Never been a heavy metal fan? The new look of brass, copper, bronze and nickel in this fall’s decor might change your mind.
The finishes are warm, without the kitschy clash of some previous go-rounds. You’ll see these softer, richer-looking metals — joining gold and silver on the decor stage — as accents on accessories, as furniture embellishment and as a brushed finish on textiles.
It’s a classic look that can work in both traditional and contemporary spaces.
A simple bronze, steel or iron table is one of the season's hot accent pieces. Nate Berkus has done a side table for Target in brass with an antiqued mirror top, and Pottery Barn's got a collection of blackened iron ones with a polished industrial vibe. West Elm's Element iron coffee table has an acid-washed, sandblasted trim. (www.westelm.com ; www.target.com ; www.potterybarn.com)
At the recent International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York, bronze tables made by Nick Davis in his foundry studio in Bedfordshire, England, drew crowds. Their intriguing surfaces were embossed with skulls, rain scenes and other edgy elements. (www.nickdavisart.com)
Made Goods' ceramic angular or bulleted stools with crackled gold finishes can do double duty as swanky side tables. And the studio's Delancy bistro side table has a hammered base available in antiqued black, silver or gold on which you can add a customized top. The Arron lamp, with a base made of metalized stones coated with gold or silver, is an unusual and elegant accessory. (www.shopcandelabra.com)
Burnished silver, gold or copper bowls and vases are being offered by many retailers, some crafted in metal, some in stoneware or a sustainable wood, and washed with metallic paint. Crate & Barrel's Loki and Ophelia silvery free-form bowls are light and luminous. (www.crateandbarrel.com)
The Eiffel Tower is rendered in brass-finished aluminum in a stylish table lamp at www.worldmarket.com. The site also has 1930s-style Pharmacy lamps in bronze or rust finishes.
At stores like West Elm and Target, you’ll see smart throw pillows with a light brush of metallic paint, some metallic thread or applied bits of metal.
If you're more attracted to the shinier side of metals, check out Tom Dixon's reflective ball lighting. Crafted in mirrored silver, copper or bronze finishes, the fixtures have a spacey yet sophisticated look. (www.ylighting.com)
Aerin Lauder, Estee's granddaughter and founder of a high-end lifestyles brand, has designed a collection of luxe porcelain tabletop items including vases, bowls and nesting trays that are hand-dipped or painted with 18-karat gold. She's got an elegant collection of cowry, nautilus and snail shells dipped in gold as well. (www.aerin.com)
New York studio Koket's sexy furniture collection includes sensuous table bases formed out of gold-tinged metal swirls and nets. The brass-circled base with a cobra printed top that makes up the Burlesque console is a saucy mix of flash and dash. (www.bykoket.com)
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