Eight finishes, every one applied by hand at a bench in our Nashville workshop. We start with solid brass and take it somewhere — brushed, oxidized, burnished, plated, or powdercoated. Some finishes are sealed and stay exactly where we leave them. Others are alive, and the room finishes the job.
Solid brass, hand-brushed to a fine linear grain with medium reflectivity. The tone is a warm yellow with natural variation in brush direction and pressure — the hand that brushed it is visible if you look. Unlacquered, so it patinas with exposure and handling. This is the finish doing what brass does.
| Process | Hand-brushed solid brass |
|---|---|
| Sheen | Medium — fine linear grain |
| Sealed | No — unlacquered |
| Over time | Darkens and deepens with handling and air |
Solid brass, chemically darkened, then lightly brushed back to reveal depth and variation. It's the most varied finish we make — no two pieces land in quite the same place, which is the point. Left unlacquered, it keeps deepening in color and gaining tonal range for years.
| Process | Oxidized, then hand-brushed |
|---|---|
| Sheen | Low, with high tonal variation |
| Sealed | No — unlacquered |
| Over time | Continues to deepen; variation increases |
Solid brass darkened to a deep brown base, then hand-brushed on select surfaces so subtle bronze highlights come through. Low sheen, visible variation, and sealed — so the color you approve is the color that stays on the wall.
| Process | Oxidized to deep brown, brushed highlights |
|---|---|
| Sheen | Low |
| Sealed | Yes — color stabilized |
| Over time | Minimal change |
Solid brass chemically blackened, then hand-burnished to a glossy black with the metal grain and brush marks still showing through. It reads black across the room and brass up close. Subtle variation is inherent to the process; the seal keeps it where we left it.
| Process | Blackened, then hand-burnished |
|---|---|
| Sheen | Gloss, with visible grain |
| Sealed | Yes — color stabilized |
| Over time | Minimal change |
Solid brass sandblasted to a uniform satin texture, then nickel plated. The result is a soft, silvery gray with low reflectivity and consistent tone. Sealed for durability and color stability.
| Process | Sandblasted, then nickel plated |
|---|---|
| Sheen | Satin — low reflectivity |
| Sealed | Yes |
| Over time | Stable |
Solid brass plated with nickel, then lightly finished to a smooth, glossy metallic surface. We leave it unlacquered because it doesn't need the help — nickel is naturally resistant to oxidation and change. It will stay the same.
| Process | Nickel plated, lightly finished |
|---|---|
| Sheen | Gloss |
| Sealed | No — unlacquered |
| Over time | No change — naturally oxidation-resistant |
A low-gloss powdercoat. Uniform, matte, minimal reflectivity, consistent color — and tough. No patina, no drift, no surprises. When the drawing says black, this is black.
| Process | Powdercoat |
|---|---|
| Sheen | Matte |
| Sealed | N/A — coating is the surface |
| Over time | No expected change; highly durable |
A satin powdercoat over solid brass components. Smooth, low-sheen, even coverage, consistent color. Especially durable and completely stable — it will not patina or change over time. The right call when the fixture should disappear into the architecture.
| Process | Powdercoat over solid brass |
|---|---|
| Sheen | Satin |
| Sealed | N/A — coating is the surface |
| Over time | No change; especially durable |
Flat black and satin white are the standards, but powdercoat doesn't stop there — we can match any color in the RAL Classic book, more than two hundred of them. Browse the book below, try a color on a shade, and send us the number when you find it.
The Oculaire collection swaps powdercoat for glass — globes hand-blown in ten colors, no two pulled exactly alike. Five run transparent and glow with the bulb; five are opaque and hold their color lit or dark. Order the ones you're weighing and set them in the room before you commit.
Each sample is a disc of the actual production glass — color and clarity shift slightly from piece to piece, which is the nature of blowing glass by hand. Samples ship from Nashville.
Screens lie about metal. All eight finishes, applied by hand to actual brass — the same material, the same bench, the same process as the fixture you'll spec. Hold them against the millwork, under the room's own light, and decide there.
Trade members get project pricing, finish samples, and straight answers on lead times — six to eight weeks on the standard catalog, quoted honestly up front if a modification runs longer. Most fixtures in the line are available in any finish on this page.
