Monday 3 March 2014

Brass - A Current Design Fling

This won't be news to those who are my Pinterest colleagues as they have already noticed that I love brass.
I even have a Pinterest board dedicated to it.
No, not the cockney sort - real metallic brass thank you very much.


I think most of us have a meme that overtakes 
our design, sartorial, or literary psyche.
Please tell me you have this affliction!
A few years ago, it was chevrons among many others.

Mary Macdonald made it so chic! Via
But its place has been cemented by having had a whole feature dedicated to it in the 
February issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine.


A look that goes surprisingly well is gray with brass accessories.




I wanted brass handles for my kitchen as well further inspired by the brass detail in the kitchen renovation at Adelaide Villa.

Via Adelaide Villa
I showed these pictures to Mr CSW for real life inspiration rather than a Martha Stewart magazine ( men react differently to pinterest than publications for some reason) but all my other appliances are silver toned so we passed on the idea. 


While brass used to look outdated in bathrooms, it seems to be much more prevalent in pictures of high end real estate sales photos.


When I was expressing my preference of brass accents, everyone around me was saying that it was old fashioned, ugly, etc.  
But it had fallen out of favour to such a degree that it was very hard to source any brass fittings.
 There is only one room that is the "brass" room.

These are the handles to the cupboard in the new room upstairs.

The compromise that MR CSW and I came to was that the finishes would have to be antique brass.


Not all "antique brass" has the same finish 
and most companies don't do the one complete line of 
one brass finish unlike for chrome 
so I had to get these lights from another company.
 My electric switches and dimmers were the only thing 
that paired exactly.
 The door handles weren't available in the UK in antique brass immediately, the wait was either months or it had to be ordered from the U.S.  So Mr CSW had to age it by leaving it in ammonia for 24 hours, brushing them with wire and then another ammonia soak for a day.
If you get rid of the final film it will eventually develop an antique brass look according to the experts.
But there are more official tips from Martha below.


I will show you my "brass room" when it is presentable - you have actually seen it before in my reno post - it is the room with boxes everywhere hence the close up shots!

For those who aren't on pinterest, my other present design flings are with leopard print and folding screens.  And you?

( All pictures from Martha Stewart Living Magazine February 2014 unless stated otherwise)

37 comments:

  1. I'll have to wait till I can get my hands on a La Cornue cooker with brass twiddly bits before I get the brass kitchen touches to match unfortunately...which will never happen. Like you Naomi my appliances just don't go with brass. But I would have the gray and brass kitchen in a heartbeat!

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    1. I have a stainless steel Smeg cooker/oven that is bang in the center of the kitchen but I love La Cornue and now thinking about it - I think it is the brass knobs as simplistic as it sounds!!

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  2. Thanks for the shout out!
    Well, you know I love a bit of brass, and I like to mix metals too, so a bit of stainless/ iron/ brass in a room doesn't bother me. I love what you've done with your brassy space - the light switches, bookcase lighting and handles are just beautiful. I think it will look amazing when it's all finished!
    There's a lot of copper also coming through in Interiors. We've had chrome for so long, at least 15 years, so it's no wonder that the wheel is starting to turn. I've found it hard to find unlacqured brass fittings - and a lot of my taps have been special order as Brass is not common at all (although a lot of the antique brass which is quite brown is around the place...) xx

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    1. I have no problem mixing metals myself but Mr CSW wasn't convinced and I didn't have the energy to fight that battle to the end...But I have teased him that he is a bit OCD! But yes as you say we have been a bit chromed out the last decade and it really has affected the range of brass and I couldn't believe that there was not the one complete line of hardware as it was for every other metallic finish out there. But now Martha has done a ( I think it was a 8 page feature on it) I think the suppliers will up the production?xx

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  3. I am fond of brass, and I do love a bit of animal print. Leopard, zebra, tiger... Look forward to the big unveil.

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    1. There is no big unveil that is it actually! I had to do closeups because the boxes and mess would have taken away from the little dots of brass! But yes leopard print is another current fetish of mine xx

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  4. Have always been partial to a bit of brass…although, as you say, it has been jolly hard to source any of a decent variety for the last 20 years…as most designs were very traditional…so much easier now that it is back in fashion. I particularly love a crisp, modern shape combined with the warmth of brass.

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    1. I think what I love about brass is like you say the warmth - I like the way the sun reflects off of it where as I can't bear the coldness of the silver toned hardware and if I had my way I would have changed the whole lot to either porcelain or brass but alas that was not the case but at least I pushed for and got one room with brass fittings!

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  5. I do like brass, and copper as well. We have some old brass kettles that came from "the castle" in Austria, my husband's family home. I polish mine about once a year like Martha but no professional cleaning for me, they polish up quite easily I find and hold their lustre. Copper needs more attention of course!
    My thing in design is the quatrefoil. Very soothing symbol and I get a thrill when I catch sight of one in a church or a repeating pattern on fabric or wallpaper. I have a giant Tory Burch necklace with a quatrefoil pendant that I was planning to post on this week.

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    1. Oh I love copper too! My friend did a whole feature wall in copper leaf and it just gets better and better! I adore the quatrefoil as well! it is the chicer version of the four leaf clover which I never tire of - I think the quatrefoil on cushions and jewellry is great - I look forward to seeing the pendant soon!

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  6. I love it too, especially with grey, it's my favourite combination. What...Dani has a brass kettle - so envious!

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    1. I think my next fetish will be porcelain delft accessories a la Slatkin! But I want a brass kettle too...

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  7. I fear that if I joined pinterest the western world might fall.

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    1. You would love pinterest! It has pictures of everything not just fashion and out of all the social medias it is my fave.

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  8. I like the brass on grey.
    Growing up brass was in those embossed plates that were hung up.. You know the ones?

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    1. I am sure if I see it it will jog my memory but no - must google it now!

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  9. I love the combination of gray and brass or gray and gold/antiqued gold. So beautiful! I have been slowly adding some to my living and kitchen areas and it creates such a nice depth in the overall look.

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    1. There are so many variations of chrome and steel but with brass it is still a very new market and if I were industrious I would be creating a new line myself! I think it adds a warmth for sure.

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  10. Love your brass cupboard handles.

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    1. Thanks Gallivanta - it took quite a long time to find it - it was my second choice as I wanted longer ones but it will do for now!

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    2. I wondered and wondered what my house would look like with brass handles; wandered off to bed; woke up this morning and, tah dah, realised that all my pieces of pre 1970 furniture and my restored furniture have brass or brass type hardware. It's so unobtrusive and warm and 'at home' that I had forgotten it ( looked right over it ) in the glare of all the glitzy chrome about the place. I am now giving those handles some love and appreciation.

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    3. Isn't it funny that if you leave stuff long enough it always come right back into fashion? Patience is everything I say - take good care of those handles bc I am sure there is a market of people wanting some good quality brass handles as the stock is not very good right now!

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  11. I love brass as well. It reminds me of my grandmother's house, which is a good thing - she had superb taste.

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    1. Yes - I am sure she had great taste but I hope it is here to stay!

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  12. Hello!
    Well, brass has certainly found a place in our lives for donkey's years but, then, everything we possess could really be said to be in the same boat. We tend not to be followers of fashion, although we have been deliciously enticed to follow you and so we have.

    Shabby chic is not something we ever truly considered it, rather, just grew up around us and with us. Brass in the forms of trays from India (one of our mother's family was part of the British Raj), photograph frames, window fittings, door furniture,the gramophone horn, lamp bases etc. etc. have all been with us throughout our lives and so, with age, they settle in too to the comfortable, worn and warm look that we like to consider home.

    The grey kitchen which you show with all its brass finery looks totally stunning. But, darling CSW,as we try never, positively never, to go anywhere near the kitchen such loveliness would just be wasted on us.

    Where you now lead, we follow, We are always up for new ideas...so bring them on....Our own decorating efforts are just a click away if you can bear to look!!

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    1. Hello there! Yes there is something effortlessly classic about brass. I find copper also very soothing and I love the way it reflects light around the room. I look forward to catching up on your past posts!

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  13. Looking forward to the end result but in the meantime those brass cupboard handles look so effective. Brass really adds warmth to a room too.

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    1. Hi miss b - I am afraid it might be months before I can show you the end result you might be seeing boxes covering the brass instead!!

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  14. So interesting to see the different brass combos. Love/love Heidi's kitchen of course - and also the grey and brass kitchen. Such a nice change from the all-white schemes that have been dominating for years now.
    Also interesting to read about care of brass. My old brass things have been languishing in the garage for a very long time. Bought years ago when we lived in Colombo and the Kandy Brassmen used to call by and unload all their marvellous old wares - pots, vases, trays, spittoons (that could be used for vases placed one way and candleholders if placed upside down). Nothing new, nothing lacquered, much patina. I kept buying because we were living in a huge old colonial house and I used to fill the enormous brass pots and vases with all the different tropical leaves from the garden, along with ginger flowers and sometimes orchids (grew almost like weeds in Sri Lanka). In those days we had servants who cleaned the brass once a week so it had a lovely dull glow. Now it has patinated naturally to an ugly brown colour and would probably take weeks of elbow grease to make beautiful again. But our own home now is quite small and already has too much stuff. I keep it because our son (who was small at the time) has sentimental memories of living in Colombo and might one day want some of the pieces.
    Looking forward to seeing more pics of your reno - with the brass! Cheers, Pammie xx

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    1. You are making me so envious with all your brass pots without lacquer!! The items must be so gorgeous especially in a garden. I would still take brass with a dull brown color Pamela! I wonder if there is still a healthy market in Colombo for those wares? but yes Heidi's kitchen was one of the few examples I could show my husband but since then a lot more pictures have come up on pinterest so Heidi's kitchen will the new generation of brass handled kitchens! xx

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    2. Colombo in the years we lived there was a bit like old England when merchants and tradesmen came door to door with their wares or tools. The Kandy brassmen (came down from Kandy) with really old heavy brass and would unload and set up on your patio for you to select. It's so long ago, don't know whether their sons might be in business now. We also used to be visited by: a handmade lace lady, who brought cloths, doilies, hankies, ribbons of lace etc; a crab man who dragged live crabs in an old sack (our cook used to come to check out the crabs and say whether they were worth buying) - he (crabman - not cook) had only a couple of complete fingers as he used to plunge his hands into the sack to pull them out and at some time in the past they'd taken parts of his fingers - the crabs were so cheap and amazing!; a knife and scissor grinder who would sharpen every knife in the house; a tailor who used to set up on the floor with his antique portable Singer machine to do repairs or make dresses/shirts; an antique dealer who used to bring small quite valuable items (like silver boxes and jewellery) in a battered old school bag; and, many others. But maybe they don't do it any more. Haven't spoken to anyone who's lived there in recent times. Thinking about it makes me quite nostalgic. Life in Colombo could be very difficult - on the whole we loved our time there, but it was long ago. Don't think I'd want to go back. The poor refugees who try to make it to Oz on leaky boats are towed away before they get to the safety they're seeking. Pammie xx

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    3. One of my close friends live there and I have yet to visit but she had to adjust after Hong Kong and she likes it but finds it sooo slow and nothing is as efficient for her and she says everything takes days...But she says the people are amazing but she hasn't mentioned all these people like a lace lady. I think she has a hard time managing her staff as even though they help she says she has to make sure it is done a certain way and that there isn't any staff issues which is where she finds the problems. I think the people are still recovering from the wars and the tsunami xx

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  15. Loving brass too right now Naomi and I do like it in kitchens, especially with the grays and whites. I like those brass light fixtures too. They all look very modern and hip. I'm getting a little sick of nickel..Fun post. Can't wait to see your house!! xx

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    1. I hope that it stays constant and people don't go crazy either way. I like nickel but it is hard to see a house without it anymore...But I only have one room with brass hardware and none of it matches! oh well...xx

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  16. Oh, I thought you might like this macaroon method. http://rasamalaysia.com/french-macarons-basic-recipe/

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  17. We are just on the cusp of replacing our brass for something else and now I see how good it looks with the grey. May have to rethink.

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