The contemporary kitchen today isn’t all about glittering silver nor is it chrome, mirror polished stainless steel or nickel. All these cool metallic tones have done their time and are slowly receding in popularity. Brass that was last in vogue in the 70s is making a comeback from the margins. You can already see it with a pendant light there, a wall hanging here, a table leg and so on. Brass exudes a unique glamour quotient and cocky nature and in recent years with stainless making itself too commonplace the need of the hour is something less common such as brass
Poor Man’s Gold Becomes The Designer’s Best Friend
Bronze and copper while similar in their golden hue are also pricier but among the new desirables. Brass though is the common man’s gold alloy made from zinc and copper usually seen in plumbing, doorknockers and tubas. Many leading designers like Kelly Wearstler, Michael S. Smith, Jonathan Adler and others are now adding brass into every facet of their designs such as glowing desks, lamps, barware, burnished chairs and more. In fact, brass is now a part of the mainstream catalogues when it comes to home furniture. Easily affordable, timeless classic and a blast from the past, Brass is 21st century’s latest plaything.
And its resurgence isn’t just limited to home furniture but in places such as electronics where silver shades are no longer preferred. Brass is the choice of expensive electronic gadgetry. And finally, in kitchen fittings, brass has gathered a strong fan following with a relentless explosion of brass infused or inspired designs from Kohler, Grohe and every other fittings designer.
How The Brass Revolution Began
Kitchen fittings for long have been silvery regardless of the material used until about a decade ago a revolution was brought about by designer, Tom Dixon. His influence of North African affinity towards polished brass cookware sparked an experiment to play with kitchen utensils and fittings. In his words, Brass felt a lot more human like in contrast to the cold and hygienic stainless steel shapes from India or the blackened brass sold at the time.
In a matter of couple of years, brass became a popular choice for kitchen faucets and even kitchen sinks. As usual, leading the renaissance was Kohler with two unique brass inspired designs, one reminiscent of the past and the other a newer take of the future.
Anything Yellow Isn’t Brass But It Works Just Fine
Just because something isn’t silver in color doesn’t mean it is brass in fact, unlike Copper or Bronze, Brass has a unique appeal to it. It is a dirty yellowish brown color with a propensity to darken with time because of environmental interference or rather corrosion. This is the actual pre-modern appeal of this decorative element on kitchen fittings. Imagine, a kitchen sink and dual set of fixtures all made from Brass and aging slowly in time with dark patches, shiny golden spots surrounded by silver and yellow metallic utensils, pots, pans and electronics. The mixture of colors in itself is a fashion statement and a refreshing change from sanitary silver all around!
