Andi & Neil’s Kitchen Part 13: Cabinet Door Hardware

Time to Pick Some Cabinet Door Hardware!

It is funny that sometimes the small stuff in a renovation is what causes the most controversy! Andi and Neil’s kitchen is almost done but there are a few things left to decide on including the hardware for the upper cabinets and tile for the backsplash (the contractor will be back in a week or two to finish the last of the things up once everything is delivered).

Handle Options: Final Selection Brushed Nickel on the Right

Andi and Neil found nice simple handles for the drawers on the lower cabinets. They are by Martha Stewart for Home Depot are quite reasonably priced (around $4.50) but have a nice heft to them. They are brushed nickel and go nicely with the Ikea faucet. But for the upper cabinets, I typically recommend knobs. I think visually they look nicer at eye level and I think it is a good opportunity to bring in some pop of color and/or texture. The other nice thing about using a knob is that they are easy to switch out. If you use a handle you are forever stuck with the hole spacing.

1. Handpainted Ceramic Knob, $11

2. Handpainted Ceramic Knob, $5

3. Green Glazed Knob, $3.29

4. Custom Made to Order Map Knobs, $20

5. Jade Milkglass Knob, $5.39

6. Chevron Patterned Knob, $8

7. Clear Glass Knob, $5.39

8. Seashell Shaped Bone Knob, $10

I’ve rounded up a few of my suggestions here but we can’t seem to come to an agreement. It is crazy that we were in agreement about the cabinets, the layout and the overall colors. I stayed out of their selection for the counters, but they picked out a lovely dark granite. I was a little worried about it because the sample photos I saw online were a bit muddled looking, but the actual slabs are quite lovely and have a nice depth to them, that you couldn’t get with quartz (my original recommendation). For some reason I feel more vested in the selection of the knobs. I guess because I see it as a lost opportunity to bring another layer of texture and color to the space. Andi and Neil are not afraid of color (their living room is dark purple and the front bay of their house is periwinkle) so I am surprised to see reluctance on choosing something a little more fun.

I REALLY love the map knobs. I thought that Andi and Neil would be into them too. They have lived in and traveled to lots of places, so I thought customizing them to those places would be cool. I also found a second person on Etsy selling them for $10 a piece (rather than 20). I also found a posting on making your own custom knobs with printed paper and resin. Then the knobs could be done for even less. Then they could really pick out something interesting! Although now I think it time for me to step out of the decision even though I am a little sad about it.

Which ones would you choose?

List of Products:

1. Handpainted Ceramic Knobs, Fair Trade, $10.95 a piece. Green Heart Shop.
2.  Blue and Red Floral Ceramic Knobs, Set of 4 $20. WorldMarket.
3. Glazed Green knob. $3.29. Cabinetparts.com
4. Custom Map Pulls, 4 for $80. Etsy. Another option for $10.
5. Milk Glass Cabinet Knob in Milk Green (Jade), $5.39. House of Antique Hardware.
6. Chevron Patterned Turquoise and white ceramic knob, $7.99. Potteryknobs.com.
7. Clear Glass Cabinet Knob, $5.39. House of Antique Hardware.
8. Seashell Shaped Hand Painted Bone Knob, $9.99. Potteryknobs.com