Tissino's Richard Eaton on the key brassware finish set to dominate in 2026

Richard Eaton, senior product development manager at Tissino, explores the rise of Brushed Nickel and what it means for bathroom design in the coming months.

If 2024 was the year of soft Brass and warm Bronze, the latter half of 2025 is already pointing towards a cooler, more understated shift. Brushed Nickel is fast emerging as the brassware finish of choice – and for good reason.

At Tissino, we have seen a marked uptick in interest for Brushed Nickel across taps, showers and accessories, not just as a trend-led alternative, but as a long-term design choice. Its appeal lies in its subtlety. It offers a clean, contemporary look without the stark reflectivity of chrome or the bolder visual weight of Matt Black. There is a timelessness to it that makes it easy to pair with both traditional and modern schemes. 

Why now?
Designers and homeowners alike are increasingly seeking finishes that add depth without dominating. Brushed Nickel delivers a soft, silvery warmth that doesn’t compete with other elements in the room. It works beautifully with natural materials, from marble-effect tiles to timber vanities, and offers a calming, tonal base for layered, tactile spaces.

It also bridges the gap between cool and warm palettes, which is where its real strength lies. It pairs just as effectively with ivory and oak as it does with slate or sand. For designers, that versatility opens up huge potential in schemes where cohesion is key but contrast is still welcome.

Styling with brushed nickel
The key to using Brushed Nickel well is consistency. That doesn’t just mean matching your basin mixer to your shower valve; it extends to hinges, handles, flush plates and towel bars too. Even small mismatches can be jarring in a well-designed space.

However, we can’t sugar coat it: it is extremely difficult to ensure that a finish matches across a whole product portfolio, and it is something we have taken huge time and effort to achieve. Even though a finish is called ‘Brushed Nickel’, it can have different tones and textures across categories. Our advice? Specify from the same manufacturer as much as possible. A good one will have invested in ensuring consistency not just within product ranges, but across them.

What Brushed Nickel is replacing
Brushed Nickel is becoming the go-to for those who may have previously leaned into Brass or Bronze, but now want something with a little more restraint. It is less trend-led than Matt Black and more nuanced than Chrome. For many homeowners, it feels like a sophisticated evolution, something they won’t tire of.

In our view, Brushed Nickel’s strength lies not in being the loudest finish in the room, but in offering quiet confidence. It is the kind of choice that doesn’t need constant reinvention, and that – more than anything – is what sets it apart for the years ahead.