Looks We Love: Modern Brass

Much like fashion, interior design trends seem to always come back around. This time, it's brass. What is brass, you ask? While for many, the thought of brass can conjure up memories of gaudy ‘70s and ‘80s décor, today's modern brass is a sleek and elegant metal tone, adding warmth and a touch of luxury. Particularly popular for its versatility, brass matches a broad range of styles from Art Deco to rustic to glam. We've gathered our favorite brass pieces and some ideas to help you incorporate one of today's most popular finishes into your home.

Find the Right Finish

Brass light fixtures offer a wide variety of finishes to match a broad range of interior décor themes. For the ultra-modern and maximalist home, a polished or even lacquered brass delivers high shine and high style. Looking for something for your rustic farmhouse kitchen? Go with an antiqued finish for that worn, vintage look. Brushed brass offers a more contemporary look and is often paired with LED fixtures for a sleek and sophisticated aesthetic.

Make a Statement

While brass is versatile and offers an approachable look, it's also the perfect finish for a modern statement piece: Think bold chandeliers and artful pendant lights. There are many ways to add a brass statement to your décor, and its adaptable color adds a pop of understated luxury to any interior décor style.

For many spaces, an abstract statement piece like a modern gold chandelier has the ability to elevate a minimal or understated space. Statement pieces work best when the surrounding décor is somewhat subdued and delicate but can also be a great way to maximize the artfulness of an eclectic space. Brass is a great option for sculptural statement pieces as its warm tones can balance out a sleek or angular silhouette.

Brass is also often seen in retro-inspired spaces, namely mid-century modern décor schemes. The classic Sputnik-style chandelier is a staple of this era, with a loud and expressive design that recalls the out-of-this-world style of the Atomic Age. Brass brings a warm and approachable element to these designs while still delivering that mesmerizing glow ideal for making a statement.

In the more contemporary space, a brass statement piece can offer a contrasting element to tie a room together. Brass makes the most impact in clean, simple spaces, and its color has just the right amount of luster to complement any existing metal accents often used in contemporary settings. Opt for a clean-lined design with a rich, reflective brass finish.

Up the Accenting

If a big and bold brass fixture is not something you're ready to commit your space to, opt for adding small scatterings of brass throughout a room to provide delicate warmth and an almost subliminal sense of luxury. Adding brass to your home in the form of clocks, picture frames, chair frames and other tabletop decorative accessories is a safe bet when working with brass. Alternatively, brass accents in the form of towel bars, cabinet knobs and handles are a great way to bring brass into a kitchen or bathroom.

Furniture with Flair

Brass furniture brought into a contemporary space can offer the perfect amount of punch without overpowering a space. When working with brass furniture, it's important to look for balance in both color and texture—this is why upholstered pieces are often paired with modern brass furniture legs or frames. Combine a bold gold cabinet with the soft textiles of a deep blue velvet lounge chair. Or, look for neutral tones in surrounding curtains to help ease the eye-catching piece into its environment.

Mix Your Metals (The Right Way)

Hear us out. While mixing metals was considered a faux pas in the past, it's now easy to combine brass with other metals in your home—as long as you have the right idea in mind. When mixing metals, be sure to take color, tone and finish into account. It's not the best idea to throw different metals into a room and hope for the best, so be sure that you design deliberately, adding coordinating tones, colors and finishes in a way that speak to each other or a larger theme in the room. For example, choose a dominant metal (like brass) and add small silver or bronze accents in the same finish style.

Define Your Style (Or Don't)

One of the biggest reasons why brass is back and more popular than ever is its unique ability to adapt to a wide range of interior décor styles and themes. Think you can't add brass into your craftsman interior design? Think again. A brass chandelier or flushmount in a traditional design will add just the right amount of modern style over a dining room.

Think brass is too trendy for your sleek and serious living room? Not the case. Sharp, angular fixtures in brass offer a touch of warmth while complementing modular furniture. Plus, brass pairs exceptionally well with frosted LED diffusers, allowing for a wide range of sophisticated modern lighting options to suit your clean and cool abode.

While these tips and ideas will help you along the way, brass is ultimately an easy metal to work with. It's versatile, trendy and luxurious while remaining approachable and fun. The most important thing to remember when designing with brass is that the best design is the one you love. Luckily, there's a lot to love about brass.