There are many details to consider when planning a kitchen design. While kitchen cabinet hardware appears to be a small element, it often makes as much of a statement as light fixtures or cabinet doors. Use these tips to help you choose the perfect kitchen cabinet hardware for your design.

Define your Interior Design Style

When planning the design of your home in general, it’s common to think about your overall interior design style. This sets the tone of any room in your home and helps narrow down the plethora of design choices that are available. Do you consider your home more contemporary or traditional? Country or coastal? Craftsman or Eclectic? If you’re having a hard time defining your style, take a peek at these popular style glossaries from Houzz and Decor Interiors. When you have a good sense of your interior design style, you will have a much easier time selecting the best kitchen cabinets and hardware to reflect it.

Choose Your Cabinet Door Style

Once you select your door style, color and finish, it will be much easier to decide on your hardware. The color and shape of your cabinetry will set the tone for your hardware choices. Hardware often makes as much of a statement in a kitchen as light fixtures and cabinet door styles. Make sure your hardware doesn’t get lost against your cabinetry by choosing a finish that maintains contrast with your cabinet color while complementing the undertone of your cabinets and countertops.

Give Hardware a Purpose

Consider how many drawers and doors will be in your kitchen and think about how you will use each cabinet space. This should help you decide which hardware is best suited for that particular cabinets’ purpose. Wide bar pulls tend to be a more ergonomic option for large drawers than small cup pulls or knobs. However, knobs may still have a place on cabinet doors, for example. If you choose to use multiple hardware styles, one way to maintain consistency is to use the same hardware on all doors and the same hardware on all drawers.

Mixed vs. Consistent Finishes

If you err on the side of consistency and are attracted to uniform design elements, is may be wise to choose one hardware style for your entire kitchen, such as 3-4 inch bar pulls that work on both drawers and doors and can be mounted vertically or horizontally.

On the contrary, you may be interested in creating some visual interest with mixed finishes or hardware styles. If you’re going for a mix and match look, it’s wise to consider the size of your kitchen. A small space with less than 12 panels may look best with one style of hardware so that nothing feels out of place. However, a larger space will provide more room to explore 2 or 3 different hardware shapes or finishes, since there are literally more doors and drawers.

A simple way to mix hardware is to use one style on doors and another style on drawers. This maintains some consistency, while breaking up the hardware shapes just enough to make things interesting. Another element to consider is your appliances. You may choose to use a consistent finish for your hardware that is different from your appliances. For example, you may have stainless appliances but choose to set all of your small fixtures and hardware in a brass finish. For more tips on mixing your kitchen cabinet hardware, we recommend this article on Houzz.

Visit our Paso Robles showroom to see some of the most popular cabinetry and hardware options we have available. Our staff would love to help you with your next custom cabinetry project and answer any questions you might have.