Harold's Renovation Blog: #37: To Brass… Or Not To Brass?

In this episode we’re talking about what women “should” and “shouldn’t” have around the house (Sherry’s guilty of at least one!) and we’re diving deep into the question of metal finishes. Should they all match within a room? How about throughout the house? And is the brass trend over or here to stay? Plus, you guys call in with your very own random and hilarious house quirks, and we share the awesome and the cringe-worthy moments from our trip to Palm Springs.

You can download this episode from iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos that we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you might have to click through to the post to see the player.

What’s New

Above is the crazy-photogenic and colorful exterior of The Saguaro Hotel where Alt Summit was held. And below is the less photographed bathroom from our room (maybe fluorescent lights aren’t as awesome as daylight when it comes to lots of bold colors…).

Since we mentioned several folks that we met at the conference (certainly not all of ’em, it was overflowing with cool people), here are some links to a few of the people we shouted out in the episode:
- Jenny Komenda from Little Green Notebook (we interviewed her on Episode #31, which was a fan favorite)
- Gabrielle Blair from Design Mom (who’s also the founder of Alt Summit)
- Jaime Derringer from Design Milk (her deadpan sense of humor was THE BEST)
We also forgot to mention that we saw Mandi from Vintage Revivals (we’ve met her a few times before at the Haven Conference) but since we were out on her coast this time, we finally got to see her trailer (aka: The Nugget) in person, which was even more impressive in real life.

Lastly, we mentioned how we didn’t get to see much of the town (at least in the daylight) – so for now can we just relish how pretty the Palm Springs airport is? I mean, half the thing is OUTDOORS for crying out loud.

What’s Not

Here’s that link to the 13 Things A Woman Should Never EVER Have In Their Home article that I had some serious opinions about (don’t say we didn’t warn you…)
And if you’re looking for a more helpful list, here’s a more practical one about things women SHOULD have in their house

House Quirks

If you want to hear the original conversation about OUR house quirks, check out Episode #32

Listener Question: Mixing Metals

Above is a picture of the mixing metals that we have in our kitchen, which we referenced (polished nickel throughout most of the room (faucet, pulls, lights) but stainless steel on the appliances, and gold in some of the less permanent/attached accessories).

Our son’s bedroom is another example of layering in a few different metals that each occur a few times so everything looks intentional. His doorknob, curtain rod, and the pulls on his built-ins are all oil-rubbed bronze, but there’s that brushed nickel fan in the foreground along with some brushed nickel frames and a piggy bank on his shelf (not pictured) to balance things out.

This old picture of our hall bathroom also shows how two metal finishes can come together in a room (two brass mirrors + polished nickel hardware on the cabinets and the lighting).

We also mentioned mixing metals in some of our latest lighting designs, so here’s the “Dapper Wall Sconce” which mixes brass and matte black (it also comes in all polished nickel, for those who prefer a simpler look).

And as promised – here’s the poll:

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

We’re Digging

Here’s that Samplize Indiegogo campaign that we contributed to. Fingers crossed that it becomes a thing (and that it’s as good as it sounds!)
Here are the charcoal deodorizing bags that Sherry has been obsessed with for years (we just ordered two sets of them to replace our old ones, which Sherry originally read about in Real Simple magazine back in 2014).
We typically just tuck them on a bookshelf (they can look like a gray linen bookend) or hide them behind on a tabletop (one’s always hiding behind a vase on our dining room sideboard), but we pulled this one out on Sherry’s nightstand for you to see them “in the wild.” See the small gray pouch below with a grommet in the corner? That’s it.

Are you looking for something we’ve dug in a past episode, but don’t remember which show notes to click into? Well, here’s a master list of everything we’ve been digging from all past episodes.