Gone are the days where you had to choose one metal and stick to it throughout your entire home.

With brave designers experimenting using multiple materials, you no longer need to ask, ‘gold or silver?’ when you can choose both. The beauty lies in the subtle details, and when these details are combined correctly, they make magnificent results.

With material trends coming and going season by season, it is also a cost-effective approach to styling your home as a combination of materials means at least one of them must be ‘in’!

Tribù coffee tables by Michela & Paolo Baldessari

Such designers experimenting with this idea include Michela and Paolo Baldessari with their Tribu coffee tables, designed for De Castelli. The thinness of the leg frames gives the impression the disks are levitating, their weight effortlessly dispersed on the almost transparent legs. Iron, copper and brass are paired beautifully to create this architectural set. Although the combination of colours does not match for a central theme, the set works because of the minimalist style, even pops of colour that warm the space and blend together once placed leg to leg.

Zgallerie interior set

This room set was designed by Zgallerie, a furniture specialist who combine their products to create inspiring interiors. The combination of golds and silvers work seamlessly with the neutral palette and clean lines to create an elegant, textured and welcoming interior.

ZGallerie have considered some key factors when creating this set including the size of the space itself, the warmth of the hues in the metalwork, and the quantity of metals used. By using the metal sparingly in the accessories and by choosing cooler temperature metals, the space ties together harmoniously. Consider the size of your room when testing this style. A larger room means you can use larger accent pieces like coffee tables to introduce metals, whereas you may want to keep it to accessories and the smaller details for smaller rooms to avoid overcrowding the space.

Tom Dixon is the designer who comes to my mind when I think of experimentation with materials. The interior shown here, the Himitsu bar in Atlanta is a theatrical spectacle in a wide range of textures and colours. The vast copper bar draws your eye while the melt pendant above the seating illuminates the weathered steel looking panels on the back wall.

Here is an example of Tom’s iconic lighting design. His Melt pendants are mirror finished when turned off and translucent when lit and are available in copper, chrome and gold. I love these pendants, especially in their mirror effect where the unusual melted shape and striking finish create a fun and eye catching statement.

His iconic furniture collection is designed in a range of metals, signature to his brand. His accessories are available to buy from his website and are the perfect items to inject a pop of colour and metallic texture into your interior.

Using a single metal in your interior is not a terrible thing however, it may strengthen and/or be the central theme in a design concept and it could be seen both as a braver or safer choice!

By choosing one metal, you are committing to one look but running the risk of the trend changing and looking outdated quicker. By combining materials you are playing it safe by not obliging to the current trend, on the downside it may look just so!

Mayfair Residence by Katharine Pooley

An example of an interior using a single metal comes from this beautiful living space, designed by one of my favourite interior designers Katharine Pooley. This opulent room set in a Mayfair property uses golds and blues on a backdrop of neutral tones. The gold details tie the room together, your eye wandering from the delicate chandelier to the bold statement coffee tables, then to the accessories and edging detail around the built-in book shelves. This stunning interior does not need to use mixed metals to create an inviting and interesting space, however if gold isn’t your cup of tea it may not appeal to you as much as the client of this 7 floor home.

Who can say what the right choice is? As long as it works for you, that’s all that matters!

Here at Cellar Maison we understand that the small details are the the elements that create truly magnificent, luxurious design. We can create endless possibilities of finishes with our trusted and knowledgeable metal suppliers, meaning your wine cellar, wall or pod will be truly bespoke to you.

This is a sneak peak detail shot from our latest design and the inspiration behind this blog. Oil rubbed bronze door hinges and handles contrast against the satin brass vertical wine holders, creating a unique and opulent wine wall.

Be sure to catch us later this year in August and September at Salon Prive, 100% Design and the Restaurant Design Show to see examples of our beautiful finishes and master craftsmanship in the flesh.

Until then for any more information or for a quotation, please do not hesitate to get in touch.