We want things to look cohesive and flow together from our wardrobes, the art we put on our walls, and the decor we furnish with. It is a natural instinct to want to get things to match. But that can leave one feeling like they are stuck on one color or style after the first decision is made.
While there is something stunning and timeless about a matching suite of furniture in any room, you don’t need every piece to match. In fact, looking at even more traditionally furnished rooms will feature a number of furniture pieces and decor elements that are accents. As you begin to plan or choose a new piece for an exciting room, don’t let yourself be backed into a corner by the choices you’ve made before.
The best-looking interior designs have elements that can contradict and complement each other in turn.
How to (Beautifully) Mix Metals in Your Home
In prior articles, we have taken a look at how to mix different style elements across a variety of rooms and floor plans like the kitchen and living room. If you have been following along, you may have noticed a thread of similarity when it comes to beautifully mixing and matching furniture and design elements in the home.
One element we regularly touch on as a way to add visual interest to the space is selecting furniture made of different materials, like wood, glass, and metal. But what if you want to mix within those elements in a room or larger shared space? It may seem daunting, but mixing types, colors, and finishes within them all is easier than it may feel at first.
Today we will take a look at how to mix metals in your home to get beautiful and timeless results.
1. View the Space as a Whole
Before we even begin to jump into selecting your perfect metals, step back and take a look at what already exists in the room or your plan for the room. Do you have a set style or aesthetic you want to go for? Perhaps the most significant factor in making sure metals look right in a space is taking into account color. This includes both the walls and any large areas of upholstery.
Colors should complement each other. So as you work through the steps below, keep a swatch or two of your selections or top picks handy. If you have your eye on a specific metal for a core set of furniture or decor, you can always work backward to other element selections.
As you begin to think about the space as a whole, envision the type of metal you may want. Is it bright, shiny, and resplendent copper or gold or the more subdued and sturdy tones of wrought iron?
2. Select Your Core Metal
Just like when you are picking textiles and colors, you will want to focus on one core metal to use throughout a room. Metal comes in a wide variety of colors, hues, and textures depending on the type and finish applied. So let’s take a look at some recommendations for pairing with specific color themes:
- Light and Airy: Where the overall palette gives a feeling of crisp linen or a seaside breeze, compliment that with metal tones like copper, bronze, and gold to bring warmth into the space.
- Bright and Vibrant: If your room invokes abundant energy, you want to stay clear of bright and shiny metals that can easily get lost in the action. Go for antiqued or brushed finishes that add a tonal depth to the space and give the eyes a break.
- Moody and Rich: Rooms with verdant and rich jewel tones benefit most from metals with a bit of shine, like polished steel, copper, and gold. Going for a metal that catches the eye can add light and life to darker-toned rooms.
- Subdued and Monotone: Rooms with primarily earth tones, grays, and browns offer you the most leeway when picking a base metal. You won’t need to worry about undertones, and these color palettes are the best at letting your metal furniture and accent pieces be the star of the show.
3. Complimentary Accents
Once you have your perfect core metal selected, now comes the time to have fun choosing your accents.
Having palettes and swatches on hand helps a ton when picking out complimentary metal accents. When it comes to your accent color, since it isn’t your core metal color, you really have a wide array of options, no matter what your other design decision has been to this point. As long as you aren’t choosing at random, odds are you’ll end up with a beautiful accent.
You can mix and match warm and cool metal tones within the space, as well as finishes between them. One thing to watch out for is trying an accent in the same metal but a different finish style as your core. Metals being too similar can often come off as just poor matching. Staying within the same tone can lend cohesion to the space, but make sure your accent is distinct enough from the core to stand alone.
If you are looking for a basically foolproof compliment, black or dark gray finishes reminiscent of wrought iron coordinate with most color schemes and metal choices.
4. Make a Statement
When it comes to metals, you should try to limit yourself to two styles per room. But for every rule, there is always an exception. And in this case, two.
First, if you are planning or redesigning a large space like in an open floor plan, you can use a third coordinated metal to add a splash of visual interest across the area as a way to help guide the eye from distinct area to area. The key is to make this third metal truly an accent. It should be present in each design space and make a statement in each.
And that is the second exception; if you want to incorporate a third metal, it should make a statement. This selection can still be a genuine compliment to your base metal and core accent, but now is the time that you can make a selection that is unique. Feel free to go with a drastically different color or finish.
5. Miscellaneous Tips
Mixing metals in your home should be fun and lead to beautiful results if you follow our steps above. If you feel a little stuck as you work through making your selections, we have a few tips and tricks that can help you select and incorporate metals across your home.
- Don’t be afraid to mix and match metal color families within and between rooms. Just because you select one metal in the dining room doesn’t mean you have to use it in the bedroom.
- Keep to one type of metal in a single piece of furniture, hardware, or decor.
- Spread your choices around, don’t concentrate base and complimentary metals in one area.
- Try out your selections as a small accessory first before jumping in with more substantial purchases or renovation work.
6. Keep Things in Top Shape
Metal looks amazing when brand new. However, over time, without proper care, just like any surface, it can become rusted and stained when neglected. Most metal frames are easy to maintain and clean, whether they are indoor or outdoor furniture; however, each metal has its own techniques and methods when cleaning.
Metal furniture is best cleaned with a cloth or sponge using water and non-detergent soap. Do not use abrasive scrubbers or cleaners because they will scratch the finish, potentially exposing the metal to rust-inducing moisture. For dirty spots, use a window cleaner or a non-abrasive multi-purpose cleaner with a soft cloth.
Keeping your metal surfaces properly cleaned and maintained ensures all the hard work you put into making your selections shows through in your home.
7. Benefits of Metal
If you are still on the fence about selecting metal furniture as some of the core pieces in your home, don’t forget all the benefits that come with metal furniture.
- The design is the most straightforward reason you may want to consider going with metal furniture in your space. By taking advantage of sleek and simple lines, metal-built furniture is right at home in modern and industrial rooms. Different construction techniques and material strength allow for more unique statement pieces.
- Metal is less prone to environmental damage from temperature, humidity, and water damage than wood or plastic composites.
- Metal resists damage from kids and pets.
- Steel’s strength and weight allow it to bear significantly more weight while holding interesting forms and without the bulk other materials, like wood, need for similar results.
- Steel, while non-renewable, is a rare 100% recyclable material; and is the most recycled material on earth.
Johnston Casuals
If you are looking for a stunning and well-crafted contemporary piece of living room furniture, check out our online catalog. We have been hand-manufacturing steel furniture for over 40 years and pride ourselves on the fact that every piece is as much a piece of art as a functional piece of furniture. Each piece of Johnston Casual furniture is a unique item made to order for our customers.
We offer a wide range of metal finished and upholstery options for our pieces, meaning you can get a truly unique piece that will seamlessly fit your home and style. Find a furniture dealer near you to order a one-of-a-kind piece that will last you a lifetime. We ship all over the United States and internationally.
