Cabinet hardware is like the jewelry for a room.  It can be understated, classic, or add a wow factor depending on the situation and what you choose.

Classic or WOW hardware?

On a furniture piece or powder room cabinet where there are typically only 2 or 3 doors that need hardware, adding some statement pieces that echo the design motifs of the room is a smart way to upgrade an ordinary cabinet.

These powder room vanities have pretty leaf or flower shaped knobs that echo their respective wallpapers (click on images for more photos of these powder rooms)

In a room like a primary bath or kitchen where there are multiple doors and drawers, flashy, attention-hogging, or themed  hardware will likely be too much. 

I had an ill-fated teapot phase and changed all my kitchen knobs to different styles of teapots….I have since learned that a heavy handed theme is not the most sophisticated choice in design…🙄. My next kitchen incarnation was a much better hardware selection.

But often there is a place where you can mix in something a little more special - an armoire piece in the center of a bank of full height cabinetry, or a pair of glass door display wall cabinets, for example could have a different, more decorative knob or pull than the rest of the kitchen.

In this church condo great room space, the custom built cabinets under the windows have oversized brass bamboo pulls appropriate to the larger scale of the pieces, and the built-ins the previous owners added had large round Asian pulls.

We used one pair of crystal knobs on a pair of glass doors in this blue and white condo kitchen, but the remaining hardware will be pretty, satin nickel handles.   

How do I choose my cabinet hardware finish?

Does the cabinet hardware and all the metal finishes in a room need to match? I’ve written more about how to mix metal finishes here, but the short answer is, no.  I do recommend keeping the different metals to 2 or 3 per room.

The important thing is to have a rhythm of repeated finishes.  If your appliances and faucet are silver tones, you could mix in brass or gold for cabinet hardware and decorative lighting, for example.

Black is a popular hardware finish, especially in modern or farmhouse-inspired rooms, and it mixes with pretty much ANY other metal finish. Here we used black hardware and lighting in an antique farmhouse guest bath with chrome fixtures.

Hardware comes in a variety of colors and finishes and materials and you can use it to personalize your space.

For example, leather handles or leather mixed with metal can add an interesting sporty feel.  Rope or wicker pulls might be appropriate for a casual coastal or nautical vibe.  Gold and nickel tones, black and gold, clear lucite or glass and metal, even bright acrylic or enamel and metal can all be a great mix depending on the mood you want to further in the space.

Shiny and matte and textured finishes are available.

Living finishes - like unlacquered brass or copper that will change color and develop patina as it ages are desirable options in certain circumstances.

This home office cabinet hardware was chosen for the finish and to avoid the metal alloys that might aggravate my client’s allergy.

In this modern great room kitchen we used these beautiful knurled nickel and satin brass handles to offer a mix of the metals used elsewhere in the space.  Our client joked her mother would have referred to them as “important”.  And she would be right!  They do quietly elevate the feel of luxury in this space

What style cabinet hardware should I choose?

The hardware style should reflect the design style of the room and echo the shapes in elements like the lighting or faucets, or towel bars.  If your bathroom faucet has a square, angular profile, your hardware should too.

Pay attention to other elements like wallpaper motifs, the backplates on light fixtures, or the base of faucets and towel bars for cues.

In this kitchen with a variety of curved and scalloped details, these handles reference the curves used on the hood and backsplash.

In these powder rooms, the cabinet knobs were closed to reflect the patterns in the wallpaper.

In addition to the thousands of choices of knobs, handles, and pulls, there are also specialty vintage hardware options like cabinet latches and Cremone bolts to consider.

What color/finish should I choose?

The color and style go hand in hand.  For this traditional but open concept kitchen with warm toned wood mixed with white, we chose a honey bronze gold toned hardware and echoed it in bronze and gold light fixtures.

And in this black and white bath, we mixed gold hardware in a shape that echoed the geometric design in the tile and paired it with gold light fixtures, alongside chrome plumbing and accessories.

Where should I use knobs and where should I use pulls?

There are no hard and fast rules on this, though the most common convention is to use knobs on cabinets and pulls on drawers if you want to mix the two. I generally opt for this with the exception of defaulting to handles used vertically on taller doors instead of knobs.

Mixing hardware types in a kitchen or vanity is perfectly acceptable as long as the finish matches and the designs work together. Often manufacturers make coordinating styles of knobs and handles.

You can even mix knobs and pulls on drawers sometimes as well.  In a large bank with multiple drawers, the top row of shallower drawers might have pulls, while the lower ones have knobs, or vice versa.

You can use all knobs or all pulls for all the cabinetry as well if you prefer.

Bear in mind that handles are easier to grasp than knobs.  If you are designing for someone with arthritis or mobility issues, handles everywhere will be much easier to operate.

We used all handles for ease of use in this senior apartment kitchen design.

I also often like to put long pulls on the false drawer panel in front of a sink - then these can function as convenient hand towel bars as well!

What size should my cabinet hardware be?

Size matters. And it depends on a lot of things - the size of the cabinet, the size of the door or drawer, the heft of the pull or knob. 

Cabinet knobs are sized by the diameter of the knob, cabinet pulls are usually sized by the “center to center” distance between the screws where the handle attaches, so the actual handle might be longer than the stated size on certain styles.

For most kitchen and bath cabinets, ~ 1 1/2” diameter is the right size if you are using a knob.

For drawer pulls, about 1/3 the width of the drawer is the average size - usually this means at least a 6” pull.  For wider drawers you may need an extra long pull or a pair of shorter pulls or knobs.   

Please don’t maroon a single ditzy knob in the middle of a wide, deep drawer.

Keep in mind that a pair of pulls on a drawer will most likely require two hands to operate.  Sometimes a longer pull is a more efficient choice.

Also, when shopping for longer pulls for extra wide drawers, beware that some longer pulls are actually appliance pulls - meant for paneled fridges or dishwashers etc - and are heftier than their matching cabinet pulls, so always check the diameter as well as the length to make sure your drawer pulls will be the same scale.

Where should my hardware be located on the cabinet or drawer?

Again, it depends on the situation!  Some contemporary pulls on slab front doors are meant to attach to the very top of the door for an unobtrusive sleek look. 

For the most common shaker panels doors, I like the knobs or vertical handles mounted centered on the stile conveniently near the top (just below the rail) for lower cabinets and near the bottom (just above the rail) for upper cabinets.

For drawers, in the center on shallower drawers, and in the center OR the top third on deeper, slab front drawers.

For this Boston condo kitchen refresh, we swapped the hardware for intricate antique brass bin pulls and knobs we found at a local hardware emporium.

Tips for upgrading hardware on existing cabinets

Changing the hardware on cabinetry is an easy upgrade to make, but be sure to measure the distance between the holes “center to center” and get the same size hardware unless you are painting the cabinets as well and can fill the old holes, or have chosen a style with a back plate that covers the holes!

Hardware is a very versatile design tool - with so many choices, don’t miss out on the opportunities it offers to level up your room!

Other posts you might enjoy:

How to primer on mixing metals in a room

My kitchen makeover

An antique farmhouse primary bath

Antique farmhouse powder rooms with pizzazz