How to choose kitchen cabinet hardware to match decor
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Are you looking to elevate the style and functionality of your kitchen? Choosing the right cabinet hardware can make a world of difference. Today I am sharing a crash course in how to choose kitchen cabinet hardware that will help narrow down design preferences and create a cohesive look.
If you have been following our kitchen renovation, you know that we painted our dark kitchen cabinets, replaced the granite countertops and installed new cabinet hardware. When I tell you my head almost popped off trying to choose the right hardware, I am not exaggerating.
Let’s dive into the different metals, finishes and hardware sizes when adding new cabinet hardware.
Kitchen Cabinet Hardware Ideas
When it comes to kitchen cabinet hardware, there is a wide variety of options to choose from – hence my overwhelm during our kitchen renovation!
For our kitchen renovation, we decided to update our existing kitchen cabinets and paint them gray. Painted kitchen cabinets will save a lot of money!
How Do I Choose The Right Size Hardware For My Kitchen Cabinets
For our kitchen renovation, we picked extra long stainless steel cabinet pulls to create a sophisticated contemporary feel.
I ordered cabinet pulls that were roughly half the length of the cabinet door or drawer.
You will notice that the very upper cabinets are 14″ doors so I ordered 7″ cabinet pulls.
Many of the doors were 30 inches which meant I ordered 15″ cabinet pulls.
For the larger 50″ cabinet doors on either side of the cooktop, I custom ordered 25″ appliance pulls to create a cohesive look throughout the kitchen.
Jess, where are your countertops from?
Our new countertops are from Discover Surfaces and they are beautiful! They are Cosmos Calcutta Marcella and Discover has everything on-site from sales, fabrication and service install!
You can shop all of our kitchen cabinet hardware in this post below at our Amazon Storefront.
SHOP OUR HOMES: Pssst…. did you know we have an Amazon Storefront now (read that post here)? You can shop all of our home decor & so much more! It doesn’t cost you any more or less money to shop from our Amazon Store 🙂 Any commissions we make, are paid by the brand and they help pay for monthly fees to keep the blog up and running 😀.
Stainless Steel Bar Pulls
Stainless Steel Pull Features:
- Modern update – transitional appeal that add a sleek minimalist look to a kitchen
- Custom functionality – bar pulls add a custom look to a kitchen and provide a comfortable grip
- Designer aesthetic – come in a variety of styles and lengths
Our kitchen cabinets are over 20 years old and we wanted to modernize the design so we opted for a slim lined, sleek and contemporary stainless steel cabinet bar pulls for all of the cabinet doors and drawers. hardware options add a touch of modernity and work well with flat-panel or slab-style cabinets.
Bar Pull or Handle
I personally like the look of cabinet bar pulls with white or light gray kitchen cabinets with white marble or quartz countertops.
Cabinet Knob
Cabinet knob features:
- versatile – they come in a variety of metals, sizes and finishes
- affordable – popular amongst DIY enthusiasts and are very budget friendly
- Easy installation – they require one drilled hole making them quick to install
- Space saving – Great for smaller kitchens or spaces as they don’t take up a lot of space
Cabinet knobs can be added on top cabinets or lower providing a traditional look.
I love Rejuvenation but sometimes their prices are a little bit for the budget but they have a great designer collection, especially in soft gold or brass. The above image features their contemporary sleek design, Perles Cabinet knob (click here) and pull (click here) which are gorgeous.
Ultimately, kitchen cabinet hardware choices come down to style and budget.
Here is a picture below from Rejuvenation of a soft brass cabinet pull and knob (see here). Isn’t it beautiful? I love it!
Rejuvenation is a great site to get designer ideas and inspiration. I personally shop them for ideas and then try to find something similar on Amazon or Wayfair. 🤷♀️. They are a little too expensive for my budget but they have unique styles and designs which is fun to look at and get ideas.
Cabinet Hardware Tips
1. Don’t be afraid to use all cabinet pulls and eliminate the top knobs all together to create a contemporary and modern look.
2. Get creative and consider top knobs on upper cabinets and cabinet pulls on lower cabinets.
It helps to draw your cabinet layout on paper and then using a pencil, draw in knobs and pulls in various layouts to see what you like.
How to Choose Cabinet Hardware
The first step when choosing kitchen cabinet hardware is to determine the style and finish you want. Some key elements to consider is the style of your house, cabinet colors and style of your kitchen. Is your kitchen modern, farmhouse or a combination of both?
Or is your kitchen more classic and traditional, contemporary or rustic?
Are you cabinets light or dark? Various nickel finishes, crystal, stainless steel or even matte black cabinet hardware typically coordinate well with darker cabinets depending on shade of color.
All of these design components play a role when choosing kitchen cabinet hardware.
I personally am loving the latest trend of soft gold or brass kitchen cabinet hardware. Soft gold or gold finish in general is definitely in a niche category and not for everyone. I am also a fan of mixing finishes as well. Popular cabinet hardware finishes are typically oil rubbed bronze, satin nickel or brushed, gold or brass or chrome.
White Cabinets Black Hardware
The popularity of white kitchen cabinets with black hardware can be attributed to the classic contrast, versatility, timeless appeal, easy coordination, contemporary aesthetics, and the ability to create a bold accent and visual interest in the kitchen.
Our lake house kitchen recently went through a major remodel (you can see the post here where we removed all the old cabinets and rehung the upper cabinets them PLUS added new wall of cabinets) and the black kitchen cabinet knobs and black 3.75″ cabinet pulls on the drawers which coordinated perfectly with the overall modern theme we were going after.
Our lake house kitchen hardware:
Click through this post, “kitchen remodel on a budget” to see the before and after.
Simple, clean and classic! The cabinet knobs are kind of in between a knob and a cabinet pull. You can buy the knobs here and the pulls here.
There is distinct style difference between the longer cabinet pulls that I showed you earlier in our kitchen renovation vs these knobs in our lake house.
Mixing Knobs and Pulls on Kitchen Cabinets
Remodeling a kitchen can be overwhelming and figuring out how to choose kitchen cabinet hardware to match decor can be a daunting process.
Most of the time, you can find designer cabinet hardware or similar on Amazon (see my new Amazon Storefront). I literally will search designer sites to get the brand name and style of the cabinet hardware and then search on Amazon and the majority of the time, I find the exact match or something very similar for a fraction of the cost. Take a little extra time and research pricing.
Our kitchen renovation below at our old house features white shaker kitchen cabinets with simple nickel arched cabinet drawer pulls and handles.
I opted to match our cabinet hardware with the faucet and lighting fixture finish. As you can see below, we mixed the knobs and pulls again on the kitchen island adding the pulls to the drawers and the knobs to the cabinets.
When I say finish, I mean the color. In this case, our faucet, lighting and cabinet hardware are all nickel finish. Brushed nickel finish cabinet hardware is transitional and classic.
A modern 5″ arch cabinet pull (like these) or handle on the bottom cabinets and a coordinating cabinet knob (like this one) on the upper cabinets is an easy, affordable way to add architectural interest to your kitchen cabinets and create a custom look on a budget.
What Color Hardware For White Kitchen Cabinets
In my opinion, any cabinet hardware will coordinate with white cabinetry. We have used all finishes except for gold and brass. Maybe that is why I want to try soft gold hardware.
Below is the modern farmhouse style kitchen remodel at the split level house we recently remodeled featuring 5″ black cabinet pulls on the drawers and cabinet doors.
We bought these these cabinet pulls.
White kitchen cabinets with black hardware also provides a classic and dramatic contrast.
Knobs or Pulls on Shaker Cabinets
Choosing kitchen cabinet hardware to match decor is totally a matter of preference. Knobs will typically be cheaper than pulls and much quicker to install. There are no specific rules on which one so why not try both!
Meet Jessica
What started as a hobby, Jessica’s blog now has millions of people visit yearly and while many of the projects and posts look and sound perfect, life hasn’t always been easy. Read Jessica’s story and how overcoming death, divorce and dementia was one of her biggest life lessons to date.
Love your work!
thank you Kim!