Your cabinet door styles aren't the only thing that change the look or feel of your kitchen. The hardware you select - knobs and pulls - will also make an impact. With the right combination of knobs and handles, you can instantly give your cabinets a fresh look!
Viewing a comprehensive selection of drawer and cabinet hardware can seem overwhelming at first. We recommend working with your kitchen design representative to select the ones that make sense for your style. For example, if you're a hardcore minimalist, there's no need to look at antique-inspired knobs, and vice-versa. Make sure you think about function too, since some pulls are easier to use than others.
The following door and hardware combinations have been selected from real-life, Kitchen Magic remodels. We'll start by showing the same door with two different handles - demonstrating how transitionalists can go either way when they choose the right door style.
Shaker-style cabinet doors are favorites for a reason. Their simple, low-frills style works for modern as well as traditional design - and hardware makes the difference.
In this Frosty White New England Kitchen the owners already had nice, historic elements via the awesome brick chimney and lots of warm, wood accents. They selected shaker-style doors in Frosty White for a clean, bright feel - and then basic, satin nickel knobs and cup pulls that work well as both retro or traditional farmhouse accents.
Satin Nickel Pull
Satin Nickel Knob
Now, take a look at the Antique Statesman Kitchen we designed. These are actually Statesman cabinet doors, but they have a similar feel to shaker versions with their simple raised border. Owners selected them in Antique White. Then, they chose linear, stainless steel bar pulls for a modern finish. That modern look is enhanced by their mini-subway style backsplash and additional modern accents (the faucet, the orange tea pot, etc.)
Stainless Steel Bar
Now we'll look at a kitchen that took a different approach to designing a transitional kitchen with a modern feel. The owners of the Windemere Soaked Cherry kitchen were very short on space. While they did like aspects of their formerly traditional kitchen, they realized ornate wood details added visual clutter that shrunk - rather than expanded - the kitchen's feel. To combat this, they chose Prestige plain doors - zero relief makes for zero visual clutter. The natural cherry wood finish softened the look and they paid homage to their traditional tastes by selecting oil rubbed bronze pulls with a simple, rounded handle. The curves help to balance the linear cabinet doors and they compliment the rounded arch of the traditionally-inspired faucet design.
Oil Rubbed Bronze Pull
Now, let's take a look at a kitchen that starts and finishes with almost entirely modern accents. Here's a peek into our Chocolate Hazel kitchen. Again, we see frameless, Prestige plain doors. This time, sleek cabinets are finished in a dark Chocolate Pear finish. Then, owners selected modern, elongated stainless tubular bar pulls. The straight lines and angles make for a very modern look. This is built upon by their choice of sleek Corian countertops, which maintained a minimal look by storing countertop gadgets and appliances out of sight.
Stainless Steel Bar
Sometimes, people confuse contemporary and modern. Contemporary simply refers to "of the time period," so you can design a contemporary kitchen with traditional appeal. The Black & White Wellington kitchen is an example. Vintage raised panel doors (traditional), with Conrad Bridge pulls (classic/traditional) and beautiful granite countertops with an ogee edge detail (traditional), all come together in a distinctly contemporary kitchen.
Conrad Bridge Pull
Need help determining which cabinet door style and knobs/pulls will be the best for your kitchen remodel? Visit the design experts at Kitchen Magic and we'll lend a helping eye and hand.