Gold & Brass Lighting

Gold and brass lighting buying guide

This page gathers lights in a gold or brass finish: wall lights and vanity bars, pendants and weatherproof lights for outdoor walls. Gold and brass are warm metal finishes, and the names are not standardised, so the same word can describe quite different results. Below you will find how the finish names in this range relate to the metal underneath, how to mix these metals with others, which fittings suit a bathroom or an outdoor wall and how to care for the finish.

Finish names in this range

This range uses several finish names. Telbix has antique gold, antique brass, natural brass, brass and gold, and Eglo has brushed brass on the Palmera, while the Cafe Lighting Zara is in brass. The main families are these. Bronze is the darkest, a deep brown or smoky tone. Antique brass is a muted golden-brown with a time-worn look, and brass is a bright, clear warm gold. Brushed brass has a fine linear texture that softens the shine. Finishes vary between brands, and even within one brand's range, so treat each name as a description of that maker's version.

The names do not tell you what the fitting is made of. Brushed is a surface treatment and tells you nothing about the material. Brushed brass does not prove a product is solid brass, because it may be plated or simply brass-coloured, and brushed gold is usually a colour name. Brass lights come as solid brass, cast brass or brass-coloured metal, and each has a different character, while steel fixtures with brass or gold finishes have a golden tone meant to look vintage and aged.

So read the construction line in the specification. In this range, the gold and brass finishes sit on iron, aluminium, glass and 316 stainless steel. The Telbix Arvin and Gilson vanity bars in antique gold are aluminium, and the Perron pendant in antique gold is iron. The Riven and Moreno wall lights in antique gold are iron and glass. The Penros and Walsh outdoor lights in antique and natural brass are 316 stainless steel. The Eglo Palmera in brushed brass is steel and glass, and the Cafe Lighting Zara has a plated brass frame. The Telbix Cantena pendant in antique brass is the one fitting built from brass, with glass. For the others, the patina behaviour of solid brass is not what to expect from a coated finish, and the specification is the place to check.

Mixing gold and brass with other metals

Wall lights need not match the ceiling fixtures exactly, and mixed metals create a collected look as long as one finish repeats across two or three fittings, so there is a thread of continuity. Repeating one specified finish across cabinet fronts gives a calmer scheme, while other metals can sit in the lighting or plumbing. For the tapware, see brushed brass taps and gold taps, and for contrast within lighting, see black lighting and chrome lighting.

Gold and brass lights for a bathroom

Brass bathroom lights and vanity lights are a large part of the interest in this finish, so the rating matters. Bathroom wet zones follow AS/NZS 3000, and IP44 or higher suits a humid room, with the zone above a bath or shower at IPX4 or stricter. The range here includes several IP44 fittings in gold and brass finishes. The Arvin and Gilson vanity bars in antique gold, the Chaska in gold, the Eterna wall lights in antique gold with clear or opal glass and the Eglo Palmera in brushed brass are all IP44. The Palmera's rating allows placement around the vanity.

The IP20 fittings in gold and brass, such as the Riven, Garot and Monte wall lights, are for dry rooms like a bedroom or hallway. A vanity light should also be at the right height, about 1650mm from the floor at face height, or 165 to 178cm. The bathroom lighting page covers the zones and the mirror placement in full.

Gold and brass lights outdoors

Outdoors, brass and gold finishes face weather and, near the sea, salt. An IP rating does not measure salt resistance, and solid brass, concrete or 316 stainless steel suit homes within about 5km of the ocean. The Penros and Walsh lights in antique and natural brass are IP65 and 316 stainless steel, and the Penros suits rain and coastal environments. The Telbix Sarnel in brass is IP54 aluminium, and the Fonseca in antique gold is aluminium and glass for exterior walls and covered outdoor areas. The rating should match the exposure, and the outdoor lighting page is the guide.

Sizes and light output of the gold wall lights

The gold and brass wall lights vary a lot in scale, and the specifications give the numbers. The Telbix Eterna is 16.5cm wide, in one light at 30cm high and two light at 37cm, with a glass shade in clear or opal matte and an E27 globe. The Riven 2 is about 14cm wide and 36cm high with a pair of glass shades on a classic two light bracket, and its textured ribbed glass softens and diffuses the light. The Garot is slim, about 9cm wide and 45cm high, and the Monte is a three light wall light about 17cm wide and 42cm high on E14 globes. The Moran has four G9 globes in a compact body about 13.5cm wide and 17.5cm high.

The integrated LED gold lights are smaller sources. The Zonder is 5W and about 360 lumens at 3000K, 25cm wide and 31cm high. The Milazo 2 is about 280 lumens and 3000K, and the Joshua about 250 lumens. For a reference point, about 800 lumens matches an old 60W bulb. A decorative gold wall light at 250 to 360 lumens is therefore a feature light and accent source, not a main light, and few wall lights are bright enough to light a room alone.

Globes inside gold and brass fittings

The glass and open styles show the globe, so the globe is part of the look. Match the shape to the fitting: G95 or ST64 for exposed globes where the filament shows, A60 for globes hidden behind a shade, and GU10 reflectors for directional light. The Eterna takes a fancy round E27 globe sold separately, which is made to be seen through clear glass. Opal glass diffuses the light and hides the globe, and a clear shade shows it, so the same fitting can look quite different by choice of shade. Compare the groups at opal glass lights and amber glass lighting, and see light bulbs and globes for the globes themselves.

The dimming follows the globe. On the globe-based fittings here, dimming depends on the globe, and the integrated LED lights are mostly not dimmable. Match the fitting, the light source and the dimming technology before ordering, and choose a dimmer rating that comfortably exceeds the total wattage on the circuit.

Fittings by room

Wall lights above or beside bedside tables free up the table, a light each side of a bathroom mirror gives even light, and wall lights or spotlights pick out artwork in a living room, with warm white bulbs in living areas. Gold and brass fittings suit all three jobs. In the bedroom, an antique gold wall light with a glass shade gives warm accent light. At the bathroom mirror, the IP44 vanity bars and the Eterna do the work. In the living room, the Moran, Monte or Riven on a feature wall give accent light. The wall lights page gives the mounting heights and spacing.

Pendants and wall lights

The pendants in this finish include the Perron in antique gold, the Lang cord set in antique brass and the Cafe Lighting Zara in brass with glass rods over a plated brass frame. The wall lights include the Eterna, Riven, Garot, Monte, Bobo and Moreno families. For heights and spacing, see pendant lights and wall lights, which give the sourced figures. Gold and brass fittings with glass shades also pair well with the glass groups: see opal glass lights and amber glass lighting.

Caring for the finish

Care for brass is simple. Clean it with mild soap, warm water and a soft cloth, avoid harsh cleaners and abrasive tools that can damage the patina, dust regularly, and limit excess moisture and fingerprints. Dust with a soft dry cloth and avoid acidic products, alcohol-based sprays, abrasive pads and strong polishing creams unless the product instructions allow them. Clean brushed brass gently and along the grain. Do not polish antique or darker finishes back to bright gold, because the deeper colour is part of the finish. Follow the maker's care instructions for the specific finish, and do not assume a brass polish suits a gold-labelled piece.

Slight variation across a piece is normal. Brushed finishes can look different depending on the direction of the grain, and antique and bronze finishes can shift with the shape of the metal and the light. That variation is not a flaw.

Installing gold and brass lights

A hardwired light in Australia needs a licensed electrician. Anything tied into fixed 240V wiring is licensed electrical work, and the Telbix fittings are for installation by a licensed electrician only. The IP rating, the globe type and whether a globe is included are part of each product's details, so read those lines before a finish is chosen.

A short way to choose

The finish is judged from samples and photos in daylight and evening light, and the buyer decides whether the metal is the dominant one in the room or an accent. The construction line shows what the finish sits on. The IP rating follows the room: IP44 or higher for a bathroom, IP65 for outdoor walls and 316 stainless steel near the sea. Keep the colour temperature warm and the same across the room, and follow the care advice for the finish.

For other makers and types, see Eglo lighting and the wider lighting collection.