Antique Brass
ANTIQUE BRASS | #9A713C
warmth · nostalgia · craftsmanship · endurance · prosperity
About the shade
Antique Brass is a warm golden brown with the soft glow of brass that's been handled for years instead of polished. It holds more brown than mustard and more depth than tan, somewhere between honey and old leather. There's a little gray in its shadows, the way real brass dulls with age, which keeps it from looking shiny or new. Next to cream it reads golden, and next to deep green or navy it leans richer and browner.
Where you'll see it
Look for it on door handles in old buildings, the base of a vintage lamp, and the worn edges of a saddle or a favorite belt. It shows up in tall grass and wheat stubble in late afternoon light, in old trumpets and band instruments, and on the spines of leather-bound books. You'll catch it in honey held up to a window and in oak bark after rain.
In your home
It's lovely on a library wall or behind open shelving, where books and wood grain soften it. It pairs well with deep greens, navy, cream, walnut, and touches of black. If you'd rather not paint, bring it in through picture frames, a lamp base, cabinet and drawer hardware, a velvet pillow, or a wool throw. In a kitchen, brass faucets and amber glass on open shelves carry it nicely, and in a bedroom it works well in a quilted bedspread or a warm-toned headboard.
In everyday life
Think of a leather journal, a wool scarf, a canvas bag with brass buckles, or a little tray that holds your rings at the end of the day. It's the color of a well-loved pocket watch, an old brass key, or a bell that's been rung for years. Brass-toned things tend to get passed down, so this color might already be in a drawer somewhere in your house. Some people like keeping one of those pieces where they'll see it every day, on a desk or a dresser.
COLOR AND SPIRIT
In many cultures, gold and brass tones are tied to the sun, abundance, and the warmth of the hearth. In feng shui, golden browns belong to the earth element, linked with stability and nourishment. Crystals often paired with this shade include tiger's eye, long associated with courage and grounding, and citrine, a traditional stone of prosperity. Some people keep a brass-toned piece near the front door as a welcome.
