Do all your metals match? When selling a home it is important that all the hardware matches in a room to create continuity and flow. It is distracting to the eye when the metals are all different colors plus it looks awkward and makes the room dated. This bathroom is a good example of what NOT to do when selling. There is a brass light fixture, chrome faucet and porcelain flower knobs on the cabinet. Obviously there are other things that need to be addressed such as as the wallpaper, paint color and two-toned cabinet. However, changing the metals to the same color tone is an inexpensive and simple fix. So before selling ask yourself do all the metals match? If the answer is NO - it's time to go to your local home improvement store!
Mannie Tantawy
The Staging Fashionista
We provide professional and affordable home staging and redesign services to clients in Northern Virginia and the DC-Metro area. We dress homes to sell. Let us help you get your home ready for the market. Call us for a free estimate or for how we can help prepare your home for sale on 703-269-8330.
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My metals match...but I'm sure I've owned other homes where they didn't!! LOL!
Sonja - I think we all have at some point!
This is a huge problem here, and hardware is very expensive. I had a brand new house, it looked like the builder had just bought whatever was on sale. The bathroom alone had at least 5 different elements in it...terrible!
I had a client who said that she already bought new bathroom hardware thinking about upgrades. When I came to her house I saw brass finish that was popular 10 years ago. She tried to match her towel bars and toilet paper holder to existing door pulls. A had a hard time explaining her that we need to change it all to metal finish. She "already spent her money on new stuff"....
Did the homeowners in your pictures decide to upgrade the changes? That would be some great befores and afters if they did! You know, even in redesign, the same is true with picture frames....can be different textures/patterns for interest, but same material (don't mix metals)....it's like you said, it's all about "continuity and flow"....great points to share. Thanks!
Julie
Sometimes there are certain finishes you can add in that will blend. An oil-rubbed bronze will "blend" with brass. A pewter or brushed steel will "blend" with chrome. This can be useful when adding updated light fixtures to homes with older door hardware, for example. Just look for warm or cool tones. Julie
Mannie: This is something that personally drives me crazy but we see it all the time, even in new construction. Sometimes I just want to throw a towel over the faucet an make believe its not there. I have purchased a number of sets of bathroom accessories that are silver with gold accents. They're not my favorites, but at least I'm not adding to the problem.
Mannie, Even if the metals matched...that light fixture has to go!
Mannie, I am totally behind this BUT some hardware is not so inexpensive especially when looking at oil rubbed plumbing fixtures. Also if the tub/shower combo has one finish and everything else is different most DIYers can't imagine changing that fixture and the spouts. In my own kitchen I would have to purchase 50 knobs or pulls to "redo" my cabinet hardware, so if they cost ONLY $2 each (that's hard to find) then we're talking $100 just for that. In my experience most sellers will not go for that so I recommend spray painting the existing knobs/pulls first and see how it goes.
I'm not trying to argue your point...I try to make it too, but it' s not an easy sell.
Mannie,
I agree mixing metals is a no-no. Like Ginger says though many clients will not spend the money to get them all to match. She mentioned painting. A friend of mine, remodeling his upscale home, actually did paint some of the fixtures he'd purchased when he decided he didn't like the finish. Said they turned out great. His daughter actually asked him to spray paint her prom earrings since his work was so good.
I'm going to look into painting for my bathroom fixtures, not my jewelry, at least not yet.
Hi Cindy - interesting builders in our area do not mix metals in any of the newer homes - I think they did in the past.
Hi Anna - yes I did a consult in a home that had all brass they thought it was classy so I had to break it to them gently.
Hi Julia - never thought about it but good point. I always try to get people to have all matching metals even if we spray paint them.
Hi Michelle - I have seen the dual tone items as well. I'm not fond of it but it will help.
Eileen - LOL!! No doubt! How about that wall paper!
Ginger - you made some good points. Home Depot has not these packet of knobs that have like 10 or 15 pieces that run about $20 bucks also Target has some nice affordable knob packets. Light fixtures are reasonable and I usually recommend the 3 light one that costs about $60 at our home depot also the faucets are fairly inexpensive you can get them anywhere from $35 to over $200. However, spray paint works great I even recommend it for outside fixtures!
Thanx everyone for all your great comments! I appreciat you stopping by!
Hi Linda - all of this got me thinking about this product I saw on QVC that changes the metal from gold to silver or vis-versa. I think it was called liquid silver or liquid gold I can't remember it was fairly inexpensive and you just dip the piece in some water with the liquid and it changes the color.
Mannie, contractor packs for any fixtures will save $$ at Home Depot and Lowes but their choices are limiting. When I find them on sale, I buy, buy, buy!! Your QVC product sounds interesting. Do post again if you find more info.
Hi Ginger - It was HSN - below is the link it has a video she turns a copper penny into silver! There is also a liquid gold that turns silver to gold or rose gold. It has to be a particular base metal like silver, brass or copper to work.
http://crafts-sewing.hsn.com/liquid-silver-cleaning-restoring-and-polishing-system_p-5414644_xp.aspx?web_id=5414644&ocm=sekw
Hi Mannie, couldn't agree more, although as mentioned above it can be a hard sell about 50% of the time. There was a post here on AR about painting bathroom faucets, even the tub and shower head. It turned out fine. It probably would only last a few years I would imagine. As with any paint job, it is how you prepare the surface before you paint. I believe the paint they used was actually marine paint like you would use on a boat.
Thanks for the link Mannie. I'm going to order the silver, primarily for some jewelry and silver table accessories.
thank you so much for the link Mannie.
Michelle - thanx for the comments.
Ginger and Anna - you are more than welcome!
Hi Mannie...for me, as long as the faucets and cabinet hardware match, I am fine with a light fixture that is a different color. It all depends on the style and design....I get more tweaked with different metals AND too different styles mixed together....those drives me insane! : ) Good topic!
Hi Kathleen - good points and thanx for stopping by love your business name!
Mannie ~ I recently viewed a home that's over a million $ but the fixtures in some of the bathrooms were brass and chrome, and others were bronze and still others, ugly dark brown. It would drive me crazy to live in a home like that! I think it's important that metals are consistent in each room, and for the best effect, within the entire house.
I am with Julia on this one.
I don't appreciate matchy matchy metals - it leaves the room charmless, like when you see a bed clearly made with a Bed-In-A Bag product, or when it is obvious they bought all their bedroom furniture off the showroom floor in one fell swoop and didn't miss a single optional piece.
As stagers, yes, we aim to appeal to the masses. But we don't let that stop us from making things work that others say wouldn't work. Rules are MADE to be broken, and it's in knowing when and how to break them.
Upon cracking open today's design magazines, you will see a range of metals being represented in some of the very best rooms. I know it's the "jewelry" and all that, but I think many instances, even most instances, there is wiggle room for more creativity and options.
Here's a kitchenette in tiny apartment (450 total square feet - appliances are behind the modified plantation shutters) we did with so many different finishes it's crazy Brushed stainless, oil-ribbed bronze, cast iron, and some wierd pinkish champagne metallic paint on the frame of the artwork. And yet, it rocks. We did it all on purpose. There are even white enamel cam lights where we could have bought stainless. It's a careful orchestration of bling:
Heck, we even sought and bought the quintessential 80's wall treatment - huge mirrors - wetbar sink and all.
Just sayin'.
~Michelle
Hi Maureen - thanx for stopping by and your comments. I prefer the metals to match in a room as it just looks more cohesive and helps the eye move around the room instead of stopping.
Hi Michelle - great room but it looks like the metals match silver on the light fixtures, faucet and the picture frame.
This is something while still living in a home people should really listen to! Start changing out the various fixture finishes to a consistent one. I can't stand the brass! I've had some clients just take everything off and paint a brushed nickel finish on the hardware and doorknobs for cost purposes. It needs a primer first but it looks good. This is fine for certain price points of homes but upper end need to look it!
Hi Karen - thanx for stopping in. I couldn't agree with you more I think metals in a room should match. It just looks better. It also drives me crazy when I see stainless steel appliances and then a black or white applicance in the mix. Call me boring but I like matchy.
BEFORE I moved into our current home, I had the hubs scrape all of the popcorn ceilings and replace the overhead light fixtures, or seal up the holes on ones I didn't want anymore. After we moved in, I had him replace EVERY door knob, to match the light fixtures, (brushed nickel, all). Then as we tackled the bathrooms, they got new wall light fixtures and faucets, brushed or chrome, depending on what was salvageable from the previous owners choices. Kitchen got new brushed nickel faucets to go with the work islands stainless top, and after painting all of the cabinet doors white, they got new brushed nickel pulls and knobs. The continuity is palpable... One project at a time, it can be done on a budget. We had two old desks with filing cabinets that had those "really hot right now" antique look pulls that look like a clamshell. We were getting rid of the desks, so we just stripped their hardware and painted them with a hammered/brushed nickel color spray paint! Nice post!
Hi Cheryl - thanx for your great comments and I agree with you if you take your time doing it and do it gradually then it is cost effective however, I'm also a big fan of spray paint. I think it works great and gives outdated hardware a new look. Thanx for stopping by.