A short guide to the finishes that quietly define a kitchen's character.
The smallest line on the spec sheet
Hardware — handles, knobs, taps, hinges — is usually the smallest single number in a kitchen budget. It is also the part of the kitchen the client touches the most, looks at the most, and forms the strongest impressions about. Get it right and the room feels considered. Get it wrong and the room feels assembled from a catalogue.
We help every client through the same three-finish decision: brass, matte black, or brushed steel. Each one tells a completely different story.
Brass — warm, classical, slightly theatrical
Brass is the most romantic of the three. It glows under warm light, develops a patina over years, and sits beautifully against dark cabinetry, deep greens, and natural stone. We tend toward unlacquered brass for clients who want the patina, and brushed brass for clients who want the warmth without the maintenance.
Brass works best in: - Kitchens with darker colour palettes - Rooms with traditional or transitional design language - Spaces that get a lot of natural light
Brass works less well in: - Cool, very modern kitchens (it can feel out of place) - Coastal homes very close to the sea (lacquered brass can pit)
Matte black — disciplined, modern, quietly confident
Matte black hardware reads as architectural. It disappears against dark cabinets and provides clean punctuation against pale ones. It's the easiest finish to live with — it doesn't show fingerprints, doesn't tarnish, doesn't fight anything else in the room.
We specify matte black for: - Modern, handle-less kitchens with a few statement handles on the larger drawers - Kitchens where the cabinetry is doing the talking and the hardware should just frame it - Black taps over white sinks (a combination that ages beautifully)
Brushed steel — neutral, durable, chef-grade
Brushed stainless is the workhorse. It's what professional kitchens use, and there's a reason — it survives anything. It pairs equally with warm and cool palettes and looks at home in almost any style.
We specify brushed steel for: - Family kitchens that take a lot of daily punishment - Kitchens with stainless steel appliances (so the metals tie together) - Clients who want the kitchen to look exactly the same in ten years as it does today
The mistake we see most
Mixing too many metals. A brass tap with brass handles is confident. A brass tap, brass handles, black hinges, and a steel kettle is chaos. We allow ourselves a maximum of two metal finishes per room, and even then one has to dominate.
Our advice, simplified
If you can't decide, do this: pick the metal finish you wear on your wrist. People who wear gold watches almost always end up choosing brass. People who wear stainless watches choose steel. People who wear no jewellery at all almost always end up with matte black. It's an unscientific rule that has been right about ninety percent of the time.
