Which cabinet hardware is right for my kitchen or bathroom? Here’s a roundup post of all my best advice for choosing the right hardware for your home!
One of the most frequent questions I get is about hardware. There are so many choices and even though it seems like an easy decision, the cabinet hardware you choose will either MAKE OR BREAK your kitchen or bathroom design.
Here are some of my best blog posts on the topic to help guide you.
Warning: Please don’t read this post if you have already finished your reno or new build. 😬 You may not notice if it’s wrong already, but once I point it out, you won’t be able to unsee it ever again.
→ Designing a Kitchen? Lighting & Hardware is Everything
First, before we get started, whatever you do, avoid this pull (below). It comes in 18 different sizes and every kitchen cabinet maker slaps it on every single door and drawer no matter what the style of the kitchen which is the worst part.
This pull belongs only on a flat slab cabinet and if you’re going to use it, it should be installed like this:
In kitchens for clients locally and via eDesign, with my Create a Classic Kitchen Package, I always specify a combination of knobs and pulls:
→ Less is more for Kitchen & Bath Hardware
But if all else fails and you are tired of making decisions for your renovation, do this instead.
And since all black finishes soon become harsh, flat and predictable, mixing metals is big, as it should be. Don’t miss this post about how to do it:
→ Is Brass Out? How to Mix Metals like a Pro
Here’s another post I wrote about a reader who sent in a good before and after where she mixed metals just right:
→ 5 Kitchen Design Details that Matter; Before & After
And, the biggest mistake a lot of people are making right now is simply choosing black for everything in the bathroom.
And the final post in this round up that also includes more hardware advice is, 6 Common Mistakes new Decorators Make.
Basically a good rule of thumb is to keep your faucets and plumbing fixtures in chrome or polished nickel and then add the second metal and make sure it’s repeated twice. Yes brass is technically being replaced by the world of silver once again but I think because it wasn’t the shiny brass of the 80s, it will stick around as a timeless finish.
Oh and one more note. There’s a great tutorial, not mine, but by Abby Lawson, on how to correctly install hardware: Kitchen Hardware Installation
I love you and I want you to have a home you’ll love forever!
Thanks for reading this blog and remember if you’ve already made some of these mistakes, start styling and they will not be as noticeable.
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Ah ha moment: “Your ‘subtraction’ method of selecting colors. Using wheel to i.d. undertones which eliminates So. Many. Colors.” – Beth
“As a trained, educated professional… they do not teach this! Designers need this… Design schools need this!” – Kylie
“Game changer – comparing & really seeing the undertones simplifies the entire process! I think as designers we tend to overthink things. You just made it easy to understand in a way that makes sense. As a designer I’m going to be more confident and not second guess myself after this course.“ – Stacey
Related posts:
How to Decorate with Black and How Not to Decorate with it
I think the modern-looking, Ikea-like pulls look fine, but I hate it when my clothes get caught on the ends.
I have a traditional style pull/knob combo in my own kitchen. I can imagine that some people with mobility issues like arthritis might need all pulls.
Pulls can look great on your cabinets as long as you don’t pick ones that are too long and too much of a contrast (ie black or dark bronze pulls on a white cabinet). All knobs gets very busy looking and just looks like dots everywhere. I do like a mix of pulls and knobs.
I’m noticing a lot of all black hardware and lighting in new builds in my area. Awful! Why not keep it simply and pick ones that will appeal to all in and stick to chrome or polished nickel?
I clicked on the link to Abby Lawson. Please don’t install IKEA cabinets if you have children at home. They simply won’t hold up. My daughter put them in her home during a renovation and they destroy easy. They looked nice to begin with but over the past eight years some have discoloured and two doors are off their hinges from teenagers hanging on looking for “something good to eat”.
I agree about those pulls… although I think they are fine on shaker cabinets, or anything fairly simple and contemporary looking. They do not belong on a traditional style cabinet. I had them in my last house with shaker cabinets and also hated the little ends getting caught on my pockets or whatever. I’m 5’3″ so if you are taller or shorter, you might not have that issue. But I’m looking for hardware for my current house (traditional style cabinets that I had painted white) and I will definitely not be using those, or any design that has ends that can get caught on my pockets. I’m using knobs on cabinet doors and pulls on drawers, but my cabinet doors are all high or low enough that they won’t catch on my pockets. I do wish there was more info on mixing metals in the kitchen. The bathroom provides a couple of areas to repeat plumbing, but a smaller kitchen only has a faucet… so do I do gold hardware and lighting when I have stainless appliances and polished nickel faucet? Or do I need to repeat the polished nickel somewhere? I don’t feel like I get an answer to this in the various posts about mixing hardware. They seem to focus on bathroom.
I agree about those pulls… although I think they are fine on shaker cabinets, or anything fairly simple and contemporary looking. They do not belong on a traditional style cabinet. I had them in my last house with shaker cabinets and also hated the little ends getting caught on my pockets or whatever. I’m 5’3″ so if you are taller or shorter, you might not have that issue. But I’m looking for hardware for my current house (traditional style cabinets that I had painted white) and I will definitely not be using those, or any design that has ends that can get caught on my pockets. I’m using knobs on cabinet doors and pulls on drawers, but my cabinet doors are all high or low enough that they won’t catch on my pockets.
I do wish there was more info on mixing metals in the kitchen. The bathroom provides a couple of areas to repeat plumbing, but a smaller kitchen only has a faucet… so do I do gold hardware and lighting when I have stainless appliances and polished nickel faucet? Or do I need to repeat the polished nickel somewhere? I don’t feel like I get an answer to this in the various posts about mixing hardware. They seem to focus on bathroom.
And bronze? Is it a dated choice at this point?