Excited about the interior design aspect of your reno or new project but fear being limited by your choices in finishes? Don’t be because gone are the days of a traditional one metal feature in key spaces such as the bathroom! Despite being one of the smaller rooms in any structure, a bathroom can be extremely prominent when designed just right.
Metals can be successfully mixed into a bathroom’s design and can further add value, as well as a stylish and contemporary look, to your home or investment project. There are however a few rules of thumb to be aware of when it comes to pairing and mixing your various metals, so check out some top design tips to help guide you, right here!
Know Your Metals
The very first thing you need to know about metals is that they come in both warm and cool tones. You may also note that when mixing metals, you should not exceed more than three in any one room. Warm metals include brass, copper, gold and oil-rubbed bronze, while some cool metals include chrome, as well as polished and brushed nickel. When mixing metals it is a good idea to mix warm with cool as this creates a particularly pleasing visual aesthetic. As black is considered either a cool-toned metal or a neutral colour, it is an ideal third metal that helps balance out the mix and nicely ties everything together.
Complement, Don’t Cancel Out
Mixing metals in your interior design phase has become an increasingly popular way to display unique styles mixed with modern-day flair, however, when choosing your metals for spaces such as a bathroom, remember metals should accentuate and complement each other without cancelling each other out, or competing for attention. Ensure that you place emphasis on how well certain metals work together as the goal in interior design should always be to have the elements come together to form a well-balanced single entity. Because you do not want to exceed more than the three-metal feature rule in the bathroom, make sure what you do use isn’t so busy that it takes away visually, either. Remember, your design choices should always appear intentional so steer clear of making choices such as using two different metals from the same colour bracket, for example, mixing aged brass with shiny gold doesn’t make sense since their different undertones clash, making the room visually unappealing and seeming more like a design flaw. Also, keep it cohesive. Try not to mix too many colors or styles together either, for example, if you mix brushed with shiny metal finishes, then try to keep the styles of your fixtures the same.
Choose a Base Metal
When considering which metals you want to mix in the bathroom, be sure to select a primary metal. Your primary metal can account for up to two-thirds of your fixtures, with secondary metals making up the other one-third. Base metals are so important because they set the prominent vibe for your bathroom. Metals with cool undertones offer great contemporary and even transitional aesthetic appeal, some examples include brushed nickel, polished chrome and stainless steel. Metals with warmer undertones such as bronze and brass, work well to infer more traditional or rustic vibes. Timeless finishes can be found in metals such as chrome, polished nickel, and brass, while trending metals of 2022 include matte black steel, copper, nickel and antique gold. Your primary metal is great on elements such as the sink, bath faucets, handles, shower heads and grab bars, while secondary metals should be featured on elements such as mirrors, light fixtures and accent pieces.
Consider Design Flow
Once you’ve divided your metals into primary and secondary use, you can draw inspiration from the rest of the overall space in order to achieve a goal of designing a well-balanced bathroom. Consider some of the other metals being utilized, for example, white furniture in the master bedroom gives off very modern vibes when it features stainless steel hardware, while classic furniture is greatly accentuated by brass hardware; such metals can then be competently utilized in the master bathroom as your base metal. Further example, if your kitchen design features a polished chrome faucet, then you may want to consider choosing chrome as your bathroom’s primary metal. Secondary finishes can then be decided on for elements such as mirrors, drawers and towel bars.
Whether you’re going for a classic, modern or timeless look, mixing metals just right can add an undeniable aesthetic appeal and even raise the value of your property; the key is to simply facilitate a smooth flow when deciding on the best metals, whilst making sure they all fit nicely in with the rest of your home’s design.