The Return of Brass: Choosing the Right Finish for Your Home

At Bromleighs, we celebrate timeless design with carefully chosen lighting and hardware, alongside hand-crafted switches and sockets finished in our UK workshop. Blending tradition with modern luxury, these details are increasingly sought after by homeowners and designers looking for unique, high-quality finishes. We’ve seen a growing demand more recently for brass in a range of finishes.  To explore how brass can be used creatively in today’s interiors, we’ve teamed up with Maricruz Interiors, an interior design studio based in Almondsbury, servicing Bristol, North Somerset and the Cotswolds. With over 10 years’ experience in high-end residential projects and specialising in luxury new builds and bespoke renovations with a timeless, elegant style, Maricruz brings a thoughtful, layered approach to design and shares below how brass can be used to elevate a home.

Brass has a timeless quality that makes it feel both classic and contemporary. We love how it brings warmth and character into a space, and how versatile it can be when layered in different ways. What’s particularly exciting is that brass doesn’t need to be used in just one uniform finish across a room—in fact, mixing finishes often creates a richer, more curated look, whether you’re working on a luxury new build or a premium renovation.

From Brushed to Hammered: Creating Contrast with Brass (Maricruz Interiors)

In some of my projects, I’ve enjoyed exploring how brass can work with different textures. For example, brushed brass feels soft and understated, antique brass adds depth and heritage, while hammered brass introduces texture and a sense of craft. Using these finishes together in the same room can elevate the design and prevent it from looking flat or predictable. You can see below an example of this approach in a kitchen I designed for a farmhouse in North Somerset: the hammered brass was used in the chandelier above the dining table, brushed brass for the kitchen tap, and antique brass for the kitchen handles.

Farmhouse Style in Churchill (North Somerset)

Designed by Maricruz Interiors. Photography: @maricruz_interiors

Creating Harmony with Brass and Black Accents (Maricruz Interiors)

I also believe that brass doesn’t need to dominate every detail. In a master en-suite I designed for a luxury holiday home in the Cotswolds, I paired wall-mounted brass basin taps and vanity handles with a black shaver socket to complement the dark marble-effect tiles used as a feature splashback. This subtle contrast gave balance to the space and prevented it from feeling “too matchy matchy.” The result was a layered, thoughtful scheme – perfect for a luxury home interior – where brass played its part beautifully without overwhelming the design.

The Lake House in the Cotswolds

Designed by Maricruz Interiors. Photography: @maricruz_interiors

Maricruz’s Bromleighs Picks

If you’re looking to recreate any of these looks with your light switches, sockets and hardware, here are some items from Bromleighs that might work perfectly:

Double Dolly Switch from the Forge Collection in Hammered Brass

Beehive Cabinet Knob from the Timeless Collection in Aged Brass

Double Dolly Switch on a Single Square Metal Plate from the Profile Collection in Antique Brass

Regency Drawer Pulls from the Timeless Collection in Burnished Brass

4G 2way Intelligent Dimmer Switch from the Sleek Collection in  Black Nickel

Solid Brass Adjustable Wall Light from the Handmade Lighting Collection in ‘Polished brass’

Summary

Ultimately, the key is to view finishes as part of the wider composition of a room. Brass has returned in a big way, but the most successful interiors use it thoughtfully – sometimes as the star of the show, sometimes as a supporting act, and often in dialogue with other materials and textures.

By pairing design choices with beautifully crafted details, like Bromleighs’ handmade brass switches and sockets, every element can work together to create a seamless and elegant finish. Whether you’re planning a luxury new build or embarking on a bespoke renovation, the right brass accents bring warmth, character, and timeless style to your home.