So, I warned you that I would be a) writing one more post about our redone kitchen and b) asking for your help.

And I’m delivering on both threats promises today.

So, I’ve already made it clear that my kitchen brings me a lot of, well, this:


house24

But did you notice something missing?

hardware

How about now?

Yup, that’s right. My cabinets are completely devoid of hardware. Gasp!

They’ve been that way since the beginning, but the paint color was so dark before that it hid it pretty well.

Now, with their being all white and bright, I feel like they look a bit, well, naked without some kind of something to dress them up a bit.

Plus, the white definitely shows the smudges from dirty little fingers pulling on them more, and I’d love to minimize that as much as possible.

Shaun sort of thinks we should just leave well enough alone, but as my friend, Jolinda, pointed out, cabinet hardware is kind of like the jewelry that finishes off your outfit. And since I’m a girl and all, I’m all about that.

Problem is, I’m not sure which kind of jewelry, er, hardware I want to go with.

Confession: a lot of times when I do polls on the blog, I already have a direction I’m leaning. Sometimes, you guys sway me. Sometimes, even if the majority likes something different, I stick with my gut.

But this time? I genuinely do not know what kind of hardware I want on my cabinets. (Although I do know some kinds that I don’t want, so at least there’s that).

Which is where you guys come in.

Below are a few categories of hardware that I like and think would work, and I’d love it if you’d weigh in with your thoughts. But I’m also totally open to suggestions if you have something you think would work even better than my current options.

1) Whimsical

antique turquoise pull

I really like these pulls from Hobby Lobby. I actually fully intended to use them on my cabinets and bought out my local HL’s supply of them (they only had a few). They’re sturdy and fun, and with a 50% off sale (the only time I buy them), a great price for a metal pull.

BUT. After they didn’t restock, I tried to special order them multiple times, and after hauling my kids to Hobby Lobby to pick them up 3 times in a row and being told, “Golly gee. We don’t know what happened, but we can’t find them,” I got pretty fed up and decided to put the whole hardware business on the back burner.

I feel like I could still manage to track enough of them down, but maybe the whole being-hard-to-find thing is an indication that I shouldn’t even pursue this route. Especially since they don’t have exact matching knobs. (My, but they do look dreamy against the white).

2) Classic

silver cup pull2silver cup pull

I like both of these silver cup pulls (left and right). I mean, they’re pretty much the exact opposite of the funky turquoise ones, but I have a lot of stainless steel/silver finishes in my kitchen, so they would be a nice complement without being too flashy.

And since they’re so common, it wouldn’t be hard to find simple, coordinating silver knobs. They’d look crisp and clean against the white while adding still adding a bit o’ bling.

3) Classic with a Twist

scroll pull

Of course, I could also go with something that falls in between whimsy and tradition. These pulls are still simple while adding a bit of interest with the notched edges.

hammered knobs

And they’d look great with some hammered knobs like these.

4) DIY

And no, I don’t mean that I would literally make all of my own hardware (shudder). But it wouldn’t really be one of my posts if I didn’t have the option to DIY something. So, here’s the skinny. I bought some knobs/pulls, oh, years ago, fully intending to use them on our teal cabinets. I just never got around to it (although, I think my subconscious was holding me back by whisper-screaming, “Noooooo! Don’t put ORB hardware on dark cabinets!!!”).

diy knobs

I’m just really not into the whole oil rubbed bronze scene when everything else is so light and bright. But I am tempted to spray paint these the same color as I did my pantry door knob and then wax them to give them a bit of depth/durability. I realize that some of the paint would chip off, and I’m okay with that (although, I will say that the wax, which I used on the pantry knob, definitely helps to protect the paint).

It would give them a bit of the same vibe as option one (which has dark metal peeking through the turquoise) but without the hassle of having to track down matching knobs (or the rest of the pulls).

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

As far as what I don’t want…

I’m not interested in anything ultra-sleek or modern. And I guess you figured out that oil rubbed bronze it out. And, as much as I love vintage, I really don’t feel like that’s the direction I’ve gone with my kitchen, so that’s out too.

So, now that I’ve written entirely too many words about cabinet knobs, it’s time for you to tell me what you think.

Which option should I choose?

hardware collage

…with the last obvious option being, “none of the above; choose this one instead.”

47 Comments

  1. Haha! It’s amazing that this zoo can help you make up your mind! I guess “They” say that most of us have our minds made up, we just don’t know it, and having someone else say just the right thing clues us in to what we already want. ??? I’m just gonna sit here and be glad that my sad little kitchen came with handles I really like (even if the shelf tabs are breaking off and my shelves are clonking down…) and I don’t GET to choose!

    May the best option win!

  2. Just wanted to mention that I had pulls that were similar to option 2 and they constantly would catch on loose clothing when I would walk past. I clothes-lined myself more than once and ripped a pocket on my bathrobe! I thought that might be something worth considering 🙂

  3. Option 2. Nice and slender and doesn’t interfere with all the lovely lines of your cabinetry. You want jewelry to compliment the outfit 🙂 For variation, I would find a round knob to go with it and do the two styles on different cabinets.

  4. Whimsical: love them but the logistics sound rough. Cups: I think they would get gross inside if anyone opened cabinets with less than clean fingers, they would be hard to clean inside, and they are too trendy. Painted former ORB: has potential but they might wear unevenly, which might not look cool. Winner for me are the subtly interesting handles, which also have the benefit of being the easiest to child proof with those locks that go through handles.

  5. I love Option 3, and if you get tired of it, you could totally change the look with spray paint. Spray paint is my best friend. If you can’t find them, I’d be glad to check out our Hobby Lobby for you. I love everything about your kitchen.

  6. I would choose option 4, because I like the look of it, I also think its easier to handle. On a practical note as mentioned above it can only be used one direction and towels can’t hang off of it. Aesthetically it’s my favourite.

  7. Such fun and yes, lighting and hardware are both “the jewelry” in my opinion!

    Having just done this, I’ll give you my 2 cents: I picked something like option 2 and I love them!! Easy to clean, simple, classic…but the ones on the top island drawer stuck out just a little too far and occasionally bother me (when it’s a baking marathon day)! So, I like the roundedness of pull number one;but, I would not choose option 4 because, while it’s smooth and round, you can’t hang a towel on it when needed, and cleaning stickiness from inside that round cup is super irritating…I’ve tried! Way annoying

    1. What I meant to end with is my final opinion:
      I like the idea of the classic style of option 2 on the drawers, and knobs on the doors, but do a color on the island in a more funky style; maybe even in red, to pull in the window treatment?
      As always, we know you will choose well!!

  8. I really like the classic with a twist but do not know why the initial ones could not be used in a prominent place in a concentrated area

  9. Option 1 and repurpose it! Number 4 is so popular right now and we are in the midst of our own remodel. BUT I am thinking about the functionality of the pulls and it seems that with hands full of kiddos it would be annoying to have to always turn your hand under or upside down to open the drawer. Most of the time our hands are the other way when opening a drawer.

  10. Myself, I’d try to make what I have work. There’s a suggestion above about Rub N Buff, which seems like a good idea… and they just so happen to have a vintagey turquoise color!

  11. I like the pulls of option three with the knobs of option one. I know you said you didn’t like the oil rubbed bronze, but it you put some aqua paint on the knobs and then distressed them they would match the pulls and only a little orb would peek through.

  12. Here’s my 2 cents after a long kitchen remodel myself. Option 2: you can use them on drawers and doors (I have a similar style on mine and was going to knobs and pulls but went with my cabinet-maker’s advice that it looks more streamlined with all pulls and I couldn’t agree more), they are EASY (you are about to have a newborn ya know!), and you can easily loop a tea towel through them in a pinch (can’t do that with option 4). They do have detail but they wouldn’t be distracting from all of the other pretty things you have done (which I am afraid options 1 or 3 would be).

  13. I like a combo of knobs and pulls. How about the hammered knobs on the doors and either one of those cup pulls on the drawers? You have kind of a vintage vibe in your home and I think that combo would work. I’m not feeling the DIY of turquoise hardware. I think that will lean toward too matchy-matchy and as much as you love the color, you might start to regret making the knobs stand out so much.

  14. Paint/distress or use Rub n Buff on your current hardware to replicate the whimsical ones! Since you already have them, why not give it a shot. Not a lot to lose! Can’t wait to see!

    1. I would use the whimsical as much as possible (like painting an accent wall type of thing), and then use option 2 for the rest.

I love hearing from you guys!