Best Metal Finishes for Farmhouse Style

black metal finishes add contrast in this kitchen

Photograph by Ryan Liu; home of Stacey Rossetti

One of the small but important details of your home is the metal finish you choose. Here are the best finishes that will work with your farmhouse style!

Polished, Brushed, Antique and Matte

When it comes to picking your home’s fixtures, there are two elements: The metal, and the finish. The finishes include:

Polished: Has the most shiny appearance
Brushed: Has a dull polish, which gives it a softer and less-shiny appearance
Satin: The most dull finish, often achieved through a chemical process
Antique: Often a brushed or satin finish, paired with an aged hue on the metal
Matte: A flat finish, achieved through various methods

So which of these are the best for farmhouse style? Here are a few of our favorites.

A white couch with white throw pillows in front of a white door with chippy paint — Homeowner Heather Tartaglia chose a black metal lamp to go with the natural wood and drop-cloth curtains in her living room. Photograph by Chad Mellon.

Matte Black Metal Finish

“That’s the hottest finish that we’re seeing right now,” says Kathryn Towns of Delaney Hardware. Matte black is a great choice for farmhouse style because it can give off a modern or rustic feel, depending on the other elements you pair with it.

Entryway with bench and map wall art — Homeowner Deb Foglia‘s entryway is simple and serene, with a black modern farmhouse bench and a bronze sconce with a polished finish that goes well with the Old World modern feel of her home. Photograph by Ryan Liu.

Antique Brass Metal Finish

Polished finishes give off a more modern feel because they’re shiny, and polished brass was popular during the midcentury era. If you want a more modern feel, go with a polished brass. For a more rustic farmhouse vibe, choose a different finish on your brass, such as brushed or antique.

polished chrome and matte black metal finishes in laundry room — You can mix and match finishes in the same room, like homeowner Stacey Rossetti did here in her laundry room. The shine of polished chrome goes well with the black washer and dryer and lighting fixture. Photograph by Ryan Liu.

Polished Chrome Metal Finish

While polished brass gives off a modern feel, polished chrome, on the other hand, is classic. It’s a popular finish for cottage style, so if you like mixing traditional or charming elements in your farmhouse, chrome will be a good look. It’s also less expensive than some of the other metals, so it’s a good budget purchase.

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Farmhouse-style paneling in the kitchen island and in the large cabinets — In this tropical-inspired farmhouse kitchen renovation, a softer brushed finish blends in well with the cool blue color tones. Photograph by Sarah Strunk.

Brushed Nickel Metal Finish

As with other metals, a polished finish looks shiny, whereas an antique or brushed finish looks softer. If you want a silver color that doesn’t have too much shine, brushed nickel is a great pick. Nickel is more expensive than chrome, but also has a warmer hue than the colder hue of chrome.

This Texas farmhouse is a gray-scale creation with stone countertops and plenty of naural light coming throught the window above the sink. — For homeowner Holly Lauritzen, the metals in her kitchen work well mixed, with a black finish on the lighting and hardware, and a steel gray on the faucet and countertop mixer. Photograph by Michael Hunter.

Should You Mix or Match?

Should all the metals in your home be the same or different? Ultimately, that’s a design decision to make to best fit your own farmhouse style. You could have all the metals in your home match for a cohesive feel, or add depth with multiple metals. For example, you could choose to match all the fixtures in your bathrooms but have a different metal finish for your kitchen, or even mix finishes within the same room.

Want to see these finishes in action? Tour this Northern California farmhouse! Of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to get your daily dose of farmhouse inspiration!