Great Tips for Mixing Your Metals in Your Decor

The days of matchy-matchy decorations in the home are long gone, and now it’s perfectly acceptable to add character and depth by mixing up your colors, patterns and metals in your home design.

If you are lost on how to properly mix your metals for a stunning look without overwhelming the accents, see below for some great tips on how to achieve this coveted look without paying for the hefty price tag of a professional interior designer.

Choose one metal on which to build around. It’s important to pick a base metal for your central decor, and you can then add accent pieces in different colors. If you have a lighter wall, you may want to choose something like a large silver picture frame, and surround it with other pieces like lamps or metal framed tables with the same color silver. Then you can add some gold picture frames, or brass mirrors around it to make an interesting gallery wall.

Keep the textures interesting. Even if you choose to stay within the same tone of metal family, you can keep things fresh by mixing up the type of texture from your metals. You can choose from matte finishes, polished finishes, sleek and simple or opulent and ornate. Adding these pieces in one area will make each piece stand out in its own way.

Consider your palette. Cool colors work best with cool metals, such as light blues working best with silver or gunmetal. Warm colors, on the opposite end, work best with warm colors. If you have a dramatic room with deep reds or oranges, it’s best to stick with a family of golden tones. If you want to mix your metals, it’s best to stick with a neutral palette that can accommodate both, such as a white wall with predominantly wooden furniture pieces and light fabrics.

Be sure to keep it simple. Don’t overwhelm your metal decor by adding too many stand-out pieces. If you have a large gold antique picture frame as a statement piece for your favorite piece of art, keep the surrounding metal pieces simple and plain so as not to compete. Choose a simple thin silver lamp, or a small table dish in a brass finish that will look pretty, but not overdone.

Know the types of metals you can choose from. Your warm metals are going to include anything that goes well with warmer tones, such as gold, rose gold (which has a pinkish hue), copper and brass, and your cool metals will include things that go better with pastel colors such as silver, nickel or gunmetal greys. Mixing solid golds and silvers will create a more polished look, but adding nickel or brass will make space feel more industrial.