A NOTE ON METAL Finishes

One decision to make is what metal finishes you want on your fixtures and fittings, from faucets and cabinet hardware to towel racks and toilet paper holders. Here are a few of the viable options for mixing or matching between rooms.

• OPTION 1: ALL IDENTICAL. You could use the metal finish as one of the elements you carry through the kitchen and bathrooms. All your fixtures and fittings would be silver chrome, or brushed bronze, or matte black. This would allow greater freedom with other elements like your color palette or tile.

• OPTION 2: MIX BETWEEN ROOMS.

Keep all the finishes in each room the same, but mix between rooms. For example, all the finishes in the primary bathroom are antique brass, the guest room has all polished chrome, and the kitchen has all brushed nickel.

• OPTION 3: MIX WITHIN EACH

ROOM. Mixing metals within a single room is a popular design choice.

One way to do this while keeping the rooms cohesive is to carry the same finish through the same item in each room: all polished brass faucets, for example, or all chrome shower heads. Many companies with plumbing fixtures have product collections, so you could use faucets, shower heads and other fixtures from the same collection to create cohesion. Remember that balance is essential in any design, so pick elements you love while making sure they’ll work together when you give guests the grand tour of your finished home.

This bathroom has historic details, from the penny tile flooring and pedestal sink to the wainscotting with a blue accent tile. If you live in a historic home, keep the vintage elements intact through any renovations you do, so the historic feel of the home is cohesive even if individual elements aren’t identical.