Mixing gold, silver and brass on one table

3 min read

Mixing metals used to be a styling mistake. Now it is how most well-dressed tables look, because few of us own a single matching set of everything. The trick is to make the mix look deliberate.

Choose a lead metal

Let one metal take the lead and cover most of the table. With our placemats, that is gold. Silver cutlery and brass candlesticks then play supporting roles rather than competing for attention.

Repeat everything twice

A single silver item on a gold table looks like it was forgotten. Two or three look chosen. If you use silver cutlery, echo it with a silver salt cellar or a pair of silver napkin rings.

Use a bridge

Champagne and pale gold sit halfway between yellow gold and silver, so they tie the two together. Mehtab Starburst, our palest finish, is the easiest bridge in the collection. Noor Lace works the same way.

Warm with warm, cool with cool

Antique and bright golds such as Gulnar Bloom look best beside brass, copper and wood. Champagne designs sit comfortably next to silver, crystal and white porcelain.

Let neutrals do the calming

White plates, ivory linen and clear glass give the eye somewhere to rest between metals. The more metals you mix, the plainer everything else should be.

Check it by candlelight

Metals change after dark. Light the candles and look again before guests arrive; what looked busy in daylight often looks warm and rich by candlelight.