Just as people add jewelry to their outfits to give them some sparkle, hardware offers pizzazz to home remodeling projects – it’s the jewelry of kitchen and bath design. The choices for hardware have never been as fabulous and wide ranging as they are today. From oil rubbed bronze to slick polished nickel to warm honey-toned brass, to leather and crystal, hardware comes in many shapes, sizes and types. While hardware is just one small detail in the design process, it can make a large impact.

There are two basic types of hardware: knobs and pulls. Pulls tend to be used on drawers because they give better grip. We generally use pulls on drawers and knobs on doors but we often do pulls on cabinet doors, too.

Don’t just consider how the hardware will look in your space, also consider how it will feel in your hand. Will it function as well as it looks? Think about the places you will use the hardware: drawers and cabinet doors. How do the cabinet doors open?

The size of doors and drawers impacts which hardware you choose and if you use two pulls or one long pull per drawer. Hardware comes in multiple sizes, including matching appliance pulls for integrated appliances. The KV team will match the right size hardware to the right size door and drawer. We often buy various sizes for a kitchen, making the function as important as the aesthetic. Read more about cabinet styles in an earlier blog post.

Hardware style guide

The most critical consideration is matching your hardware to your design aesthetic. You wouldn’t put rococo knobs on a modern slab door.  

Modern – Tends to be highly geometric and linear with squares, tubular and rectangular profiles. Examples of finishes would be aluminum, chrome, matte black, satin nickel, acrylic, integrated handles, tab hardware (small pieces of hardware that you can barely see). Read more about modern styles without hardware below.

Transitional – Transitional hardware does not have as many flourishes as traditional hardware but is not as linear as modern hardware. Think of pulls with soft curves and no relief patterns. Examples of finishes would be black matte, oil rubbed bronze, pewter, satin gold, ash gray, leather, wood.

Traditional – Look for more flourishes in the design of traditional hardware. Profiles of knobs and pulls might have intricate carvings and patterns. Traditional hardware may also have patinas that make the hardware look antique. Examples of finishes would be antique pewter, crystal, oil rubbed bronze, satin brass, copper, bronzes.

No hardware option

Never liked the look of hardware? No worries. Many cabinets today have magnetic closures that do not need hardware – when you press them, they open. There are cabinet makers who include built-in channel hardware for opening drawers, too. Even in a traditional home, when we design built-ins, we try to make those cabinets with touch openings. Some cabinets open electronically for lifts, pneumatically, or magnetically. 

Work with a kitchen and bath designer

Let your professional kitchen and bath designer purchase your hardware. Remember that there are a lot of materials in a kitchen from the cabinetry to the countertops, appliances and lighting. It is important that the hardware fits in so everything blends. The KV team is trained to know the right proportions and solutions. While we can procure any hardware, we often work with Top Knobs, Berenson Hardware, Shaub, and Amerock. Time to remodel your kitchen or bath? Let us guide you.