Decorating with metal accents is possible no matter what your preferred decorating style. Three common construction materials for decorating are wood, fabric and metal. These elements can be combined with other materials such as glass, plastic or leather to create distinctive decorating effects. The desired look is often achieved by selecting the proper combination of materials as well as a set construction style. Different decorating styles call for particular types of metals, woods and levels of ornamentation.



Contemporary Style

Stainless steel is a very popular metal used in decorating a contemporary or modern room. The muted appearance and smooth finish are in keeping with the fluid lines and simplicity of this decorating style. Contemporary designs often incorporate nontraditional materials such as rubber, concrete or glass into furniture and accent pieces as well.

Traditional Style

This decorating style follows one particular decorating period exclusively such as the Georgian, Louis XV, Queen Anne, Tudor or Regency periods. Traditional decorating includes antiques, historical elements and fine woods and metals. Polished silver accent pieces such as teapots and candlesticks are found in a room decorated in the traditional fashion.

Asian decorating is very distinctive. This decorating style features bamboo woods and natural fibers. Muted natural colors or bold red and black accents are favorites among Asian decorators. Shinning gold accents are the preferred metal for this decorating style.

English Country

The English country decorating style is a mixture of different periods, patterns, fabrics and colors. This eclectic decorating method focuses on high quality materials such as hard wood furniture. The elements of style in this type of room do not have to match, meaning that any type of preferred metal is acceptable as long as the accent piece is of a fine quality design.

French Provincial

French provincial styling is characterized by bold colors, floral patterns and often features pine and light colored walnut woods. It is not an ornamental decorating style, sticking with more simple, patterned pieces.

Shaker designs focus on function more so than beauty. Furniture and accents are simple, elegant and without decoration, ornamentation or embellishments. Selecting a wrought iron wine rack or magazine holder can provide the utilitarian accents that are preferred for this style.

Rustic homes are filled with elements found in nature. Stone, wood, animal furs, antlers and wool fabrics are often combined to form a simple, casual collection of decorating elements. Wood and metal combined together in the same piece is a common theme in rustic decorating.

Mission

Mission style rooms are very plain and utilitarian. Leather and canvas fabrics are combined with unadorned woods to create functional pieces. This decorating style often uses exposed construction techniques to enhance the mission style. For this reason, combining metals such as bronze and silver in the same piece can selected to utilize contrasting colors as accents.

Every decorating style can benefit from incorporating metal. Each style has its own distinctive characteristics. Adding metal accents to a room helps provide a sense of balance and depth that cannot be achieved with wood and fabric alone.