Once upon a time, mixing gold and silver jewelry was considered a fashion faux pas. Interior design has long had a similar rule: Whether it’s brass, chrome, nickel or blackened steel, you pick a finish and stick with it. Fortunately, both worlds are evolving. Lo & CoThe new Duet collection challenges the notion that consistency requires uniformity, combining brushed brass and polished nickel in a material inspired by the layered elegance of fine jewelry.
Photo by Liam West/Lightly Salted; courtesy of Lo & Co.
Australian architectural brand’s first mixed metal collection developed in collaboration with Melbourne SMAC Studiocombining brushed brass with polished nickel on cabinet pulls, knobs and levers. Rather than using two finishes simply for visual effect, the collection explores how different materials interact with light, proportion and each other to create depth.
Photo by Liam West/Lightly Salted; courtesy of Lo & Co.
The timing was no accident. According to founders Arielle Lopresti and Teegan Cocchiaro, the idea had been building for years before it became a reality.
“We’ve always been drawn to mixed metals,” they share. “We were inspired during our visit Milan for Design Week and found that many Italian sites mixed metals.’
This trip included a visit to a designer Vincenzo De CotiusApartment in Milan, where fearless combinations of materials left a lasting impression. Coupled with the renewed popularity of mixed metal jewelry, it helped shape a collection that feels both contemporary and timeless.
Photo by Liam West/Lightly Salted; courtesy of Lo & Co.
Jewelery has served as a benchmark for Lo & Co, whose founders often describe their material as ‘jewellery for the home’. With Duet, that influence became more literal. While the knobs and levers borrow the boldness of statement jewellery, the elongated pulls refer to more subtle pieces, using subtle details where the two finishes meet to create the collection’s defining gesture.
Balancing the brushed brass and polished nickel required restraint as well as contrast. Rather than allowing one finish to dominate, designers relied on texture and reflectivity to create balance.
Photo by Liam West/Lightly Salted; courtesy of Lo & Co.
“The contrast was entirely intentional,” they explain. “We chose to highly polish the nickel and lightly brush the brass, so that each catches the light differently. Both have quite a subtle color, meaning neither overpowers the other.”
The collaboration also reflects the founder of SMAC Studio Shona McElroyHer long-standing interest in the two-tone material. Her early sketches established the direction of the jewelry-inspired collection before Lo & Co refined the forms, proportions and finishes in the finished product family.
Photo by Liam West/Lightly Salted; courtesy of Lo & Co.
Perhaps the most exciting concept of the collection is not aesthetic at all, but psychological. Many homeowners are hesitant to mix finishes, worrying that consistency requires consistency. Lopresti and Cocchiaro see it differently.
“Cohesion need not mean uniformity,” they say. “A considered mix of metals brings depth and interest to a space.”
This philosophy extends beyond a single launch. Rather than treating mixed metals as an isolated experiment, the founders hope that Duet will become part of Lo & Co’s evolving design language, while giving customers the confidence to be bolder in their homes.
Photo by Liam West/Lightly Salted; courtesy of Lo & Co.
The Lo & Co Duet Collection is available at loanandcointeriors.com.
Editorial Transparency: This article was developed with the help of artificial intelligence tools, which may have been used for research, description, editing or copy improvement. Reporting, fact-checking and editorial decisions were made by Design Milk’s editorial team.
