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Finishes-Hot Metals

Catch the fever for NICKEL, COPPER, STAINLESS STEEL, and BRONZE

NICKEL - Nickel is a smooth, sophisticated alternative to chrome - usually not as shiny, and offering more visual heft. Though often subtle and subdued, nickel is still eye-catching. Brushed or polished, the staple of five-cent pieces looks like a million bucks in the kitchen and bath. If only we had a nickel for every time we've seen this finish lately in a kitchen or bath. Nickel was the household metal of choice in the late 1800s and early 1900s before giving way to chrome. Now its silvery sheen is making a comeback, especially in sinks, faucets, and hardware. With its bluish cast, nickel is considered a cool metal. It can be polished to a chrome like sheen or brushed to a satiny matte finish similar to stainless steel. Brushed nickel is a good choice for high-use areas, as it helps hide fingerprints, scratches, and water spots.

COPPER - With distinctive color cues, the natural conductor is orchestrating a rapidly spreading warming trend. It's fitting that the work copper is an old slang term for a police officer, given the reddish to orangeish metal's arresting appearance. As an excellent conductor of heat and electricity, copper has long been a part of kitchens, most visibly in cookware. But in recent years, cooper's warmth has been spreading from cook tops to sinks, faucets, vent hoods, countertops, backsplashes, and appliances. A copper surface can be polished to maintain a shiny finish, though more often it is signature dark, greenish, character-rich patina.Some say copper may succeed stainless steel as a finish for large appliances.

STAINLESS STEEL - The always sharp-looking surface of surgeons and chefs can go cutting edge or hone a classic scheme. The development of stainless steel in the early 1900s had a big impact on kitchens, leading to easy-care cutlery that was virtually immune to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel shook up kitchens again in the late 1900s by bringing commercial style to appliances and work surfaces. Today, the alloy of steel and chromium is the ally of those who seek a clean, contemporary look in the kitchen or bath. Like nickel, stainless steel is a cool metal that can be buffed to a highly reflective sheen or brushed for a more subdued, satiny look. Stainless steel conjures images of sharp edged and straight lines, but the rigid metal is malleable too - perfectly capable of taking unexpected curves.

BRONZE - Archaeologists say the Bronze Age ended long ago. We say a new one is dawning in the kitchen and bath. In Olympic venues, bronze symbolized a third-place finish. But in the kitchen and bath area, bronze is a winning finish. The earthy-brown alloy's gravitas and sculptural quality commence respect and convey permanence. Between its more common kitchen and bath incarnations, bronze is cast into sink basins, tiles, and hardware, and applied as a coating to appliances, faucets, and light fixtures. Oil-rubbed bronze, an especially hot look, reads almost black. Oil rubbing, based on ancients' practices, creates a living finish - one that changes over time. Bronze often adorns small items, but it can also cover large areas too.