Should Your Bathroom Towel Bars Match the Faucet? How to Mix and Match Bathroom Fixtures

When it comes to designing your home, you know that details matter—and bathroom accessories are no exception. So, should towel bars match the faucets? Can your cabinet handles be a different color? Here, we’ll give you reasons to match, ways to mix, and tips to find the right solution for your bathroom.

Reasons to Match Your Bathroom Fixture Finishes

Photo: Emily K. Means / Adobe Stock

If you don’t like the look of mixed metals, you’ll want matching bathroom fixtures. From faucets and cabinet handles to towel bars, matching metals in your bathroom creates a cohesive, intentional look that most homeowners prefer.

Angi Tip

Switching out the hardware can make a bathroom vanity look new. When choosing knobs and pulls, don’t forget to choose colors and finishes that complement your new fixtures. Nickel and black are universal choices, or go with a slightly different finish in a unique shape.

Samantha Velez

Content Editor, Angi

Coordinated Bathroom Design

Matching bathroom fixtures look polished. No matter which finish you choose—brushed nickel or chrome, shiny or matte—using the same metal for the towel bars and the bathtub faucets gives an intentional feel. This is especially true if you also coordinate the space with a cohesive design that extends to the towels, bath mats, wall color, and flooring.

Unified hardware and accessories will give the bathroom visual appeal and a sense of harmony, and they make the room look thoughtfully decorated.

Simple Decision Making 

If decorating isn’t your strong point, choose one finish for all your fixtures. If you stick with a consistent finish, you won’t have to worry whether the pieces go together. This will save you time by helping narrow down your options.

Resale Value 

Buyers like thoughtfully designed and decorated rooms, so coordinating all the fixtures can make your home stand out. An attractively decorated bathroom can increase your home’s perceived value.

Reasons to Mix Bathroom Fixture Finishes

Photo: Joe Hendrickson / iStock / Getty Images Plus

It’s OK if you’re not a matchy-matchy person. You can still have a polished, intentional, and finished-looking bathroom design. Here’s how to embrace diversity by mixing finishes in smart ways.

Customization

Personalize your bathroom by choosing mixed fixtures customized to your style. Rather than doing this in an ad-hoc way, thoughtfully choose a curated selection of colors, finishes, and styles. For example, pair matte black bathroom faucets with brushed nickel hardware or combine brass towel bars with chrome faucets.

Budget

The cost to replace a bathroom faucet varies, but it can be expensive to buy all matching fixtures, especially if you’ve chosen high-end finishes. Instead, strategically mix finishes. If you can’t install your new fixtures yourself, invest in the services of a local faucet installation company near you.

Adds Visual Interest

Sometimes coordination looks, well, boring. If matching fixtures are too put together for your tastes, mix it up. Choose contrasting metals, different textures, mixed finishes, and statement pieces that keep guests looking.

If you’re an eclectic person, mixed finishes can let you show off your personality, whether you mix modern and traditional or juxtapose industrial and vintage. To do this, buy fixtures that feel like you and combine them with other coordinating pieces that reflect your sensibilities. 

Flexible Design 

Sometimes you just want flexibility—after all, decorating should be fun. If perfectly matching bathroom fixtures feels too rigid, why not mix it up? Mixed finishes let you buy the right fixtures for your bathroom, regardless of whether they match. In some cases, this might be necessary. For example, if you need to replace one or two items but don’t have the budget or desire to swap out the rest.

How to Choose the Right Finish 

What’s the right finish for you and your home? You’re the only one who can say for sure. But there are some best practices for choosing bathroom fixture finishes.

• Know why you’re updating. Is your entire bathroom getting an overhaul? Are you replacing all the fixtures? Or do you just need a new fixture or two?  

• Know your budget. Some fixtures are cost-friendly (think chrome or stainless steel), while others, like copper or brushed nickel, are more expensive. Divide your budget by the total number of pieces you need to decide which finish is a better choice cost-wise.

• Know what’s staying. Consider your existing bathroom color palette and features and choose a fixture finish that complements these existing elements. If you’re remodeling, the sky (or your budget) is the limit.

• Know your tastes. Your personal style and preferences should guide your choices. Timeless, classic, trendy, contemporary—there are no limits to your creativity or options.

Alternatives to Mixing and Matching Fixtures

If you’ve decided that matching isn’t for you but mixing seems too wild for your tastes, you can find a happy medium with one of these ideas.

Consider Your Color Scheme

Let your bathroom’s color palette guide your choices. You can still get a cohesive, intentional look by matching and complementing hardware and finishes with your bathroom’s overall color scheme.

Two-Tone Fixtures

Two-tone fixtures have two different colors or a lighter and darker version of the same color. They’re a great compromise when you can't decide which color you like best or when you need to bridge the gap between new and existing fixtures.

Add a Statement Piece 

We’ve all been there—the perfect piece catches your eye, and you can’t envision your home without it. So go ahead and treat yourself. Let that statement piece be a focal point, and choose more neutral accessories for the rest of your bathroom.