Raw Urth Designs | Welch Forsman Associates
Out with Stark, In with Soul
Industry reports are confirming what we’ve all been sensing for a while… the pendulum is swinging. The crisp, ultra-minimalist kitchens that dominated luxury design for the past decade are giving way to something more human. Spaces with warmth. With layers. With soul.
Designers and homeowners alike are craving rooms that feel like they’ve lived a life. Spaces that hold a story. Natural stone, textured woods, and especially mixed metals are stepping forward as the foundation of this return to authenticity.
Gone are the one tone finishes of the past. Today’s most inspired kitchens are mixing the soft gleam of brass and bronze with the cool restraint of pewter, natural patina finishes, and industrial gunmetal. When balanced well, these combinations add visual depth, weight, and an immediate sense of sophistication. The right blend can turn a simple space into something extraordinary, collected, curated, and deeply personal.
At Raw Urth, we couldn’t be happier about this shift. It’s the direction we’ve always championed! Handcrafted metals, rich with patina and personality. These finishes are more than surface-level style; they’re tactile, rich and uniquely organic. They bring back what we’ve all been missing in modern design: character.
Raw Urth Designs | Design Galleria | Emily J Followill photo
Raw Urth Designs | Cooper Pacific Kitchens | Meghan Beierle-O’Brien
The Art of the Layered Metal Palette
The mixed-metal movement is more than just a trend, it’s a study in balance. By layering metals with different temperatures and finishes, designers can create depth and dimension in a space. The warmth of a burnished bronze beside the quiet strength of dark antiqued steel, or the subtle gleam of polished brass framed by a mottled, multi-tone patina’d steel, transforms the room into something rich and truly interesting.
These materials invite you to look closer. To notice how light shifts and reflects across a surface. To see the hand of the maker in every detail. The best designers are no longer matching metals, they’re orchestrating them. It’s a sign of confidence and artistry, and it’s redefining what luxury design looks like today.
The Design Industry’s Craving for Character
The demand for organic, tactile materials is growing right alongside the new color trends: deep forest greens, earthy terracotta, and rich walnut wood tones that anchor a room in nature. Designers seek materials that make a space feel unique and authentic. These elements are described as “Design That Tells a Story.” Every surface, every texture, every imperfect edge becomes a conversation between material, maker and the human that lives and thrives in the space.
That’s exactly where metal patina shines. A custom patina introduces an unrepeatable, artistic focal point. An expression that instantly gives a project its own identity. This can be on a statement range hood, a kitchen island panel, or a bathroom vanity. Simply put, it is the high-impact element that gives a project immediate depth and a sense of heritage. This is something that polished materials cannot match.
Raw Urth Designs | Christine Johnson
Patina Spotlight: The Bold Bronze Finish
For designers wanting to bridge the mixed-metal and organic movements, Bronze is having a true moment. Its depth and color variation — from the soft glow of burnished bronze to the rich, time-worn surface of antique bronze — harmonize beautifully with today’s earthy palettes and dark wood cabinetry. Bronze grounds a room. It introduces warmth and gravitas without shouting. When applied to a statement hood or island detail, it becomes the quiet centerpiece — a timeless anchor that makes everything around it feel intentional and refined.
Exploring the Future of Finish
The future of design is moving toward the artful and the authentic, away from mass perfection and toward the crafted, the layered, and the human. Mixed metals and honest patinas are at the heart of that evolution, and we could not be more thrilled. They celebrate the complexity of real materials and the beauty of time itself. And for those of us who believe that design should tell a story worth remembering, this moment feels like coming home.
