MIXING METALS LIKE A PRO Behind The Bend
Interior design can be a tricky business. You want to follow the current trends, but also make choices that are timeless. When it comes to the furniture that we both buy and design, the idea of forever is always in the back of our minds. To us that is how a space comes together. Each pieces tells a story and has meaning behind it, leaving your space feeling eclectic and curated. The tricky part becomes, how do you take the forever pieces that you have and still follow your favorite trends of the season?
The answer is simple. Don't be afraid to break the rules. One of our favorite design trends for fall 2015 is a great example of that; mixing metals. As a design trend, mixing metals seems to come in and out of style every couple years. For us, mixing metals is a forever trend. We love cooling down the warm tones of copper or rose gold by pairing it with something chrome or polished silver. Below we've put together a few of our favorite tastemaker tips from the trade that will have your metallic finishes complimenting each other for a life time.
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Old-school wisdom says you shouldn’t mix your metals, but silver, gold, brass, bronze, and copper can happily cohabitate in any room. Nothing warms up a gray wall like an antique gold frame, so why not add vintage silver-plate sconces alongside a gilded mirror? You’ll get the most impact if you mix cool metals like silver with warm metals like gold or brass.
(Source: Patrick Cline / Lonny)
In London, designer Kelly Hoppen says mixing warm metals, such as copper and rose gold, with cool ones like silver is particularly hot right now. Los Angeles designer Jamie Bush agreed, saying he is no longer interested in matching every metal finish in a single room: “It’s too staged.” New York designer Thom Filicia suggested a “strategic, layered mix” of silvery, gold and black metals as a “riskier and more stylish” option. A great example: Anteriors’s Nolan Pendant, a brass-finished iron light with a dark bronze band.
(Source: David A. Keeps / The Wall Street Journal)
The metallic trend also allows for a liberal mixing of a variety of metal accents throughout a room from bronze-bordered mirrors to cast-iron candlesticks and glass bottles.
In the bathroom, diversify the small space with oil-rubbed, bronze hardware and dark brass faucets and showerhead. Replace old doorknobs with a variety of glass knobs, brushed nickel knobs, bronze knobs, and silver knobs.
Lastly, decorate with accessories that have personal meaning such as a vintage jewelry box or an antique headboard in the bedroom. Place family photographs and meaningful paintings in a variety of metallic frames.
(Source: Jessica Socheski / Home Advisor)
The trick with using metallic pieces and mirrors in a single space is to mix them with different, softer textures to balance them out, Kraiem says. "I love mixing in textures like mohair, velvet, and wool to let the metallic accents contrast and stand out on their own.
(Source: Natalie Kraiem / Elle Decor)
