Since 2017, the metallics and mixed metals trend has really taken off, developing into a style that offers space, storage and light whilst also looking contemporary and clean in your home. You might be wary of the look; there’s a misconception that metallic decor makes a home sterile and industrial, but it’s simple to achieve a warm and homely feel in your space with a mixed metals design scheme. Read on to find out how.
Start with a plan
As with any trend, you shouldn’t rush into immediately buying furniture and accessories – plan what you’re going to do with your space; mood boards are a great way of getting your ideas down on paper. The size of your room should be the main consideration here, so you can decide which furniture will fit and work with the space, rather than crowding the room.
Look at your sources of natural light – where are your doors and windows? This trend relies on the space being bright and airy, so use the reflective surfaces on the metallic elements to your advantage and increase the amount of light in your living room. Start by asking yourself whether you want a feature wall, or if you want a consistent colour scheme across the room, and move forward from there.
Consider your decor
Wall and floor colours play a big role in making the metallic elements of your trend stand out, making the shade of your room one of the main features when you’re planning your decor makeover. A feature wall works amazingly with this trend, especially if the wallpaper itself has metallic elements in it. Gold foil, printed in geometric shapes, is a great idea, breaking up block colour and giving the feature wall some metallic character. Be sure to use metallic wallpapers sparingly, as this trend thrives on touches of metallics; it’s best to avoid going over the top so the space doesn’t look too busy.
If you want to keep your walls a neutral or muted pastel shade there are plenty of other ways to bring metallic decor into your room. Instead, why not consider using small metallic graphic prints around the walls to break up the blocks of colour? Get inventive with the frames for this art; reclaimed metal frames, polished up to a nice sheen, can look amazing and will help you to save money as well. Don’t be afraid to mix metals either – silver, gold, rose gold, nickel and copper all work beautifully together, and you can mix and match the shades to suit your tastes.
Make your furniture the centre of the space
One of the best aspects of this trend is the furniture, as it offers a brilliant opportunity to really push the boat out. Go for vibrant metallic decor pieces like coffee tables or side tables with reflective surfaces to help increase the amount of light in the space. Marble tabletops work really well too, adding an extra layer of texture and luxe style to the furniture, and the room as a whole. You can keep it minimal with thin metal frames, or use more traditional furniture with metallic fixings and fittings – just try to make sure the furniture fits the trend.
Your sofa choice is important in keeping the space bright and airy. Choose light fabric or leather shades like creams, greys or whites, perhaps adorned with intricate hand nailed studs like the Alexa pictured. These small hints of metal really work with the trend, and help the sofa blend seamlessly in the space. If studs aren’t your thing, then choose a sofa without hand nailed studs, like the Gabrielle.
Alternatively, focus on the feet. The Torres and the Anastasia both have exposed metal frames which work to support the sofa, as well as adding a touch of stunning metallic style to the range. The exposed metal features on the sofa will work brilliantly with the metallics trend.
Accessorise to complete the look
The way you accessorise the space will help to give your living room a warm and homely feel. Work from what you’ve already placed in the room and ensure it works within the trend – you don’t want to use accessories that don’t fit the look. Reclaimed metallic lamps, vases and light fixings all add to the space and give the room a lived in feel. Mirrors are a great addition as well, helping to increase that all important natural light in the space, as well as helping to make the room seem bigger.
Recycling accessories found at car boot sales can be a great idea, giving your room an authentic throwback feel to when metallics were last in trend. There’s some great items to be found if you take some time to look around, and a simple polish can usually bring them back to their original glamour. You don’t have to spend big to achieve this trend, just find pieces that you suit your tastes and find the right spot for them in your living room.
You can explore over 200 exclusive sofa ranges at sofology.co.uk to find a sofa you think would work perfectly with metallic decor.
