Gold, Silver & Brass: How To Mix Metals When Styling Your Home

Mixing metals in home decor can feel like a magical form of alchemy, where gold, silver, and brass combine to transform your space into a showcase of sophistication and style. At Koala Living, we’re eager to share our insights on how to master this enchanting blend. By integrating these diverse elements, you can create an aesthetic that reflects your unique taste and elevates your home’s ambiance. 

Whether it’s the warm glow of gold, the sleek shimmer of silver, or the rustic charm of brass, learning to harmonise these metals can add depth and interest to any room. Join us as we explore how to mix metals in your home, providing you with the secret recipe for a perfectly balanced home.

What To Consider When Mixing Metals In Your Home

When mixing metals in your home decor, it's crucial to start by selecting a dominant metal as your main theme and one or more accent metals to enhance and balance the overall aesthetic. This strategic approach ensures that the space feels cohesive yet dynamic, offering layers of texture and colour that complement each other.

What colours go with gold?

Gold brings a warm, luxurious feel that's perfect as the main metal in your decor. To keep things from getting too flashy, you can balance out its opulence with cooler metals like silver as accents. This contrast not only tones down the gold's boldness but also keeps its luxury intact. Gold is ideal for statement pieces like chandeliers, mirror frames, and wall accents. Pairing it with silver or chrome in smaller details or trims can create a beautiful and cohesive look.

What colour goes with silver?

Silver's sleek and modern aesthetic makes it a perfect choice as the main metal in contemporary or minimalist homes. You can bring this cool elegance into your space with key furniture pieces. Consider a chic silver coffee table, or a stylish metallic side table. These items not only anchor your decor but also brighten the room by reflecting light. 

What colours go with brass?

Brass brings a rustic charm that's perfect for spaces with a classic or vintage vibe, naturally pairing with darker colours and rich materials like wood to enhance warmth and depth. To modernise and integrate brass smoothly, mix it with cooler metals like brushed nickel or stainless steel. For furniture, consider brass-coloured pieces like a brass coffee table, or dining chairs with brass legs, which can transform your space with a touch of old-world charm and a modern twist.

Do’s & Don’ts For Mixing Metals

Mixing metals in home decor is a bit like exploring a vast forest; there are countless paths you can take and treasures to discover. At Koala Living, we know it can feel overwhelming, so we’ve put together some simple Do's and Don'ts to help guide you through.

Do: Choose A Dominant Metal

Incorporating a dominant metal into your home's design can anchor and unify your decor. Suppose you choose Silver as your main metal; you could highlight its sleek, modern aesthetic with key furniture pieces such as a stainless steel dining table like our Lena Dining Table for your family’s banquet area. 

For the living room, introduce a touch of opulence with a spot of gold. A golden coffee table, such as our Cameron Coffee Table, can serve as a luxurious focal point.. These examples show that a major piece of furniture can dictate the dominant metal, anchoring the overall design.

Do: Consider Your Colour Palette

When choosing metal finishes for your home, it’s important to think about how they’ll fit with the colours you already have. 

Gold has a warm glow that really brings out the richness of deep colours like navy or emerald green, and it can add a touch of elegance to more neutral shades like beige and cream. 

On the other hand, silver, which has a cooler tone, goes great with greys, blues, and pastels, giving a sleek look to modern spaces and making monochrome colour schemes pop. 

Brass, too, has its charms, offering a warm radiance that looks stunning against earthy colours such as olive or mushroom, enhancing the overall warmth and depth of these tones.

Don’t: Ignore Metal Finishes Or Textures

When decorating with metals, it's essential not to overlook the impact of different finishes and textures, as these can significantly influence the overall vibe and style of a room. Each type of finish brings its own unique character and can either enhance or soften the aesthetic you're aiming for.

For instance, a polished finish, like with our Lindsay Sideboard, is brilliant and reflective, great for adding a touch of glamour and luxury. It catches the light beautifully, making it a perfect choice for spaces where you want to make a statement, such as in dining or living areas with a chandelier or metallic statement furniture. 

On the other hand, pieces with a matte finish like our Heinrich Shelf, offer a more understated look. It's ideal for more minimalist or modern designs because it doesn't reflect light in the same way polished metals do, providing a subtle presence in a space. Incorporating a variety of metal finishes and textures not only enhances the richness of your decor but also allows you to create a more layered and personalised look.

Do: Use Only Three Different Metals

When it comes to decorating with metals, a rule of thumb is to cap the variety at three types, particularly in larger spaces. Choose one metal as the dominant finish for major elements like furniture or light fixtures, and select two others as accents to create depth and character. 

This approach ensures that the space feels intentional and curated, not cluttered or haphazard. In smaller spaces, the principle of three still applies, but with even more restraint. Each metal should have a purpose, with one taking the lead, another as a complement, and the third to offer a subtle highlight. This method ensures that each metal gets a chance to shine without overwhelming the room.

Harmonise the elements with Koala Living

In the symphony of home design, the final note is harmony, and at Koala Living, we're dedicated to helping you achieve it with style and ease. Whether you're conducting the warm tones of brass, the classic gleam of silver, or the radiant allure of gold, remember that beauty is found in the composition. We invite you to explore our catalogue or step into one of our Galleries for a personal encore.