Partners in Shine: Mixing Metallics With a Midas Touch
Mixing metallics is the latest way to add a beautiful glow to stylish spaces
Janet Dunn
4 September 2016
Houzz Australia Contributor. Former NZ House&Garden writer and stylist, and avid interior design enthusiast. Ex-restaurateur and caterer, with a Professional Certificate in Gastronomy, University of Adelaide.
Houzz Australia Contributor. Former NZ House&Garden writer and stylist, and avid... More
Metals have adorned dwellings for centuries, and lavishly embellishing rooms with precious metals was once a way to display wealth and social status. Today, metallic elements in our homes are less about flaunting affluence and more about expressions of creativity and individual style. With the advent of new technology, metal alloys and finishes, there’s a world of shining possibilities just waiting to give our homes a glint of glamour.
Forget tired conventions about not mixing metals in the same room – today’s trend for marrying metallics offers some magnetic alliances. See how to deliver a polished performance in your home.
Forget tired conventions about not mixing metals in the same room – today’s trend for marrying metallics offers some magnetic alliances. See how to deliver a polished performance in your home.
Check out global trends
At the Salone del Mobile Milano, or Milan Furniture Fair, mixing metallics has been a hot topic for the last two years. The Milan design seers are putting their money on warm gold, brass and copper. In the 2016 show, these appeared in playful mixes on furniture, hardware and lighting, brightening kitchens and bathrooms with bold new looks.
Silver-toned metallics with an industrial vibe, like steel tubing and riveted aluminium, also attracted attention, along with futuristic silvered glass in lighting. Setting the gold standard was Harry Bertoia’s Diamond chair from Knoll, unveiled at Milan for its centenary, resplendent in 18-carat gold-plated steel.
At the Salone del Mobile Milano, or Milan Furniture Fair, mixing metallics has been a hot topic for the last two years. The Milan design seers are putting their money on warm gold, brass and copper. In the 2016 show, these appeared in playful mixes on furniture, hardware and lighting, brightening kitchens and bathrooms with bold new looks.
Silver-toned metallics with an industrial vibe, like steel tubing and riveted aluminium, also attracted attention, along with futuristic silvered glass in lighting. Setting the gold standard was Harry Bertoia’s Diamond chair from Knoll, unveiled at Milan for its centenary, resplendent in 18-carat gold-plated steel.
Design for shine
Throwing a variety of metallics into a room on a whim is unlikely to have a pleasing result. Dominic Bagnato of Bagnato Architects advises treating them as you would a total colour palette. As with any colour scheme, he says, “adding too many elements often results in a space that is non-cohesive, with materials fighting each other.” This is a useful approach when mixing metallics in your decor. In this stylish Paris loft, a massive gold mirror provides a focal point paired with dark structural metal. Steel wire chairs bring lightness and shine.
Throwing a variety of metallics into a room on a whim is unlikely to have a pleasing result. Dominic Bagnato of Bagnato Architects advises treating them as you would a total colour palette. As with any colour scheme, he says, “adding too many elements often results in a space that is non-cohesive, with materials fighting each other.” This is a useful approach when mixing metallics in your decor. In this stylish Paris loft, a massive gold mirror provides a focal point paired with dark structural metal. Steel wire chairs bring lightness and shine.
Take three
Another approach is to invoke the magic number three, but there’s no infallible formula for mixing it up – Aaron Wong from Alexander Pollock Interiors suggests relying on your gut instinct and experimenting until it looks right to you. If you’re not sure you can trust your gut instinct, choose a favourite as the dominant metal and add two others, in a roughly 70:15:15 ratio. This lustrous copper-clad bath commands attention, and chrome and gold touches chime in around the room.
Another approach is to invoke the magic number three, but there’s no infallible formula for mixing it up – Aaron Wong from Alexander Pollock Interiors suggests relying on your gut instinct and experimenting until it looks right to you. If you’re not sure you can trust your gut instinct, choose a favourite as the dominant metal and add two others, in a roughly 70:15:15 ratio. This lustrous copper-clad bath commands attention, and chrome and gold touches chime in around the room.
Get your glow on – quietly
Metallics don’t need to shout out – they can make their presence felt in an elegant whisper. An inlay of gold mosaic tiles is a smart feature against this bathroom’s pearlescent tiles, simple chrome hardware and silver etched mirror frame. Bagnato says, “In bathrooms and kitchens, metallics set the tone of the room against the backdrop of the joinery and tiles, and add the glitz required to elevate the room.”
He shares a designer tip: “In a bathroom, you’d never mix a gold bathtub tap with a silver basin tap; the tapware material should be the same. It would be okay to have a gold light fitting and chrome taps, because they don’t belong to the same family of objects.”
Metallics don’t need to shout out – they can make their presence felt in an elegant whisper. An inlay of gold mosaic tiles is a smart feature against this bathroom’s pearlescent tiles, simple chrome hardware and silver etched mirror frame. Bagnato says, “In bathrooms and kitchens, metallics set the tone of the room against the backdrop of the joinery and tiles, and add the glitz required to elevate the room.”
He shares a designer tip: “In a bathroom, you’d never mix a gold bathtub tap with a silver basin tap; the tapware material should be the same. It would be okay to have a gold light fitting and chrome taps, because they don’t belong to the same family of objects.”
Bask in a rosy glow
With metallics displaying a softer, warmer face, rose gold has it all going on. It was a standout in tapware at the Salone Bagno 2016, in a slightly peachier hue than we’ve been seeing. It’s a good mixer with brushed chrome, antique-look silver and grey-toned metals with a more matt surface. Wong says, “Rose gold appears to be trending at the moment – I think rose gold with gunmetal is a completely hot!”
DID YOU KNOW? Gunmetal is a bronze alloy of copper, tin and zinc. Nowadays, it usually refers to a base metal, often steel, treated to produce a matt grey-blue surface. It’s frequently used to describe a dark grey colour finish.
With metallics displaying a softer, warmer face, rose gold has it all going on. It was a standout in tapware at the Salone Bagno 2016, in a slightly peachier hue than we’ve been seeing. It’s a good mixer with brushed chrome, antique-look silver and grey-toned metals with a more matt surface. Wong says, “Rose gold appears to be trending at the moment – I think rose gold with gunmetal is a completely hot!”
DID YOU KNOW? Gunmetal is a bronze alloy of copper, tin and zinc. Nowadays, it usually refers to a base metal, often steel, treated to produce a matt grey-blue surface. It’s frequently used to describe a dark grey colour finish.
Get a feel for copper
Copper is still flying high. Kitchen and bathroom sinks, cabinet handles, inlays in benchtops, light fittings and even chairs and stools are sporting a copper glow. New technology has produced copper sheeting, an exciting way to deliver a hefty dose of this warm, tactile material to both interiors and exteriors. Bagnato pairs copper with browns, greys and blacks. This Dutch homeowner has a crush on copper, mixing a stunning copper wall with copper furniture pieces and toning down the glow with black powder-coated metal and hints of aged bronze.
Copper is still flying high. Kitchen and bathroom sinks, cabinet handles, inlays in benchtops, light fittings and even chairs and stools are sporting a copper glow. New technology has produced copper sheeting, an exciting way to deliver a hefty dose of this warm, tactile material to both interiors and exteriors. Bagnato pairs copper with browns, greys and blacks. This Dutch homeowner has a crush on copper, mixing a stunning copper wall with copper furniture pieces and toning down the glow with black powder-coated metal and hints of aged bronze.
Razzle dazzle ’em
If you’re a golden girl or guy and love to really put on the glitz, mix gold with – more gold! Stay in the gold family, but take advantage of the many finishes available. Choose brushed, beaten, antique (real or faux), foil, etched or buffed to a mirrored shine. The Art Deco period was a time of exuberant use of metallics and this dining room shows the opulent use of gold on gold on gold in several textures.
If you’re a golden girl or guy and love to really put on the glitz, mix gold with – more gold! Stay in the gold family, but take advantage of the many finishes available. Choose brushed, beaten, antique (real or faux), foil, etched or buffed to a mirrored shine. The Art Deco period was a time of exuberant use of metallics and this dining room shows the opulent use of gold on gold on gold in several textures.
Find the silver lining
If you’re more of a cool silver customer, put this monometallic technique to work with a range of silvery elements. The lustrous sheen of grey cushions and drapes, elegant mirror finishes and silver accessories come together for subtle refined shine.
If you’re more of a cool silver customer, put this monometallic technique to work with a range of silvery elements. The lustrous sheen of grey cushions and drapes, elegant mirror finishes and silver accessories come together for subtle refined shine.
Cause a ripple with ‘galvo’
The days when corrugated metal only appeared on water tanks and outdoor sheds are well behind us. It’s made itself quite at home inside on walls, ceilings, island bench panels, bathrooms, even staircases. Oxidised to ‘Uluru sunset’ brick red, it’s a bold interpretation of the current trend of bringing the outside in. To avoid the ‘inside of a tank’ look, spotlight rusted corrie’s lived-in dilapidation with simple modern decor and accent pieces of bright shiny chrome or steel.
With the increasing popularity of corrugated metal for interior applications, non-rusting versions in varying wave lengths are available in shiny silver, or can be painted any colour, retaining a metallic feel in a more refined way.
The days when corrugated metal only appeared on water tanks and outdoor sheds are well behind us. It’s made itself quite at home inside on walls, ceilings, island bench panels, bathrooms, even staircases. Oxidised to ‘Uluru sunset’ brick red, it’s a bold interpretation of the current trend of bringing the outside in. To avoid the ‘inside of a tank’ look, spotlight rusted corrie’s lived-in dilapidation with simple modern decor and accent pieces of bright shiny chrome or steel.
With the increasing popularity of corrugated metal for interior applications, non-rusting versions in varying wave lengths are available in shiny silver, or can be painted any colour, retaining a metallic feel in a more refined way.
Use brass with class
Bagnato and Wong put brass on their list of trending metals. According to interior designer Yanic Simard, brass is the biggest design material to emerge in recent years; versatility is one of its many strengths. Its colour varies depending on the alloy mix of copper and zinc, from pale yellow to almost red-gold. It can be matt, shiny or in between, brushed, polished or faux-aged to a mellow antique glow, at home in both traditional and modern decor. In a modern bathroom, suggests Simard, contrast a traditional or vintage brass piece such as a mirror, with crisp silvery fittings for the best of old and new.
See how to choose and care for brass
Bagnato and Wong put brass on their list of trending metals. According to interior designer Yanic Simard, brass is the biggest design material to emerge in recent years; versatility is one of its many strengths. Its colour varies depending on the alloy mix of copper and zinc, from pale yellow to almost red-gold. It can be matt, shiny or in between, brushed, polished or faux-aged to a mellow antique glow, at home in both traditional and modern decor. In a modern bathroom, suggests Simard, contrast a traditional or vintage brass piece such as a mirror, with crisp silvery fittings for the best of old and new.
See how to choose and care for brass
Collect any old iron
Vintage treasure hunters don’t need advice on mixing metallics – they do it naturally. Without the benefit of elbow grease and polish, vintage metal utensils – the more beaten up the better – show off their well-earned patina with shiny modern pieces for an intriguing kitchen display.
Vintage treasure hunters don’t need advice on mixing metallics – they do it naturally. Without the benefit of elbow grease and polish, vintage metal utensils – the more beaten up the better – show off their well-earned patina with shiny modern pieces for an intriguing kitchen display.
Turn up the heat in the kitchen
A controlled injection of metallic elements animates a kitchen that’s functional but lacking in warmth. An all-white kitchen with chrome or nickel fittings and appliances takes on a less austere feel with just the addition of a couple of warmer metallic accents. Here, a set of rose-gold toned bar stools and a dining bench with gold legs provides character and textural contrast.
A controlled injection of metallic elements animates a kitchen that’s functional but lacking in warmth. An all-white kitchen with chrome or nickel fittings and appliances takes on a less austere feel with just the addition of a couple of warmer metallic accents. Here, a set of rose-gold toned bar stools and a dining bench with gold legs provides character and textural contrast.
Turn down the glow in the bedroom
Metals are intrinsically hard materials and an overload in the bedroom subconsciously diminishes the restful ambience we need for good sleep. For understated, luxurious shimmer, look to fabrics, paint and wallpapers. Because the effect is subtle, don’t be afraid to mix different metallic fabrics in cushions or curtains, and give a wall a quiet lustre with delicately patterned wallpaper. Gold and silver elements blend beautifully here.
Metals are intrinsically hard materials and an overload in the bedroom subconsciously diminishes the restful ambience we need for good sleep. For understated, luxurious shimmer, look to fabrics, paint and wallpapers. Because the effect is subtle, don’t be afraid to mix different metallic fabrics in cushions or curtains, and give a wall a quiet lustre with delicately patterned wallpaper. Gold and silver elements blend beautifully here.
Start an industrial revolution
Successful modern industrial style depends on integrating diverse materials in a balanced way. One of the most important of these is metal: recycled steel in girders and pillars, industrial salvage reimagined as furniture or fittings, age-blackened nails, rusted bolts and exposed metal ducting and pipes. But an industrial-style kitchen must be functional too. This one flaunts just the right mix of robust industrial steel, corrugated iron and modern chrome and stainless-steel appliances.
Browse more industrial-style kitchens
Successful modern industrial style depends on integrating diverse materials in a balanced way. One of the most important of these is metal: recycled steel in girders and pillars, industrial salvage reimagined as furniture or fittings, age-blackened nails, rusted bolts and exposed metal ducting and pipes. But an industrial-style kitchen must be functional too. This one flaunts just the right mix of robust industrial steel, corrugated iron and modern chrome and stainless-steel appliances.
Browse more industrial-style kitchens
“In industrial-inspired designs such as warehouse conversions, we tend to use metallics in their natural state,” says Bagnato. “Copper is left to naturally oxidise to a green colour and steel is allowed to rust and weather.” Earthy natural metals and distressed timber pay tribute to the history of old industrial buildings, like this Surry Hills warehouse, while an electric jolt of high-tech reflective metal and integrated state-of-the-art metal appliances express its modern urban context.
Go your own way
When it comes to mixing metallics, Wong is not a fan of regimented design that sticks to rules. “We’ve always used metallics,” he says. “They’re being interpreted in modern homes in different ways and how you use them is only limited by your imagination.”
TELL US
What’s your favourite metallic element? How do you use it in your home? Tell us in the Comments section.
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When it comes to mixing metallics, Wong is not a fan of regimented design that sticks to rules. “We’ve always used metallics,” he says. “They’re being interpreted in modern homes in different ways and how you use them is only limited by your imagination.”
TELL US
What’s your favourite metallic element? How do you use it in your home? Tell us in the Comments section.
MORE
Browse more decorating stories
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buildingblogs I love the letterbox. Clever you for thinking outside the box. My fear would be that someone might try to steal it, I hope you secured it well.
Whilst I love the look in some of these examples I'd be careful of making too many permanent choices as when this trend dies it dies hard. It must have been the go during the 80's I think as a house we purchased in the early 90's had a lot of brass/copper fittings which brought shrieks of horror from every visitor until we made some expensive changes. Accents work just as well.
The mailbox is very secure and it's at the end of a no exit street so gets little attention.
I agree with the point about going on trend with major house items, they can look good for a while but then become dated. We've done a new build with a traditional style to keep it timeless....