Fool Proof Formula: How to Mix Metals in Kitchen Design

Love it? Share it!

Let me take the guesswork out of how to mix metals in kitchen design. Mixed metal cabinet hardware, lighting, and plumbing creates a visually interesting kitchen design. However, it can be tricky to do right. Use this fool proof formula as a guide to mixing metals in the kitchen!

Post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.

How to Mix Metals in Kitchen Design

Learning how to mix hardware finishes in a kitchen is easier than you think. I’m going to give you my fool proof formula first. (But don’t neglect the wealth of information on kitchen design I’ll share as you continue reading this article!)

I’ve designed and remodeled so many kitchens using this exact method.

1. Pick One Dominant Metal

First, you want to pick one dominant metal color.

You will use this for 70-75% of your kitchen design. This allows you to keep a cohesive look in the entirety of the kitchen, but gives you wiggle room to bring in an accent tone.

As you choose your dominant metal, consider all of the different products you will be selecting.

• Cabinet hardware
• Lighting
• Faucet and/or pot fillers
• Appliances
• Sink (if applicable)
• Gallery rails (if applicable)
• Tile schluter (if applicable)

Cabinet pulls and knobs are often the most visually numerous metals in the kitchen. So, I like to recommend that what you choose for hardware it is your dominant metal finish.

2. Choose One Cool Tone and One Warm Tone

The best way to mix metals in kitchen design is to choose one cool tone and one warm tone. Then stick with those two metals finishes for the entirety of your kitchen design.

Mixing one cool and one warm tone allows you to add interest without the metals competing.

Let’s break this down.

What Are Cool Tone Metal Finishes?

Cool tone metals are essentially silvers and black:

• Polished nickel
• Chrome
  • (polished nickel and chrome are very similar in appearance but wear differently)
• Brushed nickel
• Black
• Black stainless steel
• Stainless steel
• Pewter

Favorite Cool Tone Fixtures and Hardware

I’m going to round up some of my favorite finishes in each tone.

Note: Almost all of these in cool tones also come in warm tones. And vice versa for the warm tones below. So if you like the shape of one of these, click through and you’ll likely be able to find it in the tone you are looking for!

What are Warm Tone Metal Finishes?

Warm tone metals are:

• copper
• gold
• brass (in all varieties)
• bronze

Favorite Warm Tone Fixtures and Hardware

Which Cool and Warm Metals Pair Well Together?

Here are some classic pairings for how to mix metals in the kitchen.

• Gold and chrome
• Copper and stainless steel
• Bronze, gold or brass and black (black is a great “neutral” metal)
• Brass and polished nickel
• Pewter and gold

Of course, there are also warm/warm and cool/cool tones that pair well if you like less visual variety. For example:

• Black and any of the silver tones
• Satin Brass and Antiqued Brass

3. Choose Lighting First

In my opinion, lighting is the hardest fixture to decide on in a kitchen.

The options are endless. The metal finishes are widely scattered and extremely inconsistent from brand to brand. And, lighting is like the jewelry for the kitchen. So you want it to be the statement you want to make in the space.

Brass/gold tones are especially varied. Some are very yellow while others are more of a champagne finish.

Since lighting brands are inconsistent in their metal finishes, I recommend deciding on your lighting first so that you can match your other metal tones to your lighting.

4. Know Your Metal Finishes

Metal finishes are almost as varied as metal colors. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Brushed: A dulled look that is very smooth and less shiny.
• Hammered: A more rustic look with divots and dents.
• Matte: No shine at all.
• Polished: A beautiful gleam with a highly reflective surface. (Also, needs to be polished to maintain that gleam.)
• Champagne/Satin: A step above matte but below polished. Similar to brushed.
• Antiqued: Has an aged appearance.
• Unlacquered: Specifically related to brass without a protective coating. This allows the metal to oxidize and develop a patina over time.

In modern homes, the most often used finishes are polished, matte, and unlacquered. More rustic homes will pair well with antiqued, hammered or satin.

Most brushed finishes are not trending in 2025 as they tend to date a space back to the 80s/90s.

See 35 surprising top kitchen trends in 2025 in this article.

Step By Step Process for How to Mix Metals

When I design a kitchen, here’s my foolproof design formula for how to mix metals in a kitchen.

I’ll use my most recent kitchen remodel as an example.

Choose the Dominant Metal

• My preference is the lighting and cabinet hardware are the dominant metal. This isn’t a hard and fast design rule, but it works very well.
• I chose gold to warm up the space since my paint colors and tile are cooler tones.

Choose Lighting

• Both of my lighting fixtures came with a more yellowed tone gold.

Select Cabinet Hardware

• To mellow out the yellow gold of the lighting, I chose a more champagne gold for my cabinet hardware. Same complementing color family in a slightly different finish.

Add in Other Accents in the Dominant Color

Choose other accents in the dominant color so it flows throughout the whole room.

• In my case, our shelving gallery rail needed to be a similar gold to move the same color through the entire space.

Add the Secondary Metal Tone

Only 25% or less of the kitchen should be in this tone.

• Typically, I like my secondary metal tone to be found in my plumbing fixtures and appliances.
• Silver tones tend to blend into the background more than bold tones like gold, black or copper. Therefore, I chose the cool tone of chrome for the faucet. I didn’t want my faucet to stand out since it was in the island. The chrome finish helps it blend into the cooler backsplash tile behind it.
• I chose black stainless steel for my appliances. It blends in with the cabinetry colors and has chrome accents to pair with the faucet.

What If I don’t Fit the “Mold” for How to Mix Metals

With these steps in mind, don’t fret if the design plan you had for mixing metals in your kitchen doesn’t quite align with this formula.

The beauty of kitchen design is that there is a lot of flexibility when you start to bring in different design styles. If you feel you have an overall modern aesthetic but want to bring in cozier tones, warm cabinet hardware is a great way to soften the space.

Conversely, if you love antiqued styles with lots of character but don’t want your kitchen to feel super rustic, adding in polished nickel or chrome can elevate the design without feeling out of place.

Best Mixed Metal Cabinet Pulls

If you really want to take all the decision out of it, try already mixed lighting, metal cabinet pulls and mixed metal drawer pulls and knobs.

Mixed metal cabinet hardware already has two metal tones built into it. From this, you can choose one of the colors to make your dominant metal tone to bring throughout the rest of the room.

Here are my picks. For fun, I’m adding some mixed metal lighting as well:

How to Design a Kitchen

I hope that this post on how to mix metals in a kitchen empowers you to feel confident in choosing your kitchen finishes!

Kitchens are my favorite room to design, so I have a plethora of helpful resources to help you design the kitchen of your dreams. Make sure to check them out below.

Thanks so much for stopping by Grace In My Space today! Make sure to subscribe to access all my free guides. Plus, you can follow along with me daily on Instagram and weekly on YouTube!

~Sarah