How to Pull Off Using Mixed Metals in Your Home

I decorate with a lot of neutrals so to keep my spaces from looking boring, I bring in lots of textures and also usually a mix of metal finishes too! My natural tendency has always been to want to match things so mixing different metals together in one space isn’t something that came easy to me. I baby stepped my way into doing it and now there’s hardly a space in our home where stainless, gold, and other metals aren’t all thrown into the mix. While there are no hard and fast rules for using mixed metals, I thought I’d share some tips that may help you step away from matching and starting mixing it up! (post includes some affiliate links – see my full disclosure statement {here})

Stick to Two Metals + Use Each Metal More Than Once

A good rule of thumb for newbie metal mixers is to stick with only two different metal types in your room and use each metal in more than one place. Are there rooms that break this rule and are amazing? Absolutely! But if you’re baby stepping into mixing metals, this is a good rule to keep your room from looking like a mismatched mess. I’ll use our new bathroom as an example – I love the mix of soft brass with brushed nickel so I used both metals in our space. I also used each metal in more than one place: our bathtub filler, shower hardware, and vanity faucets are satin/brushed nickel:

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but our mirrors and vanity lights are brass

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Sprinkle, Don’t Cluster

Make sure you’re sprinkling the different metals throughout your room instead of clustering them together on different sides of it. You don’t want one side of your room to have brass accents and the other side to have silver – mix them up within your space. It can even be a small metal accessory that you mix in that makes the difference! For example, my vanity area is a good mix of brushed nickel and brass but my shower that’s across the room was solely brushed nickel so I added shampoo and conditioner pumps with brass tops to bring that metal into the mix:

Sources: Pump bottles (16 oz white/gold)  |  Body brush  |  Sea sponge  | Hexagon tile

Don’t Mix Two Metals in the Same Color Family

Mixing two metals in the same color family but different undertones/sheen (for example, the combination of brushed nickel + chrome or the combination of shiny brass + brushed gold) is going to look like you tried to match your metals but failed. Instead, you want contrast! 

Know that Dark Metals Are Every Metal’s Friend

Iron, gunmetal, and other dark metals work as neutrals and mix well with brass, stainless, chrome… pretty much anything and everything! The combination of black metal with gold or brass is a personal favorite. I mixed the two in our master bedroom remodel when I topped our black metal nightstands with brass swing arm lamps:

And did you notice that in my bathroom I actually broke my own rule of only two metals? You probably didn’t because the third metal is the dark bronze chain of our rattan pendant and it just blends right in and lives happily with all of the other metals in the space:

Keep Trendier Metals on Low Commitment Pieces

I often get asked whether I’m worried about using a lot of brass in my home because it’s “trendy” (I actually think soft brass will be around for quite a while but that’s a whole other post…) and the answer is no because I’ve mostly kept it on low commitment pieces that would be easy to switch out.

For example, when planning our kitchen remodel I was tempted by a range with brass accents that I thought was stunning, but decided to stick with more traditional metals for our range and other big money items (appliances, faucet, & pot filler). I still brought some brass into our new space but in only with our cabinet pulls, pendant lights, and a few accessories that wouldn’t be too difficult or expensive to swap out in a new homeowner wasn’t a brass lover: 

Sources: Pendants  |  Large appliance pulls on drawers  | Counter stools  |  Marble & wood cutting board  |  All other sources are in my kitchen reveal post {here}

Did you notice I said I’ve “mostly” kept it on low commitment pieces? One kinda higher commitment place where I brought in brass was with {these brass and crystal doorknobs} that I added throughout our the first floor of our home:

I just love these so much and they’re SO me that I went for it – I do keep resale in mind when decorating but I also have to follow my own heart in my own home! 

Spray Paint and Rub ‘n Buff Are Easy Fixes for Mixed Metal Fails

The great thing about experimenting with mixed metals is that if you try a combination of metals out and it just isn’t working in your space, it usually isn’t anything that a can of spray paint or tube of Rub ‘n Buff can’t fix! The large round mirror over our bedroom dresser came in an antique brass finish that was beautiful but just didn’t work like I wanted it to with everything else going on in the space. Luckily it was an easy fix – in just 15 minutes (and without even taking it down from the wall) I was able to change it to a gold leaf finish with nothing more than a dry cloth and this tube of Rub ‘n Buff (I used the Gold Leaf finish).

Sources: mirror  |  gray drapes  |  abstract art  |  floral art  |  knobs on dresser  |  lamp, dresser, and other accessories not available

Still nervous about mixing metals? I’ll leave you with one last tip! Buy a bunch of different sized metal photo frames in different metal finishes and mix them together on a shelf in your home. It’s a great baby step to mixing metals plus you can play around with them a bit and see for yourself which metals work best with which and what combinations you love! Hope this has been helpful! 

XO,