Kiss my brass...

Brass is back! The finish so many have worked so hard to eliminate from their house is coming back. From light fixtures, furniture, to accessories, you can’t walk into a design store without coming across this trend. There is a bright side (no pun intended) to this comeback. Because brass was “out” it can now be easily found at thrift stores. Every piece that I have in my house came from a thrift store and is under $10.00!

How do you make brass work in your space? Here are tips to know when incorporating it into your rooms.

• Though brass is coming back it is the darker, duller, tarnished brass that is back, not the shiny 80’s brass we all remember (you know, from the Home Interior Collection).  Whatever you do: don’t polish your brass.  When this is done, it becomes too yellow and can fight with other elements in your space. The tarnish of brass dulls the finish and makes it work with more colors and with other finishes, while still adding a touch of glamour.
• You can mix metallic finishes, but no more than three different metallics.  For example I love the look of galvanized steel with brass.
• Brass compliments any color, but works really well with white and cool hues because it adds the warmth needed to balance the space. If you have a space with a lot of cooler colors instead of reading for tans and beige items to warm up the space, use a great brass accessory. It gives a sense of richness to the room that beige can’t.

Here are some examples how I've incorporated this trend into my home.

You can see in my mantle that the this space is very cool. It is all white, grey, and

pale blue. Without the brass accents incorporated throughout the mantle,

it would be too cool. It is important to remember in order for a color/finish to make an impact it has to be repeated at least three times in the space.

Here is another look at the mantle. On the shelf I mix tarnished brass, galvanized steel, and mercury glass for some shine.

This lamp is one of my most prized possessions. I found this lamp at
Goodwill for $1.99. Once gain I used the brass finish to warm up this cabinet's cool color.
The simple brass candle stick (.50 at a yard sale) and trinket box add warmth to all the white. 

This picture, in my dining room, cost me $5.00 at a second hand store. Once again this room is entirely white and gray so the brass finish on the frame is needed to add some "sparkle" to the space.