When it comes to updating individual rooms in your home, such as the bathroom or kitchen, you usually focus on the new cabinetry, tiles, and paint colours. These aspects all play a significant role in the appearance of your home, but do you know that it is the little details that will help make your place look like a real home and complete its look? The right restoration hardware can take your home interior design to the next level. When choosing hardware that would go well with your space, consider how this will fit into the bigger design of your home, including its functionality, material, components, and style.
Hardware Materials
Home hardware is constructed from various materials, and each of them comes from different finishes. The design and style determine the finish and material of the hardware. The most common options for home hardware include;
Iron. It consists of two forms, which is the cast and wrought. The cast is melted iron in a liquid cast, while wrought iron is stretched and hammered. Wrought iron is much rarer compared to cast iron, but steel or makers construct other alternative materials to mimic iron. Those pull handles and doorknobs that have ornate details are typically made of cast iron.
Bronze. It is an alloy of tin and copper. Bronze has a warm tone but slightly muted because of the tin material. Over time, bronze tends to get darker. As bronze will develop a patina, you can have attractive hardware over time, depending on the aesthetic you want to achieve.
Brass. Similar to bronze, brass is a copper alloy that is mixed with zinc. Because of this yellow tone, brass appears to be more gold. This material tends to tarnish; hence, it needs polishing and sealing.
Pewter. This type of restoration hardware is sometimes made of silver and copper, while mostly made of tin. Pewter does not tarnish over time, but it will develop a patina. You can maintain the beautiful silvery tone and shine on the pewter with regular polishing.
Hardware for Different Home Designs
In terms of traditional interior designs, people usually combine full-bodied hardware styles to soft and rounded edges. For contemporary or transitional homes, the restoration hardware often consists of clean lines with basic edges and details. There is also unique hardware with intricate designs that will make any space stand out.
Hardware has no problem with matching with other items in the room, such as the colour of the cabinets or doors. But keep in mind that cabinets and doors that have more refreshing hues will look great in white bronze, chrome, and cool metal hardware. Those with warmer hues, integrate them well with warm metal finishes.
If you are planning to change a few of your old hardware to new accessories, there is no need to change every piece of them in your house to achieve a cohesive look. You can mix metal finishes in the same area of your home, and you will have an amazing overall design. Try to pick a dominant finish, something that will contrast other metals to complete the look.
A vital element in choosing restoration hardware for your residence is not only how it will look in the room, but also how it feels. Hardware that feels strange or awkward in your hands would be useless. So, make sure the accessories you use feel comfortable to the touch while looking pretty.