Plumbing Supply Birmingham AL | Bathroom & Kitchen Trends: Unlacquered Brass

VW Gallerie at V&W Supply Company

Brass is back! Or did it ever leave? If you wait long enough, everything comes back in style, and that statement very much rings true these days with brass.

Formerly dated metals like brass are finally making a huge comeback—albeit with a bit of a face-lift.

This is not your grandmother's brass of the 1980s. It is not as shiny, as overpowering, as brassy as it used to be. Instead, it's being reinvented to be more warm and subtle—a soft, brushed gold rather than a hard, shiny surface.

If you haven't noticed, the look is showing up everywhere from bathroom and kitchen lighting and bar stools to bathroom and kitchen faucets and hardware.

Just like jewelry trends that have transitioned from sterling silver to now gold, the decor aesthetic has transitioned from stainless steel and nickel to brass.

Decorating trends are going more reflective and shinier, with brass coming to the forefront.

What exactly is brass? It's an alloy made of copper and zinc.

The in-demand brass look for bathroom and kitchen faucets of the moment is a pale yellowish hue, desired for appearing like a toned-down, demure version of gold.

However, the line between brass and copper finishes for kitchen faucets can be very blurry, as the amount of red can vary depending on the specific mix.

For comparison, bronze kitchen faucets are a mixture of copper with various other metals, such as tin or aluminum. It’s a duller gold hue that feels less glam and earthier.

Plumbing Supply Birmingham AL: How To Effectively Use Brass In Your Home

The thing about brass kitchen faucets, when done in a tasteful manner, it may never go out of style.

Here are four tips for correctly using brass in your home for lighting, kitchen faucets, bathroom faucets, or hardware:

1. Use sparingly. Brass bathroom faucets works best when used in small doses. Too much can create a “too matchy” look. Overuse can make it start to look cheap so moderation is key.

2. Mix finishes. Brass kitchen faucets appear more timeless rather than trendy when it’s matte, brushed, or aged, which helps soften its sheen.

Be careful, when mixing brasses in a single space from different manufacturers.

There is a huge range in color and brightness. Some take on a bright yellow color while others can be more of an aged gold.

3. Combine warm metal colors. Brass, gold, and bronze can work well together since they share similar warm values versus shiny nickel, which leans toward the colder side.

4. Mix metals. Brass, satin, brushed nickel, stainless steel, and oil-rubbed bronze can be used together.

Go with similar warm, muted undertones for some consistency.

Unlacquered Brass Characteristics

The natural tendency of brass kitchen faucets to show imperfections can be a welcoming characteristic for some people.

Unlacquered brass kitchen faucets are often said to have a living finish, and the aging process can bring out a very organic quality despite its being a manufactured material.

For this reason, people often use unlacquered brass and bronze in an already-aged finish that can grow even more character over time, giving a room a sense of life and history.

Ultimately, these worn-in finishes can work in both traditional and contemporary spaces, depending on whether you apply them to clean modern shapes or scrolling traditional fixtures.

Typically, a mix of trends along with some tried-and-true elements, like brass kitchen faucets.

More and more people desire bringing the trends into their home while still wanting to ensure a timeless approach.

When you work toward timelessness in your decor brass is a asset to consider. Brass kitchen faucets and bathroom faucets seem to be on trend - but remain timeless.