Testing the metal: Gold, silver and copper paints for your home

Think metal: That’s what some of the world’s leading designers are saying about trends for interior looks that range from the striking to the subtle in 2017. From the choice of interior paint colors to the window treatments, furnishings and other details that complete a room, it’s the metal moment and Matthews Painting professionals know just how to make that happen in today’s silver and gold.  Good news for our Goshen, Indiana and Columbia City, Indiana residents.

What began as a trend on the European fashion runways is now at the top of interior design checklists. Jessica Romm Perez, editorial director for Domino magazine, adds that it’s not even just one metal hue or finish that can work in a room. Mixed metals are hot in hardware, as is popular patterned wallpaper.

So there’s a lot of metal inspiration right now, but the foundation for any room will be the paint choice. Lest you think the metallic trend sounds too shiny for your low-key life, keep in mind that a paint palette inspired by the precious is often far more subtle in tone or in a classic matte finish!

Choosing a gold – and for that matter silver – can be a little tricky, because often what that means on the wall is yellow or gray. There’s nothing wrong with a sunny sunflower in the kitchen or a studio, we love that too, but gold will have a much richer tone and a more classic or conservative feel. It’s perfect for a dramatic entrance hall and door, a formal living room or a well-appointed dining room.

The black and gold bedroom is another design choice that delivers not only warmth but character. One idea for the adventurous is to invert the color scheme, with the rich opulent layer of gold on the ceiling and black trim. If you opt for a heavier layer above, though, you’ll need to balance that on the walls. That can be achieved with a wallpaper and wainscoting, repeating the gold below the rail.

Until now, we’ve talked only about paint colors and not actual metallic paints themselves. The metallic paints can be impressive if you want to add texture to the walls in a space where that won’t become too overwhelming, or where an accent wall is the perfect touch. Ralph Lauren offers a line of specialty finish paints that delivers both a sophisticated color and a cultured luminescence with metallic and patina choices. The paint also comes in rock and suede textures. Valspar offers its Brilliant Metals paint line, as do Sherwin Williams and other manufacturers.

The same principles apply for silver, with the understanding that how light is reflected will change when moving away from the deeper golds. The silver metallics lend themselves more fully to a monochromatic or minimalist look that creates a striking effect when paired with black trim. The silvers are as timeless as gold in their own way – but it tends to be a more modern way that, with carefully chosen art pieces or lighting fixtures, creates a bed or living area one trusts for its straightforward approach. Even a silver accent in a bright white-and-black space may work well.

Don’t forget that copper and brass tones are welcome across the home, and quite often the business space too. The deeper copper tones serve as an excellent trim choice when painting the kitchen, and can be paired with lighting fixtures and cabinet hardware to complete the look. Bronze metallic paints work well when creating a hammered-metal look on bathroom walls, or when creating a textured look on mantles, built-in cases or even the heating registers or sconces in a study or sitting room.

If you’d like to learn more about the metallic for your own home, call Matthews to schedule a consultation and we’ll be happy to see how it might work for you.

Matthews Painting is  also now expanding our interior and exterior wall, ceiling, trim, door, window and kitchen cabinet painting and staining, wallpaper removal, drywall repair, deck staining and sealing and log Home staining and sealing into the Goshen, Indiana and Columbia City Indiana areas.