Trendy or Timeless? Vol.1
Welcome to a new series here on our journal where I look at current interior design trends, offer advice on how to use them in a timeless way and share local product recommendations. Although I am by no means a professional interior designer, after completing several renovations of my own, reading through hundreds of home magazines and many an hour spent scrolling on Pinterest, I’ve certainly formed some opinions on the topic! Feel free to reach out if you have any suggestions for future home trends that you’d like me to discuss.
The Mystery of Mixed Metals
Having mixed metals is one of design’s most controversial statements, and it is hard to find agreement on what is the best approach. Keeping your metals consistent around your home and individual spaces is the more obvious and achievable approach, whereas mixing them up does take some skill and planning. I can truly appreciate when this has been done well, but have also seen some galactic fails – so what’s the key?
I’m no expert, but from what I have read, one of the keys to mixing your metals is to start with a primary metal. This will likely be used on larger surfaces and more regularly in a space, so that the secondary metals are used to compliment rather than fight against each other.
Secondly, limit your mixed metals to 3-4 different varieties, anymore and it will probably start to get too busy. Consider the undertones of the primary metal you use and use this as a basis for your other choices. Is it a warm undertone through brass, copper or gold, or is it a cool undertone through the use of chrome, silver or gunmetal? If you keep your mixed metals from the same undertone family they will live beside each other with ease.
Mix finishes along with your metals. Whilst being from the same undertone family is important, mixing up your finishes and textures removes the matchy matchy appearance that a similar finish can create. Be confident mixing a matte finish with a polished finish and an aged finish with a textured finish. This will help your metals stand on their own merits while also blending nicely with their neighbours.
Plan your mixed metals to appear throughout your space rather than all around the one focal spot. Two different metals right next to each other can look a little jarring, but spaced throughout an area will create a cohesive look.
Keep in mind the other colours and textures in your home. Whatever metal undertones you are drawn to needs to be supported by your paint, art and soft furnishing choices to ensure an aesthetically balanced interior.
Keen to try mixing your metals but lacking the confidence? My good friend Pinterest is a great place to head for inspiration and further tips. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when someone has probably already created something similar to what you are planning. I’m not against copying and pasting interior ideas if you find an image that really speaks to you!
The Statement of Stone
I’ve been a longtime fan of natural stone and came to peace with its perceived down sides some years ago. During a kitchen renovation we did about ten years ago, I knew that the aesthetic I wanted was marble, but there were several ways of achieving this look. Real marble was the obvious choice, but engineered stone, quartz, porcelain and laminate are also viable options. Sometimes budget will determine the best option, but if you have the scope within your budget, the choices are vast.
I looked into the so-called cons with real marble when we were planning our kitchen. Staining, scratching, sealing and pitting were all mentioned, and I know often deter people from proceeding, but in my opinion, marble’s flaws are also its virtues, with the history of use being a beautiful part of the aging process. Wabi-sabi is the Japanese word for accepting imperfection, and I think marble is the perfect wabi-sabi material. I’m a huge fan.
The choice of which kind of stone you use is just the beginning of the process though! After deciding our bench-top would be marble, it was then a decision of which marble! A trip to Bramco in Seaview was both inspiring and daunting. So many beautiful natural stones to choose from! Artedomus in Auckland is another great marble browsing spot and equally as confusing.
I would recommend having a clear plan on the general look and feel of your kitchen before marble shopping (Pinterest again) or alternatively, be prepared to have the marble decide the look and feel for you. If you fall in love with a particular stone, then the cabinet colours, tap-ware and tiles can take their cue from this, and that’s certainly how we approached our most recent kitchen reno. Our current bench-top is granite, another natural stone, because the marble we had our eyes on was cost and shipping prohibitive, so we found a granite at Bramco that had similar colours and veining to the marble of our dreams and allowed us to complete our kitchen on budget.
Whichever approach and stone type you choose, your bench-top is likely to be the hero of the space so take your time and choose wisely!