When it comes to finishing a room to match your style perfectly, nothing beats completing the look with the right hardware. Choosing the right finishes for your home may seem like a daunting task, but we’re here to help!
No two finishes are the same.
There can be so many finishes to choose from! Here are some that we love:
Polished: Polished finishes offer a shiny, bright look and has a sparklingly clean appearance, but if used in high traffic applications these can require some maintenance to keep their dazzling appearance.
Brushed: Brushed finishes have a visual texture that mirrors paint brush strokes. As such, these have a natural tendency to diffuse light, which offers the benefit of concealing water spots and fingerprints. This makes them a perfect fit for high traffic applications, but because of the textured surface they offer a softer glow than other finishes..
Satin: Satin, like brushed finishes, create a diffuse light pattern. Satin finishes are smooth, unlike brushed finishes, with a uniform appearance. This gives satin finishes the ability to create a soft glow in a space, catching the eye in an understated way while still capturing light in an elegant way..
Just like the color of paint or of the patterns of fabrics, hardware finishes play a huge role in the atmosphere of a room. The below guide will help you pick the perfect finish for your space.
1. How do you want your hardware to make a statement?
If you would like your hardware to make a bold impact, choose a finish that has a lot of contrast with your door color. For example, black hardware on white doors, or satin brass on navy blue doors. On the other hand, if you'd like your hardware to be more subtle, choose a finish that is similar in color and lightness to your doors - for example, oil rubbed bronze on cherry cabinets.
2. Are your cabinetry and doors warm-toned or cool-toned?
Typically, warm finishes look nice near other warm colors and cool tones look nice with other cool tones. Warm tones tend to be in the red and rose gold space, cool tones tend to be in the blue and bold yellow space.
3. Mixing finishes
If you have a stainless steel refrigerator, that does not mean you need to use stainless steel hardware. In fact, sometimes too much of a single finish can be overwhelming. Mixing finishes is a great way to add interest to spaces and can give your home a more authentic feel. However, not all finishes mesh. The best way to ensure that your finishes blend nicely is to make sure all of the finishes you use have either a warm undertone or a cool undertone. Using cool and warm finishes near each other can create visual friction and should be thoughtfully considered. Some of our favorite finish combinations include:
- Satin Brass and Black
- Satin Brass and Bronze
- Satin Nickel and Polished Nickel
- Antique Brass and Bronze
- Antique Nickel and Black
When mixing finishes, it is best to have a dominant finish and one to two secondary finishes. For large spaces, make sure the dominant finish is spread through different areas of the room to make the space more cohesive.
