Metallic Mix: Add a Sheen to Your Home With Gold and Silver
More than just hardware is gleamworthy in a home. Marrying metallics with walls, ceilings, furniture and accessories makes your rooms glow
Shawn Gauthier
9 May 2019
I'm a freelance writer and design enthusiast who believes the best design is collected, not decorated, and that homes should always be as comfortable and functional as they are chic. In addition to writing for Houzz, I work as the Head Copywriter for Layla Grayce and Zinc Door.
I'm a freelance writer and design enthusiast who believes the best design is collected,... More
Metallics are all the rage right now, which means gold and silver alike are topping the décor charts. If both strike your fancy and you’re worried you’ll have to choose one or the other, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Gone is yesterday’s belief that gold and silver do not belong in the same ensemble; in fact, mixing them is encouraged.
Metallics are dynamic by nature, and the blend of gold and silver in particular lends not only an intriguing contrast but also a sense of visual dimension and texture. With the right balance of the two, your home can feel both elegant and eclectic.
If you’re feeling stumped or intimidated by this venture, read on for several tips to begin making the look work for you. Happy mixing!
Metallics are dynamic by nature, and the blend of gold and silver in particular lends not only an intriguing contrast but also a sense of visual dimension and texture. With the right balance of the two, your home can feel both elegant and eclectic.
If you’re feeling stumped or intimidated by this venture, read on for several tips to begin making the look work for you. Happy mixing!
Don’t feel like you need to go wild right off the bat. Instead, build your confidence by starting small. It may be as simple as introducing a chair with silver elements into a space with gold accessories.
Or pull gold accessories into a room with silver hardware. By beginning with smaller amounts of both gold and silver, you can get a sense for how the two metallics play off each other without worrying about too permanent a commitment.
Looking for statement-making accessories?
Looking for statement-making accessories?
Play with vignettes. Don’t feel like they need to be elaborate: Moving a silver chair beneath a gold-framed photo will give you a sense of how each element acts within the space.
Then add more gold and silver accessories to your vignette to see how different hues of each interact. Try a variety of objects until you get the balance right. Understanding how to strike equilibrium in smaller sections will give you more confidence to pull the colours throughout the room, if that’s what you’re aiming to ultimately do.
Bling It On: 4 Ways to Master Metallics at Home
Bling It On: 4 Ways to Master Metallics at Home
Instead of just accessories or frames, see how gold or silver furnishings work within a vignette. Being both gold and silver, this piece does double duty: it’s silver siding creates a balanced contrast against the gold lamppost and picture frame.
Once you’re feeling more sure of yourself, you can pull gold and silver further into the room. If you have gold near the top of the room, like in a light fixture, pull the colour down by adding a rug with gold accents. Pepper the space in between, such as table surfaces, with silver accessories to achieve that sense of equilibrium.
Step away and look at the big picture. Have you chosen curtains with a golden hue in your dining room? Centre your table in front of the windows and hang a silver ceiling fixture; when you walk into the space, you’ll see how one complements the other.
This is another example of looking at the big picture. If you have several gold pieces on your walls, consider balancing the look with a silver coffee table or even silver accessories atop your current coffee table.
Be bold with your contrasts. Complete a silver vanity counter in the bathroom with a gold sink and faucet.
Consider how you treat your walls. One option is to choose wallpaper with metallic features, then fill the room with gold and silver accessories to play off the wallpaper.
Or consider translating one of the hues into a more calming shade with paint. Think buttery gold or greyish silver. These will blend with both gold and silver accents without stealing the show.
If you have a large space, consider creating a separation of areas by concentrating more gold in one space and more silver in another. In this bedroom, the sitting room features more shades of silver while the bed itself is heavier in golds, creating distinction in each space. However, the entire room as a whole feels cohesive because the curtains and paint pull in both colours.
Consider going big with one colour and settling for accents with the other. This pair of Japanese silver screens invigorates this space with an eclectic punch; gold accessories on the coffee table offer just the right subtle variation.
Or if gold is more your colour, make a splash with a ceiling painted in the colour. A bed frame in silver complements the bold paint choice so it doesn’t become overwhelming. Who couldn’t help but feel glamorous underneath this dramatic ceiling?
Read more:
11 Ways to Add Luxury to Your HomeGet the Luxury Look For Less
Tell us:
What are your tips to add a sheen to an interior space?
Read more:
11 Ways to Add Luxury to Your HomeGet the Luxury Look For Less
Tell us:
What are your tips to add a sheen to an interior space?
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I Love the curtains . Where can i buy them from?
I'm redoing my bedroom and I want to mix gold with silver.
This is a great tip! I'm doing my bedroom and just painted in blue color which would go well with both gold and silver. I wanted to focus more on gold and blue but then wanted to also add silver as well. Was worried that that would be a bit too much but I think it's all good :) Thanks for the post!