Metal is a hard-wearing and versatile material, so it’s widely used in an array of interior design projects. Of course it’s also sometimes tricky to manipulate, can tarnish easily and has the potential to be costly compared with alternative options.
To make sure you can harness metal optimally, here are some quick tips to bring you up to speed and allow you to conquer whatever interior design challenges you encounter.
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Lots of projects? Consider purchasing an ironworker
While if you only use metal infrequently you can get by with more basic tools and techniques, any designer that often finds themselves working with this material should definitely invest in machinery that will make manipulating metal a breeze.
Ironworkers are a good all-rounder option in this context, as they can interact with sheet metals in various ways
From punching holes to forming and bending specific shapes, you can do all this and much more. Furthermore, with used ironworkers available, you don’t have to pay over the odds for a new machine.
Mixing colors? Do so with caution
While we tend not to think of metals as especially colorful, it is their reflective, light-catching nature which makes them important to consider from an aesthetic standpoint.
And while you don’t have to be completely attached to just one hue, it does pay to explore the color balance in a space.
Metals are typically divided into warm, cool and neutral, with the likes of gold, brass and copper being classified as warm, while silver metals like aluminum fall into the cool camp.
Neutral metals are essentially any that are painted black, such as cast iron, so needn’t be too much of a concern in this context.
The rule of thumb is to only mix warm and cool colors in the case that one or the other is used sparingly as an accent, allowing the dominant tone to take the lion’s share of the attention.
In short, don’t be afraid to break tradition and let gold and silver sit alongside one another; just make sure that one is very much taking the lead.
Stumped by finishes? Explore what each style means
Metal surfaces can be finished in many different ways, and it’s crucial to know which finishes are best suited to which overarching interior design vibes.
Take polished metal surfaces as an example. They are almost mirror-like, and tend to look and feel very modern and up-to-date. So they are perfect for décor that is minimalist and unfussy, while also working well in buildings that are themselves at the newer end of the spectrum.
Conversely hammered and matte metals are far more rustic and traditional, which means they work well in settings that chime with these design values.
Leveraging lots of metals? Don’t cluster them too closely
Another excellent tip for working with metal in interior design is not to go overboard with metallic items, fixtures, trinkets and adornments. Specifically, if you end up lumping them all together in a particular region of a room, they will look out of place, and unbalance the whole space.
You can of course get away with deploying plenty of metal in a design project, if you are willing to distribute this in all corners of the room, not just one of them.
This doesn’t have to just apply to the parts which people see at eye level, but also to things like light fixtures and switches. The whole thing will feel more cohesive it is apparent you’ve put a lot of thought into your use of metal throughout.
