People’s taste in finishes for home projects is continuously evolving. A few years ago, finishes in a single project were all one material. Now we are seeing a huge use of mixed metals for finishes, as well as mixed materials overall in a room. Today we discuss these changes and use of mixed metal finishes in California home design projects.
Dean Larkin noted, “It’s really mixy-matchy right now, continuing the trend from last year, with an emphasis on warmth: brushed brass, golds and blacks. Suppliers are stepping up to the plate by coming out with mixed finish items, like handles in two different finishes, for example.”
Dean continued, “You might have handles in one finish, light fixtures in another, and the door hardware may not match either one of those. It’s anything goes and that’s really interesting; it was such a taboo before. People would even exchange shower door hardware so the finish matched the door handles.”
The mentality now is that you can have cabinet hardware be a completely different finish than door hardware, or your plumbing fixture hardware. Of course, they need to work together but brushed nickels and stains go really well with brushed brass, and also mix really well with some of the blacks and bronzes. These new combinations really add interest to a space.
In the generation our parents grew up in, the 50s and 60s, everything in the living room matched, but that is no longer the case.
Dean Larkin commented, “Nobody cares anymore. In fact, they are going to the degree to NOT have it match. Your sofa, loveseat and chair were all the same model then, just different sizes. Nobody does that now. You want your living room chair to be different than your big L-shaped sectional sofa. And woods; not to go into interior design, but from my parents’ era, their occasional table and all the woods in the room matched. That’s also not the case now. It’s very ad hoc. Some people feel that the variety gives them more personal freedom: it expresses more personality as opposed to something forced and almost sterile or rigid.”
Learn more about mixed metal finishes in California design projects and start dreaming of your own home renovation. Dean Larkin Design was established in Los Angeles in 1999 and this architectural design company maximizes the intrinsic potential of a location, including its available natural light sources. Dean Larkin is very familiar with both historical and contemporary design in the entire Los Angeles area, and the firm endeavors to achieve a complexity that is multi-layered with an effortless elegance. For a design that is modern and innovative, unlocks your location’s innate potential by making specific use of light, views and more, and uniquely designed for the way you live, contact Dean Larkin for a consultation.
