Mixing Hardware and Lighting Finishes

Mixing Hardware and Lighting Finishes:

This is from an article on Houzz.com
Go Ahead: Mix Your Finishes

When people say all white kitchens look alike, I can't disagree more. Just changing the finish of the hardware completely changes the look of a kitchen, even when the hardware is exactly the same style.

Depending on the other finishes in your kitchen, you may consider satin nickel, polished chrome or nickel, or oil-rubbed bronze. Don't feel like you have to match the cabinet hardware to the lighting or plumbing fixture finishes. I like to mix finishes by using antique brass light fixtures and polished nickel pulls to give a kitchen a more collected-over-time feel.

Who knew that my house, with all its varied lighting and hardware finishes, was so trendy! Ha! I hardly believe that my old home is setting any trends, but I like to think the hardware and lighting finishes have indeed been collected over time.  I actually don't believe much thought has gone into this "collecting". As far as I can tell, each homeowner replaced lighting and hardware with the trend at the time instead of what was original to our home.  I am guilty of this myself.  

Lighting

This foyer light is original to the home.  The glass in it is incredibly heavy and has a painted brass finish that matches the original door knobs.  It is rare and I would probably cry if something happened to it.  Some people have told me to replace it with something new, but I just don't have the heart to take out any original light fixtures.  It will stay in our home as long as it works and as long as Dan and Benjamin don't throw a football into it. 

These 3 fixtures are fairly new and all have a bronze finish. I added Edison bulbs (circa 1910) to the dining room fixture and removed the candle globes that were around the lightbulbs.  It's a bit of a current trend, but at least it nods to the time period of the home. I haven't decided what kind of fixture I want in the dining room yet, so for now this will have to do.

            

The bronze school house light is in our hallway upstairs.  It is a nice addition to this home and looks old even though it is new.  I found the bronze powder room light on clearance at Menards for $30.  I love a good deal.

            

I am not a fan of ceiling fans.  We have one in each of the bedrooms upstairs and they all have different finishes…bronze, white, brushed nickel, and brass.  We added the white one with the medallion to the nursery.  At least the medallion makes it look old.  They do help the air circulate upstairs, so I understand why previous home owners added them.

            

             

Hardware

These brass door knobs are original to the home.  They are tarnished and have paint on them from someone who was too busy to unscrew them before painting the doors.  I often wonder why someone painted all the doors.  I'm tempted to have the doors sandblasted or strip all the paint off them just to see what they look like.  All of our trim and 5 panel doors were painted long before we moved here.

            

We added these new doors handles and locks when we moved in.  I promise to remove them when I paint our entrance doors.

            

Here are some of the other door knob finishes in our home.  Brushed nickel and 80's brass.

            

Now, my dilemma is what do I do with all of these finishes?  Do I work to bring everything back to the original antique brass look?  Do I keep adding to the collection?  With the upcoming kitchen remodel I keep debating over what kind of knobs and pulls to order.  Right now I'm leaning towards Bronze and Glass knobs and bronze pulls.  I don't want to introduce yet another finish into the home.  I think if anything I want to get the home down to the original antique brass and the bronze finishes.  That would look deliberate without looking matchy, matchy.  It would only require replacing a few door knobs and eventually the ceiling fans and dining room light.  Anyone know of good places to find old looking hardware and lighting?