Most kitchens reach for black, white, or brushed nickel without a second thought, safe, proven, easy to picture in advance. Copper and anthracite sit slightly outside that comfort zone, which is exactly why they're worth a proper look. Here's what each one actually brings to a kitchen, and how to use them without the result feeling like a gamble.
Copper: Genuine Warmth With a Vintage Edge
Copper handles bring a distinctive warmth that neither brass nor gold quite matches, a richer, more reddish tone with real vintage character built in. Our Copper Handle & Knob Collection covers this finish across bar handles, cup handles, and knobs, while our Hampton Curved Handle, sold with a matching knob, offers a sleeker, more curved profile in the same warm copper tone.
Copper works best against warm, earthy cabinet colours, oak, walnut, terracotta-adjacent paint tones, or anywhere the kitchen is already leaning into a lived-in, layered feel. It's a poor match for very cool, clinical schemes, stark white gloss or icy blue-grey tends to fight copper's warmth rather than complement it. On our own site, copper is specifically shown pairing well with the Cavallo Kitchen Door in Sage Green, a rich, classic combination that puts the warmth of copper against a genuinely earthy cabinet colour.
Anthracite: A Genuine Alternative to Black
Anthracite sits in its own category, distinctly different from full black, closer to a deep, almost graphite grey with subtle undertones depending on the light. Our Anthracite Handle & Knob Collection offers this as a genuine alternative for anyone who finds matt black slightly too stark or graphic for their kitchen, and our Lined T-Shaped Handle is available specifically in Anthracite alongside Gold and Antique Brass, a good example of the same design read very differently depending on which of the three you choose.
Against light or neutral cabinetry, anthracite creates real definition without the harder edge black can bring, a quieter kind of contrast. On genuinely dark doors, the two tones sit close enough in depth that the handles become part of the overall colour story rather than a separate accent layer, which is where anthracite earns its reputation as an industrial kitchen's go-to for a warmer take on black. If your cabinetry itself is in a grey door colour, Dust Grey or Light Grey, Anthracite hardware is the natural pairing rather than trying to match the exact door tone.
Why These Colours Get Overlooked
Copper and anthracite rarely top a "most popular" list, and that's exactly the point for some kitchens. Popularity isn't the same as suitability, a colour used everywhere reads as safe but also unremarkable, while a less common finish, used with intention, genuinely lifts a kitchen above the expected. The risk people worry about, that an unusual colour will date quickly or clash with the rest of the room, is real but manageable, provided the colour is chosen to genuinely complement the cabinetry rather than picked purely because it's different.
Mixing Both Into the Same Kitchen
Copper and anthracite aren't mutually exclusive choices, they can genuinely work together within one kitchen, provided the split is deliberate rather than random. A common approach is anthracite as the dominant hardware finish across most of the kitchen, with copper reserved for a single feature, an island, a drinks cabinet, or a run of open shelving, so the warmer tone reads as a considered accent rather than competing for attention throughout. Keeping one finish clearly dominant, with the other used sparingly, is what stops a mixed-metal approach from looking accidental.
A Quick Way to Decide
- Want genuine warmth and a vintage-adjacent character: copper
- Want black's contemporary edge without the starkness: anthracite
- Kitchen already leans warm, timber, terracotta, oak: copper is the natural fit, especially against Sage Green cabinetry
- Kitchen is industrial or minimalist with grey or dark cabinetry: anthracite blends tonally rather than clashing
- Want a coordinated handle and knob in the same finish: Hampton and the wider Copper collection both offer matching sets
- Unsure which reads better in your own lighting: always order a physical sample, screen colours flatten metallic and matte finishes in different ways
Browse the full Handles, Pulls & Knobs range to compare copper and anthracite against our more common finishes side by side.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Will copper handles tarnish or change colour over time?
Copper finishes are typically lacquered to resist everyday tarnishing, a soft, slightly damp cloth during normal cleaning is enough to keep the tone consistent rather than letting it dull naturally with age.
2. Is anthracite too dark for a small kitchen?
Not inherently, since it's the hardware colour rather than the cabinetry itself, a small kitchen can absolutely carry anthracite handles against lighter cabinet colours without feeling closed in, the contrast can actually add definition to a smaller space.
3. Can I mix copper handles with black or anthracite fixtures elsewhere in the kitchen?
Yes, copper against a black or anthracite tap or lighting fixture is a genuinely common and successful pairing, the warmth of copper and the coolness of the darker finish complement each other rather than clashing.
4. Does the Hampton Curved Handle come with fixings included?
Yes, and it's supplied with a matching knob option, so you can coordinate the handle and knob in the same copper finish across doors and drawers.
5. Are these unusual colours more expensive than standard black or nickel handles?
Not inherently, pricing tends to vary more by the specific design and manufacturer than by which of these finishes is chosen, an unusual colour doesn't automatically carry a premium.
6. If I choose an unusual colour now, will I regret it if trends move on?
Both finishes are rooted in genuine material character, copper's warmth, anthracite's softened take on black, rather than a fleeting seasonal trend, which gives them more staying power than a purely decorative colour choice.
