While many homeowners may set their sights on cabinets, countertops, and flooring when creating a new kitchen, as designers we know it’s the little touches that bring it all together – like hardware. The right pulls, knobs, and handles can help set the vibe of an entire room.
But with so many options, choosing the perfect hardware for your project is daunting – and the reason why so many homeowners make a decision they wish they didn’t. Don’t stress about this design feature because we’re breaking the hardware selection process into smaller chunks to help you find the right picks for your space.
Start with Style
When choosing cabinet hardware you want to begin by determining your style, as your hardware choices should reflect your overall aesthetic. In the design world, we typically refer to four kitchen cabinet hardware styles: traditional, contemporary, transitional, and rustic. Opt for a hardware style that complements the rest of the room.
Think Type
Do you prefer handles, pulls, or knobs? Keep in mind that you don’t have to be locked into just one. You could use knobs on the drawers and handles on the cabinets, or pulls on the drawers and knobs on the cabinets. We recommend seeing how each piece feels in your hand and looks on the cabinets you selected. The walls of hardware and cabinet door samples in our showroom really help you hone in on what you do and don’t like.
Consider Scale and Position
Selecting the right scale of hardware is super important. A larger cabinet door or drawer needs a more substantial piece of hardware for both function and form. For traditional or transitional styles, a good rule of thumb is to opt for hardware that is about one-third the length of a drawer. Longer drawers may require more than one piece of hardware. If you have a more contemporary cabinet, long pulls work well. As for placement, we recommend you do your research and look at lots of images to see what catches your eye.
Pick a Material and Finish
Kitchen cabinet hardware is available in a variety of materials – such as brass, bronze, stainless steel, pewter, crystal, glass, and ceramic – and finishes, like polished, brushed, satin, matte, burnished, oil-rubbed, antique, and painted. Choose a material and finish that works with the other design features in the room, including your cabinets, appliances, and lighting fixtures. You don’t have to match everything, in fact we love to mix up finishes for a more interesting look.
Still sound too complicated? When in doubt, keep your hardware choices simple.
Looking for kitchen designers and cabinet dealers that will streamline the entire process for you? If you live in the Rockland County, New York area, stop by our showroom and speak with one of our designers. We’re passionate about designing kitchens that suit our clients’ styles and lifestyles.
