How We're Mixing Metals in Our Kitchen

With the recent countertop install, and all the sharing I've been doing on my Instagram stories (click here to see the whole highlight) the buzz around our kitchen renovation has been alive! We're feeling all the love, and are excited to share more about what's next, including all the metals we'll be using. I had one DM roll in saying they were certain I would use a brass faucet, and were surprised to see the polished nickel. Surprise! I love polished nickel! But I'm also a lover of mixing metals, and our kitchen is going to be no exception! Here's all the metals we're going to be using in our kitchen (eeeek, I can hardly wait).

Our Mix of Metals

1. Brass Drawer Pulls - You can find these on either side of the kitchen range, and below the drink station. The larger pulls will be on the fridge and freezer.

2. Brass Knobs - These will go throughout, but mostly on the side of the kitchen with the range.

3. Polished Nickel Sink Filler - All of the plumbing fixtures in the kitchen are polished nickel.

4. Brass Picture Light - This will go above the hutch, and you guys, the size is substantial.

5. White Matte / Brass Pendants - Three of these will be hung above the island, and they are stunning. White on the top towards the ceiling, and brass underneath.

6. Bronze Ring pulls - These dainty little guys will be on the center drawers below the bookshelves.

7. Brass Latches - The latches will be found in the pantry, above the drink station, above the bookshelves, and below the sink

8. Bronze Sconces - Two of these are going to be hung against the stone within the range nook.

9. Brass Candle Sconces - Mirroring the other sconces, two of these sconces are going to be hung on either side of the pantry.

Pictured in the top image are the brass rods on the hutch. Another unseen feature in the flatlay are the stainless steel ranges, with brass knobs. Oh and don't forget the stainless steel sinks!

You can look at our kitchen plans here for more of a frame of reference, but hopefully you can tell that all of these metals are very warm toned. Even the polished nickel (which I'll get into). I've also linked our kitchen mood board here, although you might notice the countertops have swapped locations.

Chrome Vs. Polished Nickel

First things first, let's get into what's the difference between chrome vs. polished nickel.

Chrome is more cool toned, and polished nickel is warmer. The only time I remember using chrome plumbing fixtures, was actually in the girls pink bathroom, two homes ago. I paired it with brass knobs and pulls, and it turned out fine, but I think brass and polished nickel pair better because they both have warmer undertones. You can definitely mix chrome with brass, but I just prefer polished nickel.

Using Polished Nickel Plumbing Fixtures Over Brass

I think the main reason why I don't prefer brass plumbing is that you have to go pretty high-end to get great brass plumbing. There's not very many solid examples of brass faucets. Polished nickel is a historic, more classic metal. It's going to patina, like an unlaqured brass would. I really like the look of that.

Using Stainless Steel

Our wolf ranges were a non-negotiable for us in this kitchen. This means we'll be using stainless steel (we opted for the brass knobs, vs. the red). The great thing about stainless steel is it's pretty low maintenance. We also opted for stainless steel sinks because they're the real work horses in this kitchen. I want to be able to bleach out all the crap that our sink sees haha.

Other Kitchen Notes

I actually stayed away from black in this kitchen which is a big deal to me, considering how much I love black. I think the bronze sconces and ring drawer pulls are bringing in that darker tone that we need. I definitely used all the mixing metals tips from this post when designing this kitchen.