To Pull or Not to Pull: Thoughts on Cabinet Hardware
While the cabinet hardware in your Virginia kitchen can be an integral component in your overall style and design theme, the absence of the same may also be true. This simple feature is often overlooked when putting a kitchen together but, oddly enough, it’s these little things that can ‘make or break’ the functional and aesthetic success of the perfect kitchen cabinet design. While some decorators and designers desire to make the hardware a bold expression within the kitchen, a homeowner may prefer that such things be innocuous and understated. Somewhere in the middle, however, a balance is struck; but not before some meaningful deliberation occurs regarding the cabinet hardware.
The Bold Cabinet Hardware Statement
For those who want, and need, to make a statement with their cabinet hardware, there are a few logical choices to achieve this; and, while some of these options involve the design and positioning of the hardware it will also be largely dependent upon the particular material used for the finish hardware. In point, the use of black, wrought iron hinges and pulls is probably the most transparent of finishes which dictates that the desire is to be bold. This material is meant to be forefront and displayed and typically accompanies cabinetry that is retro or more informal in finish. The use of highly polished metals like brass and stainless steel are also utilized in cabinets whereby it’s quite obvious that the general theme and design of the kitchen needs to be supported by the open visual of these hardware choices. While the designer may utilize blind hinges of subdued metals, the pulls become the sole focal point in the kitchen cabinet face.
Alternatives to Metal Cabinet Hardware
The growing trend in cabinet pulls which is encroaching upon the metal visual is that of the novel popularity of the usage of glass and porcelain pulls and knobs in today’s kitchen cabinetry. The usage of glass pulls and knobs (supported lightly by discreet metals) is largely influenced by the growth of glass tiles and stained glass cabinet doors gaining a strong decorating hold in our Virginia kitchens. These miniscule details in knobs and pulls come alive when paired with other glass-born features that are being used to adorn the kitchens of today.
With the trending use of ‘pickled’ finishes, as well as painted cabinets, porcelain knobs and pulls are making their fashionable comeback as well. They have an inherent ‘antique’ appeal that marries perfectly when set against a more conservative backdrop, such as a white or gray painted cabinet face. They add just the right amount of panache to communicate that retro visual without commanding too much attention unto its own.
While used rather sparingly in today’s kitchens, it’s still worth noting that wood—especially exotic species–are a means to carry a warmth and natural appeal into a cabinet. The trend here is that these wooden pulls and knobs are finished in sharp contrast to that of the dominant wood of the cabinet; and, as assumed, the hinges would be metal and hidden.
Hardware Free
Not everyone likes the visual of a knob or pull and, instead, prefers the clean lines and finish of the cabinet fronts to be uninterrupted. This is especially true in those new kitchens which seek to additionally hide the appliances within cabinets or cabinet façade panels. The theory or theme here is to create a clean and even plane that is enhanced by other more dramatic features of the kitchen, like ornate lighting fixtures or breath-taking sink areas. In creating a non-descript cabinet visual, such ‘works of art and admire’ take their place in the spotlight and are not impeded by competing metal finishes.
