At Bender, we love design elements that consistently stand out in both form and function. In bathrooms and kitchens in particular, fixtures should be long-lasting and adhere to your home’s overall aesthetic. With a wide variety of options, it can be tricky to select the fixture finishes that feel the most in line with your home’s décor. Below, we’ve outlined a few simple steps that will help you ensure that you enjoy your home’s fixtures for years to come.
Consider your entire home. Use your personal design style to lead you in the right direction. If you tend to love warm tones, you might enjoy having warmer finishes like brass or copper. On the other hand, if you are hoping to create a soothing spa-like space, cooler tones like nickel and chrome might be more appropriate. If you’re renovating a couple of rooms in your home, pay attention to those you already have in place so that the updated fixtures feel consistent with your existing décor.
Customize your space. Instead of selecting one finish for the whole home (including faucets, cabinet hardware, lighting, and accents), select two or three different finishes and work to keep them cohesive throughout your entire space for a high-end look.
Choose a dominant finish. It’s helpful to select one finish that you find the most appealing. This will keep things more balanced and consistent.
Choose one or two accent finishes. These finishes will make an impact next to your dominant finish. When selecting, keep in mind that juxtaposition is best. For example, if your dominant finish is brass, your accent finishes could be satin nickel and matte black. Black matches nearly everything, while the variance between the brass and nickel is aesthetically pleasing.
Keep things consistent. Make the room feel balanced with consistency throughout the home. For example, lighting could be one finish and cabinet hardware another. This should make the space feel deliberately designed and not haphazardly pieced together.
Choosing finishes doesn’t have to be daunting. By adhering to our guidelines above, your space should feel cohesive, customized, and representative of your design aesthetic. Come see us at any of our showrooms – our designers can help you find the finishes that are most suited to your lifestyle as well as your taste.
FAQs
Bender showrooms in New Haven, Norwalk, Waterbury and Hartford offer a wide selection of high-end fixtures for kitchens and bathrooms. Our showroom consultants can help you compare styles, finishes and features to find options that fit your home, lifestyle and budget.
Visiting a showroom allows you to see finishes in person, operate faucets and shower controls, sit in bathtubs, and compare the scale and quality of different products. A showroom consultant can also help ensure that your selections coordinate properly and meet the technical requirements of your project.
Consider your home’s overall style, surrounding materials and the amount of maintenance you prefer. Polished finishes create a bright, reflective look, while brushed and matte finishes tend to conceal fingerprints and water spots more effectively. Viewing finish samples together in a showroom can help you make a confident decision.
Yes. Mixing two or three finishes can give a kitchen or bathroom a layered, thoughtfully designed appearance. Choose one dominant finish, then use one or two complementary finishes as accents. Repeating each finish in intentional places will help the room feel cohesive.
A luxury shower system may include rainheads, handheld showerheads, body sprays, thermostatic controls, digital controls, steam and integrated lighting or audio. The right combination depends on your available space, water supply, plumbing requirements and preferred shower experience.
Begin selecting fixtures early in the planning process. Faucets, tubs and luxury shower systems can affect plumbing placement, valve requirements, electrical work and framing. Finalizing these decisions before construction begins can help prevent delays, unexpected expenses and last-minute compromises.
