Nov 7, 2011

mixing hardware in the kitchen

one of the questions i get asked a lot is about mixing things.
is it ok to have a bronze light fixture in one room, and chrome in another?
can i have a tan rug in this space and a blue one over here?
will a striped chair look right with a geometric pillow in it?
can i mix pulls and knobs?

i believe that a home gets character, personality and warmth from layers of textures, colors and shapes. if you love something, buy it. your home should be a collection of useful and beautiful items that serve a function and reflect who you are. who cares if they don't match?

a new home was recently constructed in the neighborhood where i used to live, and the homeowner invited me over for a tour. the home is really beautiful and well-constructed, but the one room that really caught my attentions was the kitchen!
first of all, it has one of my DREAM elements in it...something that i have been trying to talk my husband into since house #2--a COFFERED CEILING on an ANGLE! *gush*
i am in love!
thinking about the math involved in pulling this off is making my brain hurt...

the homeowners own a commercial kitchen supply company, so the appliances in this kitchen would make any chef envious.

another element that really caught my eye was the fearless mix of hardware.

there are round knobs mixed with cup pulls and oblong pulls.

check out the mix here:
huge almost appliance-size pulls mixed with cup pulls and above that, the oblong pulls again.

mixing pulls is something that can easily be done to dress up your kitchen. if the prospect of this scares you, consider starting small...if you have all knobs, drill another hole in your  cabinets and change them out for pulls. 

what do you think about mixing hardware?
is it something you have done?
would you do anything different if you HAVE done it?
or, do you prefer all hardware to match?

7 comments:

  1. I LOVE it! I don't think it will work for every kitchen. If the kitchen is very small I would keep it simple.

    I really like the very large pulls, at least on those big drawers that most kitchens have under the oven. I know that they are very pricey...

    Thanks for sharing this with us!

    xoxo Bunny Jean
    Wednesday's Bunny Hop Party

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  2. The previous owners of our home had just redone the kitchen when they had to sell. One of the things they did that I LOVE is that the bottom cabinetry is all drawers, with the exception of under the sink and one tall skinny cupboard for cookie sheets. They did NOT, however, install hardware on any of the drawers, just knobs on the upper cabinets. I found some pulls I loved for the drawers and replaced the knobs with knobs that better matched the finish of the new pulls.

    Unfortunately, there's more about this kitchen that I DON'T like than what I do like. But it makes a great impression and it's very functional, so I guess I'll just live with it.

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  3. I love mixing the hardware . It creates a more unique look. The coffered ceiling to me doesnt look like its on an angle it looks like the contractor go off and it came out crooked. I am a perfectionist when doing trim and that would drive me bananas. I would stare at it trying to imagine what it would look like straight. I like the one that you did in your house and i like the added detail on the bottom in this picture.

    So glad i just found your blog your husband is such a good trim carpenter. I love trim being from Arkansas . I built an oak wall all around the room with the help of my dad. I love the way you guys did the crown molding and added a smaller piece under and painted in between to make it look bigger. I have not seen that done around here or the coffered ceilings or grid walls. Builders make things cheap her just the basics. I wish you could do more of a deatailed post on how you do a coffered ceiling or grid wall sometime.

    My husband and I ripped out our whole house and have been working on putting it back the past 2 years. I think i have almost gotten a divorce 19-20 times or more. so this project ought to be interesting since it takes him 2 hours to cut 3 pieces of door casing. I am gonna go for it though.

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  4. I like the use of a more than one finish for the hardware, it's kind of like not having all of your furniture match identically, it's just more interesting.

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  5. I want to replace our hardware when we paint our cabinets next spring. When I told the hubs I was thinking of doing one type on the uppers & another type on the lowers he thought I was nuts. "They won't match!!!"
    It's hard living with a man that just doesn't get it.

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  6. i'm all for mixing hardware! it's interesting and not the typical "look" we're used to! as long as we don't get too carried away! ;)

    ashley over @
    {hookedonhickory}

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  7. I've been wondering about the finish question a lot lately. We have orb switch covers and door/cabinet knobs, but most of our light fixtures are nickel... I want to upgrade our bathroom faucets, but I'm not sure which finish to choose! do you have any suggestions?

    I do like the mix of hardware in this kitchen, but I agree with another commenter that it would look too busy in a smaller room.

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