Selecting Cabinet Hardware

Hardware cabinet can feel like a subtle choice, but it's one that can make a huge difference. It can also be a really overwhelming! After months of searching for the perfect hardware, I learned many lessons the hard way. Here are a few key takeaways.

1. Select your finish first. Maybe you already know exactly what finish will match the color scheme of your kitchen, or maybe you're like me and you're not sure. Right off the bat I was leaning towards brass, but I wasn't sure how it would look with our stainless steel appliances. The first thing I did was order some brass hued handles and black handles to see how they'd look in our kitchen. It was immediately apparent to me that the black handles gave my kitchen a farmhouse vibe that I wasn't going for, so back they went! The brass looked great, even with my stainless steel appliances, and so I was off to the races to find what I liked.

2. Choose what style you like. There are knobs, pulls, bin pulls, and finger pulls. If you're not sure what you're drawn to immediately, order some to test out. Sometimes what you think you want doesn't look quite right when you get it into the space. For our kitchen, I tested out knobs and pulls before settling on pulls. Since our cabinet doors have detailing, I wanted to keep it simple by opting for the same hardware on drawers and doors (though I do love a knob/pull combo).

3. Take stock of what you need. This may go beyond just counting how many drawers and doors you have. We have two large drawers in our kitchen (36"), so we're option for two pulls on each.

4. Think about your appliances. If you have a built in fridge or dishwasher, you'll need to think about how directly you want your hardware to match. Many of the cabinet pulls come in 3, 4, and 5 inch sizes, but not in the 8 or 10 inch size needed for appliances. If you're wanting them to match exactly (like me) you should include that in your criteria when searching. I fell in love with many a handle only to find out they didn't make them in larger sizes.

5. Know how hardware is measured. Cabinet pulls are measured by the space between each of the two screws. If you're choosing a style with overhang, that's not included in the measurement. I learned this the hard way by using my measuring tape to deduce that I wanted 5" handles, then being shocked to see the 7" pulls that arrived in the mail. The same is true for appliance hardware with overhangs too.

6. Think through cleaning. Though it's not fun to think about, cabinet hardware gets a lot of use. That means it's going to need a lot of cleaning. I fell in love with a set of ribbed cabinet hardware and the first thing my sister said to me was "what a mess to have to clean." I hadn't even thought about it! The same is inevitably true of bin pulls. If you love them and it's worth it, then go for it. But if the idea of cleaning them turns you off, opt for something a little simpler.

7. Don't settle for something you don't love. Every homeowner I've talked to has told me the same thing - don't plan to change your hardware. Though it seems like it would be an easy way to upgrade your kitchen in the future, it's easier said than done. Not only is it kind of a pain, but it's hard to match the holes in your cabinet with new hardware. It's certainly not likely to go from one style to the other, as you'd have to patch and paint the holes of the old hardware. If you're getting antsy, I found these temporary drawer knobs work like a charm! I even removed some when I thought I'd found the right handles, and they came off easily with no damage.

Curious about what cabinet hardware I've tried so far?

These knobs came in a 25-pack and only ran me $35. I loved the knob looks, but ultimately decided handle pulls were easier to use.

These handle pulls from Amazon have been my favorite ones so far! Despite being simpler than what I'd originally been drawn to, I loved that they didn't stand out in the kitchen. At $18.99 for a 10-pack, the only reason they were a return is because they are a golden champagne color rather than a brass. They have a sort of sparkle to them that I wasn't a fan of.

These cabinet pulls are the black version of the ones above. Once again I loved the style, but the black handles definitely took our kitchen into farmhouse territory. That being said, where the ones above looked a little cheap to me, the black ones did not. If you're looking for black cabinet pulls I'd definitely recommend these!

These are the cabinet pulls I fell in love with! I even waited 4 months for them to arrive because they were on backorder. Aside from the issue mentioned above (cleaning them.. yikes), I knew right away that they were too heavy looking. I've still got my eye on using them in future projects (perhaps our bathroom remodel).

A friend of mine recommended these handle pulls/knobs from Semihandmade. I truly thought these were going to be the winner! After all, they're essentially the brushed brass version of the champagne gold ones I loved so much. Ultimately, I wasn't a fan of the round parts that sit flush on the cabinets. Picky? Maybe. But I'm not settling!

I was shocked to learn that the knobs in my sisters kitchen were from Ikea, so I thought I'd give it a try. They didn't have exactly what I was looking for, but I figure it was worth trying! Full disclosure these haven't yet arrived, but I will definitely report back.

The winner! I finally found these cabinet handles from build.com. They had all the elements I was looking for, with none of the things I disliked about the others. We've installed them and they look great! 10/10 would recommend.

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