HOW TO | MIX & MATCH METALS IN YOUR HOME

In 1979, 68-year-old Bob Bolton opened The Brass Buff as a refinishing business. He cleaned and buffed brass to make it an eclectic home decor option. From sophisticated candelabras, flower vases, lamps to teapots and more in bronze – today even copper, silver, chrome and gold are popular accents in interior decoration, furnishings and furniture. There are many ways to mix and match metals at home but there are also as many ways to go wrong with it; making your home look garish and gaudy. Here are five things to keep in mind when adding metals to your decor so the interiors don’t look over the top

Mix cool and warm tones. Brass and gold are warm toned, while chrome and silver are cool toned metals. Mixing the two balances the look. Chrome pendant lights with a gold-polish table would make a wonderful furnishing pair, as would gold and wrought-iron vases with an antique silver coffee table. You can try several other mix and match ideas.

Keep one dominant metal | There should be one dominant metal that prominent decor accents in your home are made of. This metal will bring the whole look together even as you introduce a mix of other metals in your interiors. This would also be the metal that guides the eyes from one part of the room to the next – from one important highlight to the other.

Design without metal clashes | You could use various metals to decorate the interiors of your home but make sure not all of them scream for attention. Some can be the main metals and others, more subdued complements. Cluttering the ambience with too many metallic pieces should be avoided. To neutralize the look you could use wooden furniture which offsets the brightness of metals without diminishing their charm.

Choose your colour palette | Warm toned metals such as copper, brass and gold pair well with warmer hues and shades like brown, red and orange. Ashy blacks, white, silver, blue, emerald green, violet, and grey go well with cool-toned metals like chrome and silver. Selecting a colour palette that complements your metal accents might seem tedious at first but is worth it. The interiors look aesthetically pleasing and in-sync.

Play with texture | Textures in metals lend a distinctive, more defined look to the interiors. Play with hammered to matte and polished to glazed finishes – they’ll infuse versatility and richness of detail in your home.

The trend of metallic decor is unlikely to die down anytime soon, after all, who doesn’t want to add a touch of luxury to their home? Tell us how you’re incorporating metals in your interiors – we’d love to know!