Jewelry for the Home

Accessorize with Gold and Brass Lighting Fixtures

There’s no better way to accessorize and elevate your home’s design narrative than with well-chosen lighting fixtures. As important as picking the right style of lighting, is choosing the right materials and finish. If you haven’t given much thought to putting metals to work in your home environment, now is the time, as warm metals like gold and brass are experiencing a resurgence in popularity and will be the premier look of 2017. And there’s no better way to benefit from the look of metals than with the right lighting fixtures. In fact, you could say that lighting fixtures in metallic materials and finishes are like jewelry for the home.

Lighting fixtures in metallic materials and finishes are like jewelry for the home.

Go with Gold

When you’re looking to polish up your designer environment, a touch of gold in your lighting fixtures can most definitely do the trick. In fact, gold is making a mighty comeback in the interior design world, in large part because it has the ability to do one thing better than almost any other design element: make a statement. Think about it—what other element can add glamour and glitz to an interior environment better than gold? Available in a range of tones from bright yellow to subdued honey, the look of gold can be organic, traditional and modern while simultaneously serving the purpose of contrast and texture. Treat the use of gold lighting fixtures in your home as you would jewelry—a little goes a long way. However, don’t be so cautious that you underdo it either. You definitely want the gold to catch the attention of your guests.

Don’t Pass on Brass

Take everything you remember about your grandmother’s stodgy, old, brass chandelier and forget it. These days, brass is much more understated and luxurious than it used to be. Brass is a stately and inviting metal and offers a tremendous versatility, as it comes in numerous shades. The best of today’s brass lighting fixtures are also light years ahead when it comes to quality, finish and overall style. Eschewing the overpowering look of yesteryear in favor of a more subtle and elegant aesthetic, the right brass lighting fixture in your designer environment can make it at once tasteful and inviting. Plus, an added benefit of brass is that when it’s utilized properly, it never goes out of style.

Mixed Metals

Now that you’re up to speed on gold and brass, perhaps you’re asking, “Is it okay to mix metals?” Don’t worry, you’re not alone. And you’ll be happy to know that the answer is a resounding “Yes!” Using a variety of lighting fixtures made from different metals or with different metal finishes like brass and gold is not only acceptable, it’s advisable, as various metals can complement each other. Gold and brass in particular, working together, can actually result in a more layered, balanced and refined look. Furthermore, mixing metals is a great way to create an environment that is uniquely yours and shows off your personal eye for design.

Ultimately, when you use metals like gold and brass to create a theme for your lighting and overall interior design, you’re tapping into one of the most universal, appealing and recurring trends in design. Best of all, unlike fashion trends, interior design trends don’t go in and out of style so quickly and many of the lighting fixtures you choose can easily become mainstays in your designer environment.

PRO TIP: When pairing lighting fixtures with different metallic hues like gold and brass, you should pick a dominant metal and then use another metal to complement it and contrast with it (a two-thirds, one-third rule works well). Mix darker hues of gold with lighter hues of brass, and vice versa. Mix no more than four metals for best results.