After yesterday’s post, several of you asked me if I planned to change out the brass doorknobs. The short answer is no.
And, here’s the longer answer. . . We have a lot of brass in this (13-year-old) house. From faucets to towel bars to door knobs to toilet flushers to our master bathroom shower enclosure, it’s all brass.
When we first moved in, it bothered me. But, after living with it for over a year, I’ve decided to leave it and work with what we’ve got. Like anything else, brass has gone in and out of style more times than I can count (I think it’s come “back” a few times since I started blogging.) Plus, the more I see it in finished designs, the more I’m loving it. I’m especially drawn to brass hardware paired with dark paint:
Elle Decor
Here’s another idea I came across and tucked away for future reference. I don’t mind the shininess of ours for now, but here’s an easy way to “weather” your brass fixtures to make them look old (in a cool way) and less 1980’s:
As for our master bath, the shower’s brass enclosure is probably the thing that bothers me most. I have a lot of wallpaper to take down before I can seriously think about changing it out. And honestly, I’m not sure spending the money on that is high on the priority list. I might try to convince myself that, with the right accessories and paint, our brass in the bath is as cool as these are:
I’ve seen people who have taped off their showers and painted a darker color on the enclosure. I think this can end up looking a little “heavy”, though. I did come across this picture of an aged brass shower on Pinterest. Just something to think about . . .
Bottom line for me, I think whether brass works or not completely depends on the design around it. And, I’m determined to make it work here (because I don’t have enough patience not to).
What are your thoughts on brass?
I am digging the whole brass look - really like the aged. Maybe if you age the shower it would make it more livable? Good for you for embracing and working with what you have.
ReplyDeleteI really like the brass lately, especially the antiqued brass. I think it looks great with the dark gray doors! We're in the process of redoing a house where every door knob, drawer pull, and hinge is a different finish, and it drives me crazy!
ReplyDeleteI love brass and I'm so glad you decided to keep it! Brass is the way to go. :-)
ReplyDeleteI think what you have is pretty brass... especially against your black doors! Wow.
ReplyDeleteYou go girl! I totally agree that we should embrace brass. Love it! :)
ReplyDeleteOh I love it!! I wouldn't consider changing it for a second!
ReplyDeleteI like the brass and the dark doors. I wouldn't age it--that's a trend, and it's going to look gross in a few years. (Take it from someone who lived in a house that had naturally aged brass. Hated it.)
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I really love some of those looks with the brass, especially that clawfoot tub with the brass piping...Wow.
ReplyDeleteWhat goes around, comes around. It'll be back in style soon.
~FringeGirl
Your doors look fabulous as is. I think different metal hardware wouldn't look good at all. I say brass is best in this scenario for sure!
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of brass!
ReplyDeletexo~Jill
I'm with you. I caught the brass bug last year and have been embracing it ever since. I even went as far as to seek it out for my home and have a few other ideas that I may do too. Like you said, with the right design, it looks stunning!
ReplyDeleteAll of the door knobs and hinges in our house are polished brass. I really hated them for the longest time, but after 11 years they've finally started to grow on me :-) Painting the doors a dark chocolate brown helped! We had to get rid of the brass shower in the master bathroom, though - not so much because of the brass, but because it was a horrible design and I hated every shower I ever took in it!
ReplyDeleteI love the look of brushed brass with dark grey, dark brown, and black. It's so much warmer and richer than the brushed nickel that's been popular for so many years.
personally, i love an aged brass. and i used it throughout my remodel of my early 1900's home. it adds character and charm that you just don't get from polished nickel.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I definitely agree! I think that applies toward almost ANYTHING in design. I've seen great furniture in a poorly decorated space many a time. It's how it all works together. Love the doors and I say stick with it. :-)
ReplyDeleteWe have the same thing in our 1984 built home. After painting all of my interior doors black, the brass hardware looks great I think! I'm definitely keeping mine.
ReplyDeleteI'm a fan of the brass with the dark doors myself... I wouldn't change a thing. Looks great!
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It's funny that you mentioned this because yesterday I was really struck by how much more I liked the brass against those dark doors. It really looks more classic and expensive against the darker color, and I think it's right on-trend w/ all the gold that has been back in design the last year or so. I don't know that I would have said that a couple of years ago! I agree also that finish trends are fickle. A lot of houses in my neighborhood are done with brushed nickel, which is already feeling dated and cold to me! I say embrace it and spend your money on other fun things instead! Your home is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteAs someone that has ORBed half the brass doorknobs in her house, it is a lot of work! Easy, but timely. You can definitely rock the brass. It looks good with your new dark doors. One thing that might work to age it would be rubbing some Liquid Deglosser on it and then use the sandpaper in conjunction. I used deglosser as my first step before I sprayed. It really ages the brass and removes the '89 shine! Now, I wish I wouldn't have changed mine. Haha
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ReplyDeleteI have stayed in some wonderful hotels throughtout the world and almost all of them have sturdy, solid brass hardware that has withstood the test of time wonderfully well. Remember, great design is timeless; it is not trendy!If you love it, what difference does it make if it's in "style" or not!
ReplyDeleteI have been tempted many times to change out our brass door handles and hinges but I would rather spend my money on other things AND my husband thought I was nuts to even suggest it! Our house is about 14 years old and there are other issue now to deal with!
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Emily..this is why I love your blog! I love that you work with what you have and not only work with it you totally do it well! Love your attitude..love the brass!
ReplyDeleteHi there! I found your bog through Kristin at Bliss and am so happy I did! Your home is gorgeous! I don't mind brass at all. In fact I just installed some brass fixtures in my latest project, they are fab!
ReplyDeleteI think you are going to start a new trend :) I love that you are keeping it Emily and making it work. The aged brass is awesome, I will have to check it out! The only reason we were able to switch out all of our brass on every door is we ran accros all the hardware at a garage sale. I think we paid $50 for about $400 worth of knobs otherwise we would still have the brass. Hope your 2013 is off to a great start!
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Kristin
You have inspired me to paint my white doors black! I also inherited a lot of brass in my new home and have even gotten compliments on how I "mixed metals" with my existing chrome lamps and such - ha!
ReplyDeleteOur home is eight years old and came with alot of brass too. I changed out the cabinet knobs in the kitchen and master bath but have learned to live with the rest. That said I read somewhere recently that brass is making a comeback so there you have it! I still have all the brass knobs should I have a change of heart.
ReplyDeleteWhoa! I'm absolutely going to try the brass aging technique. Next week I'd love it if you posted some anti-aging tips...for me, not the knobs :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I'm the expert on that one :)
DeleteWe live in a home that is 180 years old, although most of the antique fixtures in the home only date to the nineteen teens and twenties, and most of the doorknob "backsplashes" (what ARE those things called?? - the knobs themselves are glass) and door hinges and sconces are brass (aged). I am not at all interested in changing them out just to be "in" for a little while. Brass is timeless. I say go with it!
ReplyDeleteHate it! We just moved to a home that's almost 50 years old and it had these 3 brass pendant lights in the kitchen that were driving me bonkers. Finally had them changed out to antique bronze yesterday.
ReplyDeleteIf I had read this post a week ago, who knows maybe I could have come up with a more imaginative way of dealing with them
funny--I find myself specifying brass fixtures in new projects! I agree it is only the super shiny lacquered brass that does not feel timeless. Otherwise, it should just suit the space/ design.
ReplyDeleteHeather
loveyourspace.blogspot.com
We painted our brass shower surround black in our last remodel, and it looked great! Even up close it looked like it came that way.
ReplyDeleteWhy does the brass in your pictures look great, but horrible in my newest remodel? They kind of just look cheap to me. We are replacing them one floor at a time to it doesn't break the bank. Although, I do like the look of it in black...but easier to just replace the knob than paint a bunch of doors!
I love love love the brass! No doubt you will make it work beautifully.
ReplyDeleteI like brass, and being a bit decorating naive, I only recently realized these hardware finishes go in and out of style. I can understand a trend towards one, but for one to be seen as outdated was something I never thought of. In any event, I draw the line at real brass. Anything less is disappointing and not worth it. Real brass will have staying power stylewise, too. Its quality.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved brass and use it a lot; leaning a little more toward aged than shiny,though.
ReplyDeleteI love your brass & dark-colored doors!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post. Perfect timing. I'm trying to decide what to do with a brass chandelier that I bought at a consignment shop. I love the shape/form of it and it has an aged brass finish (not real brass though). The problem is that the "aged" actually looks spotty or even dirty and I'm trying to figure out how to lighten it. I don't want the shiny brass look but more like a uniform satin brass. Can anyone suggest a method for lightening it? It is lacquered so I'd need to prime it if I go the paint route. Rub n buff?
ReplyDeleteI agree...I'm loving brass right now. It seems almost timeless in terms of accents.
ReplyDeleteEmily I couldn't agree more!
ReplyDeleteTo me chrome, nickel or stainless look so COLD compared to the warm look of brass. I would not change any of your brass.
And before you know it, everyone will be switching back to brass because it LOOKS better....already happening at the high-end level.
I'm feeling it too... I found an aged $10 brass floor lamp a couple of months ago at Goodwill, with every intention of painting it. I thought it would be great painted with a pop of color for our newly purchased summer beach house. But it made it's way front and center in our family room next to a pair of club chairs. It looks so sophisticated!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this post! I moved into my new-to-me house last summer, and it has brass everywhere. I wanted to ORB it all immediately, but I never got to it which I think has turned out to be a blessing. I'm embracing the brass....and seriously considering painting my doors black. I don't think the ORB would look as good against black. Now if only popcorn ceilings would come back in style.....
ReplyDeleteLove brass and especially the way it looks on your doors. We have started incorporating it into some of our collections due to its new found popularity again.
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ReplyDeleteWe also have a home covered in brass, but as we redo rooms we end up changing the hardware...little by little. Those pictures make brass look really good though! There is hope!! :)
I think your pantry doors go perfectly with the brass. I don't have any particular alliegance to metal finishes myself. I buy what looks best for the room. That means shiny chrome faucets and oil rubbed bronze downstairs to fit the style of the house. But, I will be replacing my master bathroom doorknobs that are brass with an aged brass because it will go with the soon to be black doors.
ReplyDeleteI really love the combination of the dark and brass knobs.
ReplyDeleteWe are currently changing our brass knobs and old silver
plated bathroom hardware to oil rubbed bronze hardware.
Makes me want to paint my pantry doors dark.
ChristinadeArmasinteriors.com
Great post. Now if I could only teach myself to embrace the oak we have in our getaway home. :D Our main home is quite old and there is brass everywhere except the bathrooms and kitchen where it is all chrome. Somehow here it all works and I never dreamed of changing it. Like you I like the brass with dark paint. Very Mary McDonald. :D
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! All of our knobs are brass as well, and I had planned to paint them ORB or switch them all out. Then, I painted my doors black and I LOVE the brass contrast with them.
ReplyDeleteEmily, Thank you so much for doing this post. I hope that you post your bathroom when you are done, so that I can get inspiration - I am struggling with designing around a brass shower (not a cool brass shower, a lame one). As a matter of fact, a series of posts on designing around what you have would be incredibly useful. What is your design process when faced with pinkish floor tile or shell sinks? The vast majority of designers and design forums ignore the millions of people like me who have builder-grade houses and small budgets. Most decor mags show you how to pay a contractor $50k to make 1 room in your house look great. But I admire women like you who, armed with a glue gun, paint and fabric, create a beautiful home worthy of a magazine. You're my inspiration, Emily!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Shelby! I also love seeing real-life solutions, and love your idea for a series. I couldn't email you back directly but if you see this, I'd love to talk to you more about this idea if you have a minute to email me.
DeleteBravo on embracing the brass!
ReplyDeleteI love that you're working with what you have. It inspires me, a renter, who can't change much about my house. My house is 1970s and has antique brass knobs, hinges, and light fixtures. I do like them.
I think the brass looks amazing! I think brass is the most beautiful and timeless choice. If our next house has oil rubbed bronze or silver I plan to switch it all out for brass. It looks awesome with your painted door too!
ReplyDeleteOur house is 33 years old and a Colonial Williamsburg reproduction so we have brass everywhere. I have just learned to be happy with it after 19 years during which time it has gone in and out of style. I figure it won't be long now before it is back again.
ReplyDeleteOk, I am going against all these comments here....we also built our home in the 90s, and brass was "in" at the time. AND I ALWAYS HATED IT!!! So now, we have changed out all knobs, hinges, light fixtures, etc. But, the reason we did was because it just wasn't US. If you CAN make it work, it is much easier on your budget! :)
ReplyDeleteI was one of the people that emailed you yesterday. Thanks so much for your answer!
ReplyDeleteWell, Brass is back as IN STYLE again! So just consider yourself ahead of the game!! I have some brass in my home and it has never bothered me. I love a good antiqued brass or antiqued gold metal. I know you can make it work!! Kathysue
ReplyDeleteI absolutely LOVE the brass with the dark doors.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right to work with it - the examples you've provided show that brass can be beautiful, I think it depends on the design of the fixture itself and what surrounds it. I like the aged look too.
ReplyDeleteI think it actually looks great with your door colors! I agree though - I'm not as much of a fan when it is on white/non-painted surfaces. I say go with it - it looks great in your home!
ReplyDeleteWe just bought a 12 yr old house and all the door knobs are BRASS. Interior and exterior. But only one of the bathrooms has brass hardware. Weird. We do plan to try and spray paint all of the door knobs this spring, but then we have to buy new hinges..ugh. You're right, it's a hassle.
ReplyDeleteI agree - I just painted several doors in my house black (pantry door included!) and we have brass door knobs, etc. I love the look! It is so not worth the money/time to me to replace them.
ReplyDeleteI love brass done right! So yummy and rich...classic...
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I feel about brass...but I really loved this post because we just moved into a new (rental) home & some of the decor isn't "me". We have been trying to decide if it is worth it to repaint a few walls or just work with it & this post helped me decide to just work with what we've got. :)
ReplyDeleteLike you, I'm also liking the look of brass with darker colors these days. After seeing different metal finishes come in and out of style over the years; I think whatever finish suits your personal taste should be 'what's in style'. It's entirely too expensive to continually try to keep up-to-date with hardware.
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ReplyDeleteOne of the things I love about reading your blog is that you don't jump on every trend but stick with what you love-the dark wood in your kitchen and the brass are great examples. I've wasted so much money over the years trying to keep up with trends. Thanks for showing us that you don't need to have every of-the-moment trend to have a chic home.
ReplyDeleteI love this post Emily! I wrestle with oak. We have oak throughout and it admittedly, wouldn't be my first choice. But like you, I've decided to embrace the oak floors and stairwell. I'm hoping that will make a big comeback too! Fingers crossed
ReplyDeleteMade my day! :) I went against the grain with brass several years ago when everyone else was doing brushed nickel because I loved it! I always thought people kind of thought I was tacky ~ now I can say I have the same toilet paper holder and fixtures as Emily Clark, and be cool!
ReplyDeleteI think you are right to leave them as is. It's alot of trouble and expense for something, especially now that the warm metals are "in". I have gold/brass fixtures at my cottage and the shower enclosures are all shiny gold/brass. I am renovating the guest bathroom now and I will be going with an oil rubbed bronze to coordinate with the shower fixtures and faucets I have chosen. But if I wasn't renovating completely they would be staying there too.
ReplyDeleteHey, Emily, brass isn't looking quite as dated to me these days and even though I've removed plenty of shiny brass in my time, in my new fixer upper house, I painted all my doors dark chocolate brown and replaced my mismatched doorknobs with new antique brass levers and I'm loving it. Best of both worlds.
ReplyDeleteI love this so much, i hope brass never goes out of style! pairing with black looks the best. :)
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MadeByGirl.com
I love the brass! The black doors look especially amazing with the brass! Rock on!
ReplyDeleteYes....leave that brass....there is no way to keep up with what's in trend.....too expensive also! I've got brass door knobs and they are staying!
ReplyDeleteGreat ... now I want to change all of my metal TO brass! ;)
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ReplyDeleteHi, Emily! Your post was so timely. My hubby and I recently purchased home #2. It's a 14 year old home full of polished brass doorknobs and hinges! The kitchen hardware is also brass. Otherwise, evertyhing is polished chrome. In short, a mish-mash! My first home was almost 100 years old, and with the original glass doorknobs, it was easy to blend in current finishes (i.e., brushed nickle, polished chrome) I'm not opposed to mixing metals, but the brass is just so hard on me for some reason. Perhaps I just need to live with it a little bit. I'd like to try the aging technique, but am wondering if I'd come to love the shiny brass as it is. I guess only time will tell. I'm interested in learning more from you about how you'll make it work!!
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