Get Some Class with, Brass?

I'm writing today as a recently converted brass enthusiast.  If you had asked me a year ago would I ever use brass in my home or even a client's home, my answer would've been along the lines of "Oh hellllll no!".

Back then, the word brass brought up images of ugly, dated lighting fixtures and doilies.  Something along the lines of these truly frightening images:

So many heinous things going on in this dining room, the brass chandelier is hardly the worst of it.

So if you are still in the "anti-brass" camp, let me say that I get it.  I do.  Brass has been seriously misused in the past and has done its bit to earn a bad rep.  Just stick with me and let me do my best to bring you over to the brass-appreciation camp.

Today's brass, or even today's use of yesterday's brass is so much more glamorous and stylish than grandma's brass.  It works especially well in eclectic rooms that are a mix of design styles and periods.  And..."brass" doesn't necessarily have to equal "shiny" or "yellow".  Think of an aged or antique brass finish and the warmth and character those pieces bring to today's interiors.

 First up, lighting!

via Arteriors Home

What  a difference a clean, modern shape and a drum shade make!  These brass lamps and pendants are anything but dated or fussy.  That black shade combined with the brass hardware?  Super glam and definitely not your grandma's brass!

These brass etageres and shelves could easily go all "Dynasty" and "Designing Women" if not styled correctly.  But these examples show just how modern and relevant brass can be when done right.

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Seriously sexy, right? 

Now, if any of these shelves held a collection of Precious Moments figurines or containers filled with potpourri or dried flowers.....we'd be in trouble.  But these shelves are beautifully and simply styled, letting the brass feel clean and modern.

When it comes to the brass hardware that was standard on all the doors in our house, I can't wait to change those things out.  They're bad brass and they need to be dealt with.  That's not to say brass hardware can't be a very good thing.  Case in point:

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 The aged finish of the brass hardware against the blue desk is perfection.  A lot of people (me, a year ago included!) would have spray painted all that beautiful brass black or nickel.  We would have been oh so wrong because it's completely fantastic as-is.  There's definitely something to be said for appreciating the patina that can only come with age.

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I'm such a big fan of anything by Kate of "Centsational Girl" and this peacock blue chest with brass pulls is only one reason why.  Modern, feminine, perfection.  Love, love, love it!

A collection of more brass beauties to entice you over to the "Brass Side":

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That ain't your granny's brass bed!

Convinced yet? 

Well, to any holdouts still left out there, I'm about to rock your world. 

You ready?

Behold:

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Oh yes I did! 

Now, if that insanely amazing brass railing from the Tory Burch boutique on Madison Ave in NYC doesn't make an immediate and enthusiastic brass-lover outta you, I will have to accept defeat.  I'll also have to accept the fact that this means more brass for me! 

So tell me, have I made any converts out there?  Or, have you already found yourself recently appreciating the beauty of brass?