their favorite finds. Wrought iron pieces such as the decoration over the pantry door and the brackets on the shelf to the right of it were two of their favorite finds, and the look of the counter stools plays off those pieces.
A hammered copper sink under a window grabs attention by adding a colorful glint to the room.
Browse copper sinks in the Houzz Shop
Coppery tones show through the oil-rubbed bronze faucet, providing a nice complement to the sink. The cabinet hardware is also oil-rubbed bronze. Because there are so many textures in the room (brick, shiplap, a vintage wooden door, granite countertops and wood floors), limiting the metal finish color palette to dark metals with one copper standout keeps the overall look of the kitchen collected without going overboard. Using glass rather than metal pendant lights was part of this strategy.
Learn more about this kitchen
Learn more about this kitchen
Your turn: Have you mixed metals in your kitchen? Which ones did you use and what was your approach? Please share in the Comments.
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Thanks for sharing Becky.
Been mixing metals for years and it has alway been a challange to convince customers that it's ok - the belive they all need to match.
So, we started doing it in our own showroom and... - they're going for it!
I am all for mixing metals; first, because ensuring that all the metal in one's home matches is seldom a simple or realistic process (due to cost, available selection, etc) and second, because IMHO matchy-matchy designs often feel uninspired and/or can give off a rigid or obsessive kind of vibe. To each their own, but that just doesn't appeal to me. I want my home to look realistically attractive (as in, a pretty home designed/lived in by real people) not magazine worthy perfection. Having said that, I think that too much randomness in a design just looks unintentional and chaotic rather than charmingly eclectic or the 'collected over time' look that most of us are aiming for. For this reason, as a general rule (just as I approach the use of colour in my home) I like to adhere as much as possible to a 60-30-10 ratio when it comes to mixing metals. Definitely not matchy-matchy, but not totally haphazard either- it works for me.
Mercury glass backsplash