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Livingetc’s interior-design report spotlights silver-toned materials, including stainless steel, chrome and brushed metal, as a possible neutral for contemporary homes. Designer Felizia Berchtold says these finishes reflect and pick up surrounding colors, though how they feel in a room depends on the materials and lighting around them.
Livingetc’s interior-design report is making the case for silver as a neutral material choice in contemporary homes, pointing to stainless-steel cabinetry, chrome accessories and brushed-metal details. The report, featuring designer Felizia Berchtold of Studio Tutto Bene, argues that reflective finishes can take on colors from their surroundings, challenging the assumption that metallic surfaces will always make a room feel cold.
The proposal is not simply to paint rooms gray or add a few silver ornaments. Livingetc describes silver through its material finish and reflectivity: examples include stainless-steel sideboards and cabinetry, chrome lamps and vases, and silver-toned surfaces. The distinction matters because silver shares gray’s general tonal range but adds a lustrous, shifting surface.
Berchtold says silver-toned finishes catch and frame light and borrow color from nearby materials as conditions change through the day. In the report, she describes the finish as something that can be treated as an architectural material or a source of light, rather than as a fixed color. That is a designer’s interpretation, not a measured finding about how every room will appear.
Livingetc also points to a broad range of applications, from hardware and specific architectural details in kitchens and bathrooms to larger surfaces. It cites a kitchen in Studio Tutto Bene’s Milan pied-à-terre, which Berchtold says is covered in silver leaf. She describes its reflections as helping the kitchen recede visually while giving it the presence of a jewel. The report does not provide project measurements or independent assessments of the effect.
Silver’s Role Beyond Small Accents
The shift matters to readers considering metal finishes because it presents silver as a palette-building option, not only a functional choice for taps, appliances or hardware. A reflective surface may echo colors already in a room, allowing it to connect a metal detail with wood, paint, textiles or stone. That can make a finish feel integrated rather than like an isolated accent.
The report’s examples also suggest different ways to use the material. Against warm wood and earthy colors, chrome can create a crisp contrast; alongside stone or cooler tones, it can reinforce a more tonal atmosphere. Berchtold specifically favors pairing silver with green. These are design recommendations, not guarantees: the final effect will depend on the finish, surrounding colors, amount of metal and available light.
For homeowners, the practical implication is that the choice need not be between an all-silver interior and avoiding the material altogether. Silver can appear in a single lamp or handle, or across cabinetry and a bar. The report favors more confident applications, but offers no cost comparisons, durability analysis or evidence that one scale of use is better for every home.
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From Gray Hue to Reflective Finish
Silver is often grouped with gray because of its color, but the report’s central distinction is its metallic sheen. Where a matte gray surface generally reads as a stable color, chrome or stainless steel reflects its surroundings. In practice, those finishes may show nearby light, paint and objects, so their appearance can vary by location and time of day.
Livingetc places the trend in the setting of contemporary interiors, where designers more often use stainless steel, brushed metals and chrome than solid-silver decorative details. Berchtold contrasts silver’s association with the old world with chrome’s sense of a future-facing material, while saying that both appeal through their shine. The article also offers combinations rather than a single formula: green with silver, black and silver, and metal paired with warm wood or stone.
“Silver-toned metallic finishes catch the light and frame it. It also borrows color from its surroundings, shifting through the day.”
— Felizia Berchtold, director and designer at Studio Tutto Bene, as quoted by Livingetc
How Silver Will Read at Home
The report does not establish how widely designers or homeowners are adopting silver, or provide survey data, sales figures or a comparison with other interior finishes. Its description of silver as a current design focus is editorial trend coverage, not evidence of a measured industry-wide shift.
It is also not possible to predict from the supplied examples alone whether silver will feel warm, cold or visually dominant in a particular home. The outcome can depend on lighting, finish, surface area and neighboring materials. Livingetc does not give technical guidance on maintenance, cost, fingerprints or how different metal finishes age, and it does not compare chrome with stainless steel in those respects.
Testing the Finish in Real Rooms
The next step for anyone considering the look is to judge a specific finish in the room where it will be used, alongside the actual paint, wood, stone and textiles. Because the report says silver reflects its surroundings, a sample seen under one light condition may not represent how it will look throughout the day. Comparing finishes in place can help clarify whether a small detail or a larger surface suits the space.
Livingetc’s report offers design examples and Berchtold’s perspective, but it does not announce a product launch or a formal industry forecast with a published timetable. Further evidence of the trend’s reach would require later reporting on projects, designer choices or consumer demand. For now, the confirmed development is the publication’s feature positioning silver-toned metal as an adaptable interior finish, with its broader popularity still unquantified.
Key Questions
What does Livingetc mean by silver as a neutral?
It refers mainly to reflective silver-toned materials, such as chrome, stainless steel and brushed metal, rather than silver-gray paint. The report presents these finishes as able to echo colors and light around them.
Does silver always make a room feel cold?
No universal result is established. Designer Felizia Berchtold says silver can take on warmth from its surroundings, but the effect will depend on the finish, lighting and nearby materials.
What colors does the report suggest pairing with silver?
Berchtold recommends green with silver. The report also discusses silver alongside warm wood, stone, black and white, with pairings creating either contrast or a more tonal look.
Where can silver finishes be used?
The examples range from hardware and accessories in kitchens and bathrooms to cabinetry, sideboards and larger surfaces. Livingetc describes both small details and more extensive applications, including a silver-leaf kitchen.
Source: livingetc.com
