A Little Brass In The Kitchen

Architectural Digest  - Genevieve Faure

I'm loving a bit of brass in interiors these days.  It had such a bad turn for awhile there.  We're seeing it more and more and I love the warmth it brings to a space.  

Carole Lalli - House Beautiful

Mark Badgley - Elle Decor

Nancy Bozhardt - House Beautiful

Aerin Lauder-Zinterhofer - Elle Decor

Susan Dossetter - House Beautiful



So what do you think?  Would you do some brass in your kitchen?

A Holiday Tabletop



I spent some time at my mother-in-law's today working with her to set our table for a holiday dinner we will have at her house. We pooled our resources to create a really different look this year, using her favorite color, turquoise, with antique brass accents.

She has a beautiful antique table and chairs which make a great base for any table setting.  It's nice and wide, so you can really do some nice centerpieces without crowding things too much.   I didn't want to use a full tablecloth so we could see that beautful table, so she pulled one of her scarves in her favorite color to use as a runner. We combined all of our brass candlesticks to fill the table and she has this fabulous, heavy, round vase she picked up in her travels that I filled with creamy white flowers.  Her partridge figurines fit the color scheme beautifully.   

She has these great brass chargers we used under my creamware plates.  Then she pulled out a beautiful service of brass flatware with the best looking soup spoons!  We will be having a fabulous soup on this evening, so how nice to have these lovely spoons. Lastly, we clipped some magnolia leaves from her tree, included a few silk magnolia blooms, and folded the creamy linen napkins. 

This tabletop really reflects the style and personality of my mother-in-law, from the scarf from her closet to the magnolia leaves from her tree.  She loves the decor and can't wait to host this family gathering!

So....Is Brass Coming Back?

"So, is brass coming back?", the contractor on this recent bathroom remodel asked me this past week. We were in the midst of a photo session and homeowner, contractor, photographer, and I were discussing the project and the materials I used. My answer was not a succinct yes or no, it was one of those, "It depends."

First I want to say that this photo above is just my shot with my Iphone. The pro shots will make that brass sing! Frankly, I don't think anything really goes "out", it just becomes so badly and cheaply repeated that we tire of it and shun it for a while.


Cheap, shiny brass faucets, hardware, and lighting used in a lot of homes built in the 1990's should never have happened anyway. Something about when a cheap product is bright and polished, it catches the eye and just screams, "Hey, look how cheap I am!"

Faceted plastic knobs also do a little screaming.


Quality, however, is not a trend and will never go out of style. The faucets and fixtures we used in that brass bathroom remodel will last as long as the homeowners will live there and have a timeless look that fits with their personality and style of the home.



Bathrooms and kitchens are a different type of design challenge than other rooms in the home. They must serve their functional purpose first and are therefore less decorated and furnished than other spaces. A metal finish is a key design statement in a bath and kitchen. Fixtures and hardware are the jewelry and play a more substantial role in the design. The bathroom above needed the definition that a dark bronze finish gave to the curves of the sconces and faucets.

The dark bronze in this bathroom provided a masculine look the client wanted and relates to the dark mahogany used for trimwork and cabinetry.

Dark bronze here works well with the dark emperador marble tops and adds interest, especially in the chandelier, to an otherwise neutral space.




The copper sink and faucet used in this kitchen remodel added lovely color and a French look that the homeowner desired.



The black faucet, sink, and hardware repeat the black in the tile backsplash and relate it to the black kitchen island in this space.



When I toured this home at the beginning of the job, I noticed all the brass. There were beautiful, heavy, antique brass candlesticks, chandeliers, and door hardware throughout. None of it was cheap and it spoke to the traditional feel and the warm, cozy atmosphere created there. I didn't want this bathroom to feel out of place just because brass wasn't "in" now. I chose an antique brass look because I thought it caught up with the other metal finishes and had the same subtle, warm feel that was the look of this home. It also enhanced the other finishes used, especially the onyx mosaic tile, with its warm undertones. Can you imagine if I'd gone with chrome? It would've all gone flat.

So, is brass coming back? I really think it depends. It depends on the homeowner, the home, the other finishes to be used, the overall design statement. What do you think?

If you would like help deciding what metal finishes would work best for your home, contact Aston Design Studio today!

If you have a design related question or need some advice on any aspect of interior design, e-mail me HERE. I might feature your question in a special Q and A blog post!