How To Decorate With Metallics
Neutrals can fit seamlessly into any design and, according to 99acres, metals are some of the most stylish neutrals that you can incorporate into your everyday space. However, decorating with metals needs to be done with purpose and care, or else it can make a room feel cold and uninviting. It's important to distinguish between the different types of metallic pieces and to understand how you can best use them when decorating your home.
Some of the most popular metals that people choose to decorate with are aluminum, stainless steel, brass, copper, silver, and gold. With so many options to choose from, you will need to have a plan in mind for what you want your home to look like when incorporating metals so that you don't overdo it or become overwhelmed. Whatever style or color you may gravitate towards, understanding the how-tos of decorating with metallics is key to perfecting your home's overall look and feel.
Contrast is important
You may be tempted to mix and match the various types of metals out there. This is okay as long as you keep in mind a couple of important rules about metallic mixing. First, you'll want to make sure that the metals you choose will work well with the rest of your home's design. Hudson & Crane mentions how contrast is important to add interest to a harmonious design, ensuring it doesn't become too monotonous.
Second, make sure that you choose a metal to be your main focal point. You will use this metal the most and add a few others as accents throughout your home. The accents should be contrasting pieces, or pieces that provide a visual distinction from the metal type you choose to use as your main focus piece. Lastly, you don't want to have too many metal types throughout your home, so it's best to stick to the primary metal and then two or three secondary metals. Using too many different metal types and colors can leave your home looking messy and visually unpleasant.
Less is more
Using too much metal can leave your home looking too busy and unwelcoming. Instead, the experts at Curio Design Studio suggest trying to keep things simple and refrain from mixing more than three metallic tones when bringing metals into your décor. You can incorporate metals into places that aren't the center of attention or mix them in with different materials such as wood. Doing so will help highlight the metal without letting the material become too overpowering in your space. This strategy can help you keep things feeling and looking contemporary without letting metal accents clutter up your visual space.
A minimalist approach to your home-designing process will keep you from feeling overwhelmed and allow you to experiment more in the future, since you can add more pieces to an uncluttered space. Also, minimalism is trendy, so using both this design style and the approach of including metals in your home will leave you with a very up-to-date look that will have your house guests appreciating your décor choices.
Replace your light fixtures with industrial ones
Destination Lighting reveals that industrial light fixtures, such as those made from metals, are trendy and popular. You will notice these especially when you look at newer modern homes on the market. They bring effortless style and elegance and are easy to maintain and clean. You can use a nickel ceiling fan, a string of lights encased in a metal box, a simple nickel mini pendant light enclosed in glass, or other variations of the above. The possibilities are truly endless.
However, make sure to contrast these fixtures' cold, metallic, unfinished industrial design with softness in the home décor. Otherwise, you risk your house design ending up too unfriendly. Pay attention to the room's color palette where you install these light fixtures. You'll want to pair the cold metallic feel of these industrial lights with a warmer and softer color such as cream or beige on the walls. This contrast will help your home feel lively and inviting.
Metal décor makes nice accents
We have touched lightly on accenting with metal pieces previously, but let's expand on this. According to Houzz, metallic accents can be placed on mantels, bookshelves, and other stands and shelves. Or they can be used on both the walls and the ceilings of your homes. For example, if you have paneling on your wall, you can stick some gold tiles between the panels for a splash of much-needed color. You can also use metallic paint to add accents to your walls. Then, throw in some decorative wall plates and metallic frames for a sophisticated look.
If you're putting metal items on display on shelves, tables, or stands, you can put out some vases, planters and flower pots, candleholders, bookends, stained glass panels, and decorative jars to liven the place up. Try adding one of these items to your kitchen table as a centerpiece. Additionally, you can even use some metallic screens and room dividers to divide your space, keeping things less messy and more organized.
Choose furniture with metallic pieces
If you want to go beyond just accents, Met-L-Wood explains you can try choosing some furniture with metallic finishing. This includes couches and chairs with metal studs, or coffee tables and other such items with metal legs. Some furniture has beautiful gold rims and legs, while others may use fabric with metallic colors.
Coffee tables can come in various metallic designs, with the metal making up a large portion of the table and the top consisting of marble, wood, or another finish. Add in a metal-framed table behind your couch and maybe a few metallic-based lamps, and you will have a very chic-looking home. By using metal-framed furniture and not so many decorative pieces, you're keeping your space open, inviting, and homey while giving these metals a purpose in your home that's not just decoration. These subtle touches can really warm up a space.
Remodel your kitchen
The kitchen is one of the most popular rooms in a house that homeowners choose to remodel, but it can get expensive, fast. This Old House states that remodeling your kitchen is a costly venture, but it can be a great place to add some metallic pieces. You can replace your light fixtures with more industrial-looking lights made from metals like brass, copper, or iron, add a nice backsplash of your favorite metal instead of the usual wallpaper or tile, and grab some copper kitchenware items such as pots and pans, cutlery, and even everyday appliances to tie it all together. Who doesn't love stainless steel appliances anyways? They will ensure your kitchen looks up-to-date.
You could also take it a step further and update your countertops with a metallic epoxy kit. While you could certainly do it yourself, it's advisable to hire a professional to do the installation instead to get it looking just right, especially since epoxy can be finicky to use.
Decorative pillows and throws
Consider your home's living space. Is it smaller than average? If so, then you probably can't –- and shouldn't -– fit too much metal décor. Trying to do so would cause your space to become quickly overpowering, cluttered, and can lead to you, your family, and any house guests feeling overwhelmed and put off. That's where decorative metallic pillows and throws come into play, according to MyDomaine. Grab some metallic-colored pillows and blankets and throw them onto your couch, sofa, or armchair for a simple yet classy look.
Make sure the metallic colors that you choose complement your furniture and the color palette of your walls. If your couch is a shade of brown, you don't want to add brass, gold, or copper pillows or throws to your furniture, as this would be visually unpleasant. Instead, opt for silver or something similar to give it that much-needed pop of color.
Add some mirrors for reflection
For a more simplistic approach to metal décor, The Spruce suggests adding a mirror or two. They can help make the room feel fuller, brighter, and larger, thanks to their reflections. "Mirrors are a great way to reflect light and help a space feel larger," Jennifer Burt, an interior designer, told the publication. "I suggest using them across from windows for the most impact."
Place the mirror opposite your metallic décor and let the piece be reflected around the room. If you want to take it a step further, the mirror you choose can be framed in copper, metal, or other metallics. Mirrors are a popular accessory for many homes, so using them to fill up your space can be a clever choice. And if you're on a budget, it can help you save money since you won't have to buy as many metal pieces to fill up your home.
Antiques are valuable
If you have some metallic antique pieces, these will be a great centerpiece for your home. Vogue notes that antiques are valuable, not just in the sense of money but also in terms of beauty and elegance. If you don't have any antiques, make a trip to your local thrift store. They are sure to have some, and you might be surprised at what you find. It's true what they say: One person's trash is another person's treasure.
A popular trend is taking a metal locker, adding some DIY touches, and then using it for storage in an entryway, bathroom, office, or bedroom. This sort of metal piece will provide your home with an old-fashioned look while also giving you a place to store some extra clothes, bedsheets, office supplies, bathroom necessities, and other such items. Antique paintings painted with hints of metallic paint or framed in some sort of metal are also a nice touch that can be added to your entryway or a hallway.
Add other textures and furniture to complement the metal
According to Homes To Love, adding other textures like rustic wood, faux fur, and velvet can keep your home looking fresh and modern while subtly introducing metallic décor to your space. After all, you don't want your entire house to be comprised of just metals, as this would leave things feeling too gloomy and would not make for a pleasant living space.
For example, using a bookcase to display certain items beside your books is a great and subtle way to introduce your metallic accessories to your home. Think of adding some metallic bookends, some decorative items, or some metal frames to display your happy-looking family. You could also place some metallic accents on your console table, coffee table, end tables, and as the centerpiece for your dining table. Adding such pieces to wooden furniture, especially rustic wood, can give your home a vintage feel and look.
Start small and then go big
If you're new to decorating with metallic furniture and décor, it may be a good idea to start with smaller pieces, as per House Beautiful. These can be vases, decorative figures, frames, or lamps, which add a pop of texture without overwhelming the space. Smaller items are easy to swap out should you decide you want to go a different route or want to use a different metal tone. Also, since it can be hard to find the right place to put these items, incorporating smaller objects into your home will allow you to move these items easily from one place to another until you find the perfect spot to display your precious metals.
Even if you've found the perfect spot for your decorations, it's always nice to change things up and give your space a fresh and new look by rearranging your furniture from time to time. This can easily be done with smaller items, and you're unlikely to require outside help when moving things around.
Avoid cluttering one area
Putting your metal furniture, décor, and accents together in one part of your home can look too messy and cluttered. According to Gather Home and Design, cluttering metals should be avoided, so instead, leave some space between your metallics. Choose your main metallic piece, and then add a few other items throughout the same room to space them out.
Add some metal-framed couches and tables to your living space coupled with some lamps and a few paintings, then add some industrial lights and kitchenware to your kitchen with a backsplash of gold or bronze on the wall, and maybe some metallic antiques or storage units to your entryway, hallways, or bedroom. Spacing your metal décor out will give you the modernization of using metallics in your home while also ensuring that your home doesn't seem too unfriendly to your house guests.
Don't forget about the ornamental metals
Better Homes and Gardens notes that ornamental metals can add a subtle but aesthetically-pleasing touch to your home's overall appearance. If you have a staircase, you can replace the railing with one made of steel, brass, or wrought iron. Likewise, the cabinets you have throughout your home, whether in the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, or living room, can have their handles replaced with metal variations.
If you want to give the outside of your home an updated look, you can choose to have metallic fences or gates installed around your property. Fences and gates can be more than just aesthetically pleasing –- they can also be quite useful if you have small children or pets. Then, if you have a porch, you can also opt for a wrought iron handrailing and/or gate. If your home has a balcony, you can also use wrought iron or another metal for the railings. Pair these ornamentals with some wooden or even metal outdoor patio furniture (but make sure they're in contrast to the ornamentals you have chosen) to complete your home's exterior look.
Attention-grab with art
Art is beautiful and can usually be found in any home you visit. Artwork Archive mentions having art in a home is important because it expresses your aesthetic, becomes a conversation starter for guests, adds something unique to a home, and can even inspire us to be better people. What's even better is that some of these pieces come with hints of metal in them. You can find art pieces made from metallic paint or display metallic colors. These are sure to grab the attention of your friends and family when you invite them over.
Art can also be in other forms such as ceramics, jewelry, glassware, and other such items. No matter what form of art you decide to put in your home, or if you choose to mix several different kinds, these pieces will compliment your home's appearance and provide a refined and stylish look and feel.