Do's and Don'ts When Using Copper Accents in Your Home
The relationship between humans and copper goes back at least 10,000 years when people began to shape rough chunks of copper into usable tools. Over time the aesthetic value of copper became as important as its functional value and people began making all kinds of jewelry and items to decorate their homes. The popularity of the copper accents we sell attests to the fact that copper continues to be a popular choice people use to activate their home decor.
Below, we’ll take a look at some ideas for integrating copper into your home decor along with mistakes people make when trying to do so.
Ways to Create a Compelling Copper Home Decor
Copper is perhaps the most versatile metal ever discovered. Without it, our high-tech world would not be possible and our homes would be a lot less interesting. Here are 10 ways you can integrate copper into your home decor that will be the envy of your friends.
Add a Copper Kitchen Countertop
Replacing your tiled countertop with a sheet of copper will not only add richness and sophistication to your kitchen but will become a kind of interactive element that will react to the air, water and other elements it comes in contact with. Giving the kitchen the sense that it’s alive.
Add a Copper Bathroom Sink
A copper bathroom sink with a granite or marble countertop and copper fixtures will lift your bathroom decor into the stylistic stratosphere. Copper sinks are available in countless sizes and styles so there is bound to be one that works perfectly in your bathroom.
Embrace Copper Lighting
Copper light fixtures come in every imaginable style these days, or if you want something with a genuine throwback feel you can undoubtedly find a vintage or antique copper light fixture in an antique shop. We’d caution against buying antiques online because you just never know.
Integrate Copper Accents From Paykoc
We carry a full line of beautiful and timeless copper accents that will help put the finishing touches on your copper decor. From copper cauldrons of every size, to a copper hanging pot rack for your plants and copper oval planters for your windowsill our accents will bring your copper home decor to life.
Pick Up Some Copper Pitchers
Copper pitchers are the kind of item that do their aesthetic work in a subtle way. You can choose to retain their original shiny exterior or allow the patina and tarnish to endow them with an air of timeless beauty.
A Copper Tub to Die for
While it’s going to set you back a few ducats, a copper bathtub is the kind of thing people will pop over to see. As with other copper items you can choose what type of finish you want to ensure it dovetails with the rest of your bathroom decor.
If you’re thinking about installing a copper tub yourself, watch the video below to learn how it's done.
Choose Industrial Hanging Lights
If you’re looking for a way to integrate your dining room with the rest of your copper decor consider hanging a copper industrial-style light fixture over your dining room table. Just be sure to choose one that doesn’t clash with the other elements of your decor.
Install a Copper Frame Around the Fireplace
Since we’re bringing the whole house under the copper home decor banner we can’t forget the living room and stairway (more on that in a moment). A copper fireplace is a great choice for everything from farmhouse decor to aggressively minimalist contemporary design.
Replace Your Wooden Railings With Copper Handrails
Copper handrails will make your stairway an experience and integrate upstairs with the ground floor. Even if you don’t carry the copper decor over into the upper floor, copper railings on the stairway will make it seem like you did.
Add Copper Accents Outdoors
Copper planters have long been a favorite of gardeners the world over. But there’s a lot more you can do with copper to activate your backyard landscaping. Copper wind chimes, copper fountain elements, copper figurines and using copper for the kickplate on stairs are all great and subtle ways to enhance your landscaping.
Mistakes to Avoid When Adding Copper to Your Decor
Don't Choose Clashing Metals
One mistake homeowners often make is choosing the wrong complementary metals for their copper decor. High polished stainless steel and silver are two of the worst offenders as they create visual dissonance and undermine everything you’re trying to create. Instead, choose one or more of the following metals.
- Brass — Brass (which contains large amounts of copper) is a perfect complement for your copper decor items.
- Bronze — Bronze also contains large amounts of copper so it’s a natural complement. It’s also a little darker than brass and is great at bringing out the warmth in your copper items.
- Nickel — Nickel has a more subdued finish than stainless steel or silver and it's this soft, neutral sheen that contrasts so well with the reddish tones of the copper.
"Pay attention to the undertones as a way to determine which metals go together. In general, brass, copper, gold, and nickel have warm undertones, while stainless steel, chrome, and other silver metals give off a cooler look."
—Better Homes & Gardens
Just make sure that no matter what other metals you choose that the items all share a similar finish.
Don’t Forget to Mix It Up
It may seem to make sense to populate your copper decor with only copper items, but that will shortchange the final look. Adding other metals will create visual interest and bring out the best in the copper elements. Just don’t add so many that you overwhelm the copper. Because it’s your home and your decor you’ll have to decide where the cutoff line is for adding other metals.
Don’t Stop at the Kitchen Door
A lot of folks looking to add copper to their decor do a great job of integrating it into the kitchen but stop at the doorways. Once you walk out of the kitchen it’s like you’re in a different house. If you want to create an effective copper home decor you’ll need to carry it into the other rooms. You don’t necessarily need to take it to the 2nd floor too, but the entire ground floor should be part of the finished look.
Don’t Mix Metals on a Single Item
If you’ve installed a beautiful copper sink in the bathroom don’t use nickel or bronze faucets. Each individual item should be composed of one metal. That also means that if your kitchen door handles are bronze the door handles should be bronze throughout the house. Not bronze in the kitchen and brass in the bathroom.
Final Thoughts
Embracing copper accents and decor will add an air of timeless sophistication to your home that cannot be achieved any other way. If you’re looking for first-class copper accents to bring your decor to life check out the Paykoc Imports online shop.