5 Mistakes to Avoid When Mixing Metals in Home Decor

This post is about mixing metals in home decor and interior design. Learn how to combine different metals to create a cohesive and beautiful home.

Mixing metals in your home decor does not need to be intimidating. Adding multiple metals in a room adds interest and elegance, especially to those builder-grade homes like mine!

When we first built our home, we had two options for finish: chrome or brushed nickel. And that was for EVERY single item in our home – door handles, faucets, light fixtures. Talk about boring!! I knew immediately that several of these things would be replaced when we moved in.

TIP
Ask your builder to omit installing some of the fixtures. We did not have cabinet hardware installed because I knew I wanted to do that myself with different metals. Check out my tips for the easiest cabinet hardware installation!

As I chose fixtures to match the brushed nickel finishes that we decided on during the design meeting, I started getting overwhelmed with all of the options and types of metals. If you’re like me in your journey to update your home decor, I hope these mixing metal tips encourage you to try it out!

Mistakes to Avoid When Mixing Metals in Home Decor

1. Too Many Different Metals in One Space

Keep the number of metals you plan to use in one area of your home to two to three. I prefer two to keep it easy and consistent, but three could definitely work in a larger space.

Choose one metal to act as your dominant metal. For me, this is brushed nickel because that is what we chose for our finish when the house was built. All of our door handles, faucets, and fixtures are brushed nickel, so it’s the dominant metal in my decor. My secondary metal in our kitchen is brushed bronze!

2. Not Matching the Finish

When matching metals, make sure to choose ones with the same finish (ex. polished, brushed, matte). For example, you want to match brushed nickel with brushed bronze instead of polished bronze. By keeping the finish the same, you create a consistent look and feel that brings the metals together.

Black metal can go with either and acts almost as a neutral.

3. Sticking with the Same Tones

While finishes should match, tones do not have to! Brass, gold, and bronze are all warm tones while chrome, nickel, and stainless steel are cool tones. Adding warm-toned metals to a dominantly cool-toned room can bring the contrast a room needs to brighten a space. For example, if a kitchen has stainless steel appliances and a brushed nickel faucet, then adding brushed brass light fixtures could be the addition the room needs to add warmth.

4. Not Using Enough of One Metal

If you decide you want to mix metals, go all in! When you have just one item of the secondary metal finish, it can look out of place.

In order for this to work, I recommend at least 2-3 items that have the same metal. For example, in a bathroom, you might match your door handles, light fixtures, and faucet in chrome, and your hardware and mirrors in gold.

5. Not Being Intentional with Selections

Aim to keep metals consistent in functionality. For example, in a bathroom, choose all the same metal for water fixtures (faucets, showerhead, drain, etc.). This will help create a consistent and professional look in your home.

This post was all about the mistakes to avoid when mixing metals in home decor.