Hey there! The Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) just wrapped up in Las Vegas so I've got all things kitchen and bath on my mind. Today I'm diving into one of my favorite ways to update the look and feel of kitchen and bathroom cabinetry when you are getting ready to sell or just want a nice little, inexpensive update.
And next to lighting, this could be my second biggest design-related obsession. I think it goes, family, friends, Anthropologie, happiness, lighting, cabinet hardware. Totally weird but I'm ok with that!
Before you update your cabinet hardware, check out the post I wrote about painting your cabinetry here.
Because most likely if you are updating the hardware on your cabinets, it probably means they need to be painted too.
So let's jump in and start with the finish.
Updating Your Cabinet Hardware
Finish
First question, I always get asked if the hardware has to match the faucet, sink, lighting or appliances.
The short answer is maybe but not necessarily.
I know….what the h$@&ll does that mean?
It means that I love mixing metals and creating a mix of cool (nickel) and warm (brass) metals especially. And I never worry about stainless steel appliances being considered a finish or having to be matched in the space.
But there are a couple of guidelines in order to mix your metals.
Mixing Metals
Limit your finishes to no more than 2-3 that work well together.
Here's how you do it…
Choose a dominant finish
You will choose one that is the dominant and repeat that around the space (ex. same finish on faucet and cabinetry with a different finish on the lighting).
In my kitchen, the finishes are stainless, brass with a touch of black to relate to the accent color in our counters. You can see that the black is repeated in the adjacent space.
Create Repetition
I especially love to have a bathroom vanity have a different finish on the knobs than the faucet to suggest that it is more a piece of furniture.
In this bathroom, the existing finishes were bronze so we added brass as the dominant finish and the bronze as an accent to relate to the floor tile and cabinet.
Quick note, if your hinges are exposed, make sure that they either blend with the cabinet color or match the knob finish.
Again, we repeated the brass in the other elements to create balance in the space.
Mixing knobs and pulls
When you are getting ready to sell, make your life so much easier. Just replace your knobs with new knobs and your pulls with new pulls.
Remember to measure the distance from the centers of the screws and your pulls so that you get the right replacement size.
Buuuutttt….if you are upgrading your kitchen, to really look like a pro just showed up at your kitchen, mix up knobs and pulls.
I love knobs on doors and pulls on drawers. Is that a tongue twister? I feel like it should be a tongue twister.
So that’s a quick overview and now onto the good stuff…my favorites (click the image to get access to the links for each item)!! Let me know your other cabinet hardware questions below in the comments. I love to answer your questions here on the blog. Oh, and I almost forgot, you can download your copy of my favorite cabinetry colors here too!
xo,
Lori
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