Why We Always Mix Metals
One of the questions I hear most often from clients — before we've even started a project — is some version of: "Is brass still in?" Or nickel. Or matte black. The finish changes, but the anxiety behind the question is always the same.
Here's my honest answer: the moment you start decorating based on what's in fashion, you've already started planning your next renovation.
Warm burnished brass is a good example. It's popular right now, yes — but it's also a finish that has existed for centuries. It isn't trending. It's returning. And it will return again, because warm metal tones are fundamentally pleasing to the eye. That's not a trend. That's just how beauty works.
Things don't need to match. They just need to make sense together.
The Case Against Matching
When every metal finish in a space is identical — all chrome, all brass, all matte black — the result tends to feel either sterile or overly coordinated. There's a rigidity to it that works against the warmth and personality a home should have.
I worked on a project not long ago where the entire space had been finished in chrome throughout. Faucets, cabinet hardware, lighting, towel bars — all matching, all chrome. It was technically cohesive. But it also felt cold and slightly corporate, which was the opposite of what the clients wanted for their home.
By introducing warm burnished brass, matte black, and pewter alongside the existing chrome, the space relaxed. The formality softened. The room started to feel layered and considered rather than specified and installed.
That's what mixing metals does. It signals that a space was curated rather than purchased as a set.
How to Mix with Confidence
The good news is that mixing metals is more forgiving than most people think. A few principles that guide how we approach it at Yassein Interiors:
Start with a dominant finish — the one that appears most frequently and ties the room together. In a warm, neutral space, this is often brass or unlacquered bronze. In something more contemporary, it might be matte black or polished nickel.
Introduce a secondary finish for contrast and interest. This is where the mixing happens. The secondary finish should appear in at least two places in the room so it reads as intentional rather than accidental.
A touch of black is almost always welcome. It grounds a space and works with virtually every other finish. Cabinet hardware, a light fixture, a furniture leg — even a small presence of black metal adds definition.
Let style be your guide, not finish. The real rule is that the style of the pieces needs to be complementary. Sleek, modern hardware in matte black pairs beautifully with brass lighting if the forms are similarly refined. What doesn't work is mixing styles that are in conversation with different eras — French provincial furnishings with industrial pipe fittings, for example.
The goal is a room that looks like it was assembled over time, with intention — not ordered from a single catalogue.
The Result That Lasts
Homes that mix metals thoughtfully age far better than those built around a single finish that happens to be popular at the time of the project. In five years, the all-brass bathroom will look dated. The bathroom with brass, nickel, and a touch of black will look considered.
That's the difference between decorating for the moment and designing for the long term. At Yassein Interiors, it's always the latter.
Gaddah Yassein is an interior decorator and the founder of Yassein Interiors, a boutique full-service decorating studio based in Whitby, Ontario. She serves clients across the GTA, Durham Region, and Northumberland County.