I have a hard time visualizing, so I always held up samples to choose finishes. After the cabs, counter, sink and faucet were installed, I bought two pendants in different finishes at Home Depot. I held them up over the sink, decided which color I liked better, and returned them. Then I ordered the one I wanted from an on-line place. (Had Home Depot or any other store in town actually had the one I wanted, I would have bought it there, but they didn't.) I also used paper plates made into cones - some people use balloons - to determine how big the pendants should be. I'd already narrowed down my choices before the cabs went in, so it was easy to make the final choice and order.

Since my pendants hang between cabs, what made the difference was how the pendant went with the cab color rather than whether it matched anything else in the room, although it does match the cab hardware.

Interesting question, my kitchen cabinets are a rich, fairly dark walnut and the island is painted light olive green. I have few uppers, just a hutch and the fridge. The appliances are all stainless, the faucet is brushed nickel and all along I had assumed I would go with brushed nickel lighting, because it would match.
In the end though, it didn't feel right, it felt kind of cold. And, it also attracted too much attention. I have 4 sconces as well as a large island light, so the lighting is a significant part of the design. What did work, was fixtures with a black finish.The sconces are matte black and the island light is antique black. The black doesn't pull your eye the way the brushed nickel seemed to, at least it seemed to in my space. My space is slightly complicated /busy though so that may make a difference. It is a post and beam home with exposed ceiling beams and corner posts which feature fairly predominately in the kitchen. That architectural detail already requires visual attention and is order to prevent a busy feeling I like most other elements to recede.
I guess what I am saying is that it can be more complicated then what matches. Certainly using the bronze element from your shelving unit may be a warmer choice. In order to help me in my decision making process, I purchased a lot of lights from big box stores, they were never really lights I was considering, just lights that had an aspect I was considering that I used for 'try out" purposes; white glass v clear, chain v rod, different finishes, different shapes.....I was surprised how certain features, like glass shape, which I thought didn't make a huge difference, produced visceral responses when demoed in our kitchen