Copper Toned

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Copper is coming back.

Given the rise of earth tones, rustic finishes and natural materials in the modern home, it makes perfect sense.

There are, of course, different ways to approach this ancient yet modern metal.

In its most recognizable form, it’s a shiny orange-pink metal so bright you can practically see your reflection it on pots and pans, range hoods and countertops.

Then there’s the more dynamic copper, transformed by heat, chemicals or the outdoors.

One of the hottest copper hues on the horizon, of course, is chocolate brown, thanks to the growing popularity of darker finishes such as oil-rubbed bronze.

“Copper is going to become mainstream,” said Paul Sacco, owner and founder of Dallas-based Copperhead Sinks. “People are becoming more and more attracted to the finish. Our sales have quadrupled in the last 12 months.”

Though shiny copper can be used to great effect in the home, Sacco said darker copper finishes are the wave of the future because they typically require less maintenance.

While a shiny copper sink might need polishing every day to maintain its look, darker, artfully oxidized copper is rustic and practically maintenance free. In fact, you shouldn’t use anything on it except a clear liquid soap and water.

“One of the major misconceptions about copper sinks is that they will turn green,” Sacco said. “Copper sinks in a residential application will consistently turn darker brown, like a penny in your pocket.”

Using copper outdoors, however, is another matter, of course. Weathering caused by the elements, including sulfur, will usually give untreated copper a green patina in fewer than 10 years.

Laura Coulter, manager at the Keller Supply showroom in Redmond, recommends dark-copper sinks for powder rooms.

She doesn’t suggest them for kitchens or master bath vanities because, after they’re installed, they will continue to darken in response to use, chemicals and household products.

“Antique copper patinas are living,” she said, adding that if you have a leaky faucet, copper will respond by darkening more dramatically under the drip. “It will become splotchy. It’s never going to stay a standard finish, and it’s not going to patina the same way all around the sink.” Matching faucet fixtures will weather in the same way.

Such an unpredictable nature is quite desirable, Coulter said, for people drawn to the one-of-a-kind look of copper sinks, typically made of spun, hand-hammered copper.

“There are coatings that you can apply to it, but the beauty of the copper sink is that it will patina and it will become your personal sink,” she said. “It gets back to that nature-formed, organic feel.”

Reporter Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037 or sjackson@ heraldnet.com.

Resources

Keller Supply: 18317 NE 76th St., Redmond, 425-885-4736; www.kellysupply.com. Multiple copper sinks on display.

Larry’s Plumbing Supplies: 15325 Highway 99, Lynnwood; 425-742-6880; www. larrysplumbingandsupplies.com. Can special order copper sinks.

Oregon Copper Bowl Co.: 541-485-9845, www.oregoncopperbowl.com.

Copperhead Sinks: 866-385-7065; www.coppersinksdirect.com or www.copperheadsinks.com.

Native Trails: 805-546-8544; www.nativetrails.net.

Stone Forest: 888-682 2987; www.stoneforest.com.