Brass For Homes — Marrakech, Morocco
Will Unlacquered Brass
Go Out of Style?
A direct answer to the most common concern we hear from customers considering their first unlacquered brass fixture.
The short answer: no. And the reason unlacquered brass will not go out of style is not a matter of opinion — it is a matter of history.
Brass has been used in kitchens, bathrooms, and homes for over four centuries. The fixtures in 17th century English manor houses were brass. The plumbing fittings in Georgian townhouses were brass. The hardware in Moroccan riads has been brass for centuries and remains so today. Chrome was fashionable in the 1980s. Brushed nickel had its moment in the 2000s. Matte black peaked in the 2010s. Each of these was a trend — something that emerged from design culture and will eventually be replaced by another trend. Unlacquered brass is not a trend. It is a material with a four-hundred-year track record.
The Trend vs Timeless Distinction
The confusion arises because unlacquered brass has experienced a significant resurgence in popularity over the past decade — particularly in the US, UK, and across European design markets. Homeowners and interior designers who spent the 2000s and 2010s specifying chrome and brushed nickel have been rediscovering what their grandparents and great-grandparents already knew: that warm, living metal develops character over time in a way that cold, plated finishes simply cannot.
This resurgence is sometimes mistaken for a trend — as if unlacquered brass is something new that design culture has recently invented, and that it will be replaced by something newer. In fact, the opposite is true. Unlacquered brass is what design culture is returning to after a decades-long experiment with synthetic finishes. The experiment did not produce fixtures that aged well. The return to brass is not a trend. It is a correction.
What Actually Goes Out of Style
The materials that go out of style are the ones that were selected primarily because they were fashionable, rather than because of their intrinsic qualities. Here is a brief history of kitchen faucet finishes and how they have aged:
- Chrome (1980s–90s popularity peak): Highly fashionable. Now appears dated and sterile in most contexts. No patina, no character development. Just a progressive loss of shine.
- Brushed nickel (2000s popularity peak): Marketed as a more sophisticated alternative to chrome. Now appearing increasingly anonymous in kitchens that have shifted toward warmer palettes.
- Matte black (2010s popularity peak): Bold, striking on day one. Now found in kitchens whose owners are considering replacing it as the matte finish scuffs to a sheen with daily use.
- Unlacquered brass (four centuries of consistent use): More beautiful in a well-designed kitchen in 2025 than it was in 2015 or 1915. The material improves with age and transcends the concept of “trend.”
The Designer Perspective
Interior designers who have been practising for more than fifteen years have watched multiple fixture finish trends come and go. Their perspective on unlacquered brass is remarkably consistent: it is not something they specify because it is fashionable. They specify it because it is the material that looks best in their projects five and ten years after installation — and because it generates more positive client feedback than any other fixture finish they have used.
The question “will unlacquered brass go out of style?” is ultimately the wrong question. The right question is: will your unlacquered brass faucet look better in 10 years than it does today? The answer, consistently, is yes.
We have been making brass fixtures in Marrakech for four generations. Our customers' grandparents made the same choice. Their grandchildren will make it too.
— Brass For Homes Workshop, Marrakech
Practical takeaway for Will Unlacquered Brass Go Out of Style? Designers Answer
The useful way to read this guide is to connect the design idea with the measurements, finish behavior, and daily use of the room. A good choice should look beautiful in photos, but it also needs to feel natural around the sink, counter, cabinet line, lighting, and cleaning routine. The strongest rooms repeat a metal finish with restraint. One substantial focal point, a few smaller accents, and natural materials around them usually feel more collected than a perfect match on every surface. That balance is especially useful with brass and copper because the tones can shift beautifully over time.
What to check before you choose
Before buying, confirm the dimensions, mounting style, clearance, and nearby surfaces. In kitchens, that means checking the sink, backsplash, counter depth, and traffic around the work zone. In bathrooms, it means checking vanity depth, mirror placement, splash area, and hand clearance. If the article is about finish or patina, compare how much natural change you want to see over months of normal use.
How to style the finish naturally
Warm metal works best when it is repeated lightly instead of forced into a perfect match. Pair brass, copper, or patina with stone, limewash, handmade tile, natural wood, plaster, or quiet cabinet colors. This gives the room a collected feeling and keeps the fixture or sink as the hero. The goal is not a showroom match; it is a room that feels calm, useful, and personal.
Related Brass For Homes paths
For the next step, compare our kitchen ideas, browse related kitchen faucets, read the kitchen sinks, and keep bridge faucets in mind if you are planning a full room rather than a single swap. Those internal paths help you move from inspiration to product scale, finish choice, and installation planning without mixing in unrelated brands.
Care and long-term value
After installation, treat the surface gently. Use mild soap, a soft cloth, and regular drying around water contact points. Avoid abrasive pads, bleach, and aggressive acids. Living finishes will deepen where hands and water touch most, while polished surfaces may need occasional attention to stay bright. That maintenance rhythm is part of owning real metal hardware and is often what makes the room feel richer with age.
