Mi-Ling Stone Poole
McClatchy Tribune

Dear Mi-Ling: I am updating my bathroom and kitchen. I cannot get new kitchen cabinets or a bathroom vanity, so I am refinishing them myself.

Do all of the metals in my home - door knobs, cabinet pulls and knobs, ceiling fans, faucets, etc, have to be the same color or can there be brass in one area, silver in another?

Also, over the years, I have purchased new door knobs as I could. Now, there are about three different designs, all polished brass, but different shapes. How important is that to be matched?

My plan is to sell in about two years. - Teresa

Dear Teresa: I think that the main doors to your rooms should be in the same finish and preferably in the same design but it’s not mandatory. The key is to allow your eye to travel around your home without an abrupt stop.

Doors that are inside your rooms leading to a bathroom or closet don’t necessarily have to be in the same finish. It really depends on the style of the room. For example, if you are doing a rustic theme in one of your bathrooms, you should choose pulls for your cabinets that represent the style of the room.

The same goes for your kitchen cabinets. If you have shiny brass door handles, you certainly can use antique brass pulls on your cabinets and a pewter finish for your sink fixtures. These will blend fine, especially if you have stainless steel appliances.

I call these items hardware candy and the right combination will add to your design and give your space an updated look without spending a huge amount of money.

Unique drawer pulls in the kitchen are important, and they set the tone for the entire design. Especially if you are unable to purchase new cabinets, the pulls and accessories become more important.

As far as ceiling fans go, I would stick with the same finishes in your main living areas. Of course, you can change things in the dining room and merge crystal with an antique brass or consider a Verde finish over a kitchen table.

In the bedrooms, the fans should go with the decor of the room. If you are creating a glamorous leopard and pink paradise for your teenager, you want to select a ceiling fan with just the right style to enhance the design.

With that said, because you are putting your house on the market in the next few years, you might want to tone things down a bit and stick with a more traditional style for your fans and drawer pulls.

Everybody’s not going to like your leopard and pink door knobs, so if you change them, keep the old ones and replace them when you put your home on the market.

There really are no set rules. In my opinion, if you like it, I love it.