Who doesn’t love Jewelry ? I know I do. If you have spent time looking at cabinetry, then you probably have heard that cabinet hardware is the “jewelry for your cabinets” especially in your kitchen or bathroom. I have worked with many customers in my custom cabinetry and design career, and I have learned to wait until later in the project to finalize hardware because there are so many choices. I want to get to know the clients a little better so I can help find the best fit for them.
To give you an example, I am going to use a conversation that I had recently with some clients. They are a husband-and-wife couple renovating a recently purchased house that will be their retirement home. They both have very strong opinions. She wanted bling and pricey, and he wanted function and inexpensive. I felt I was a marital counselor as well as their designer!! (But seriously, it is an important decision) This is how we tackled it, and this is my tip on how you can do it too.
Rules for using knobs or pulls….. there are no rules in my world because I present 5 options
- All knobs
- All pulls
- Pulls on doors and knobs on drawers
- Knobs on uppers and pulls on lowers
- Knobs on doors and pulls on drawers
I know that sounds like a lot of confusion, but it really is a preference or personal choice, no rules involved. I will show clients the 5 different options. If the client wants pulls on their drawers they usually ask about the size. What I recommend is the “rule” of thirds. Measure the drawer front and divide by 3.
When choosing h
ardware we need to consider the cabinet fronts. Is there trim around the door or drawer that might impact the placement. For example, cup pulls can be tricky because of the need for more space for your fingers to slide under the pull. Small drawers usually don’t allow enough space for a cup pull if there is trim on the drawer front.
Back to my retiring couple and my marriage counseling skills. Almost all their base cabinets were drawers, and she wanted pulls on the drawers. They agreed on pulls (wife 1point). He asked for no bar pulls (bar pulls have a straight bar with ends extending past the base), because he wears cargo pants and has had them get caught on the end of a bar pull (husband 1 point). They could not see eye to eye about knobs. She wanted big chunky square knobs, and he wanted traditional round knobs. After several discussions I suggested pulls for all the cabinets just like on the drawers. They agreed (me 1 point). They both liked a polished nickel finish, shiny for her and durable for him. Woo hoo! They both get a point!
The pulls are on order, and I really feel the clients will love the hardware they chose. I reminded the husband of the saying “happy wife, happy life” when we moved on to finalizing their quartz countertop choice. I guess he took that to heart because he let her lead the way and get exactly what she wanted. I give points to all 3 of us! I think it will be a win for everyone.
That’s how things are here at Ideal Cabinets, everyone wins. Make an appointment at one of our three showroom locations (Roanoke, Christiansburg, or Charlottesville) and meet with a designer, and pretty soon you will be picking out your jewelry too.
