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layered look,” feldman says. In g eneral, she
avoids using any kind of matching sets in
her work, such as a dining or bedroom set,
because she says sets are too predictable;
she sees matching metal hardware the
same way, and says it has a boring, unin-
spired effect on rooms.
But one can’t just go mixing any and all
metal hardware finishes together. Both
o’Brien and feldman agree that there are
some guidelines one should follow. o’Brien
suggests mixing brass and dark bronze,
brass and chrome, or brass and nickel, but
he says to never mix nickel and chrome.
Also, he cautions that there is a limit to how
many metal finishes you can mix together
in one room. “There should be a main
finish choice and maybe one accent,” he
says. more than that, he says, can be too
much. And for those who worry about how
their stainless-steel appliances fit in with
other metals, o’Brien says: “Chrome and
stainless steel are really the same and can
be used together.”
feldman says she usually sticks to a
maximum of three metals in a room. She
also pays attention to the placement of
each finish. “You want to make sure there is
a certain cadence when mixing metal
finishes,” she says. By cadence, feldman
means that you should consistently dis-
perse the metal types throughout the
room; all pulls and knobs should be one
type, and all fixtures (such as sink and
bathroom faucets) should be one type.
feldman says lighting is a good place to
introduce yet another metal type, as are
accessories such as pot racks in kitchens or
door hooks in bathrooms.
Aside from mixing metal colors, feld-
man also says to pay attention to finishes.
She likes to mix metals of different colors
but that share a similar warmth, such as
unlacquered brass, polished nickel and
matte black, but she says to never mix the
same metal in different finishes, such as
polished nickel and satin nickel. Like
o’Brien, she says to not mix metals that are
closely related but just a bit off, such as
nickel and chrome. “They are too similar to
be interesting,” she says. “one is the cool
version and the other is the warm version.”
When possible, feldman likes to use
what she calls “live metals,” which are
metals that are unlacquered. “I love the
idea of metals aging and getting a patina,”
she says. “It gives a space depth and allows
the fixtures to age gracefully.”
As for Young, she decided to leave the
existing chrome fixtures, install antique
brass cabinet pulls and hang an antique
brass and dark bronze ceiling fixture that
unites all the finishes. “The light fixture
ties it all together,” Young says. “It’s just like
jewelry. When you wear a stainless-steel
and gold watch, you can wear silver or gold,
or both.”
[email protected]
Mayhew, a “Today” show style expert and
former magazine editor, is the author of “Flip!
for Decorating.”
metals from 8
PHOTOs BY Laura resen
When he renovated
the kitchen in his
Bellport, N.Y., home,
designer thomas
O’Brien painted his
cabinets a glossy
white and installed
satin brass handles,
but he opted to use
chrome for all the
plumbing fixtures.