Hardware is the finishing touch for a kitchen. The hardware you pick makes the kitchen feel casual or formal, traditional or contemporary, rustic or modern. Hardware has to coordinate with cabinet finish, countertops, and backsplash. Here's a guide to choosing it.

What Is Kitchen Hardware?

Hardware serves the practical purpose of letting you open and close cabinet doors and drawers. Except for styles designed to open with recessed channels or cutouts, hardware is part of every kitchen cabinet.

Hardware comes mainly as knobs and pulls. Knobs attach with a single screw, requiring one hole. Pulls attach with two or more screws and are sometimes called handles. Pulls are typically installed horizontally on drawers and vertically on doors. We dig into broader cabinet choices in our cabinetry guide.

Hardware Styles

Both knobs and pulls come in styles to suit traditional, contemporary, rustic, or transitional kitchens. Knob shapes include round, square, rectangular, oval, and novelty. Pull styles include bar, cup, ring, and bail. Drop-handle pulls give cabinetry a furniture-like look.

Material and Finish

Hardware comes in brass, stainless steel, glass, crystal, stone, ceramic, and even rope, leather, or repurposed materials. Mix styles for an eclectic flair. Pick what coordinates with the rest of the kitchen.

Best Fit for Your Cabinets

Knobs are typically better for doors than drawers, and a better choice for smaller doors. Some hardware comes with a decorative backplate that needs more space. Review installation requirements for your top choices and make sure they work with your cabinet selection. Pulls are often easier to grasp as you get older, so they may be a better choice if you're designing for aging in place.

Coordinating With the Rest of the Kitchen

Hardware should work in harmony with the entire design. The finish should either blend with faucets, appliances, and light fixtures, or stand on its own as a design statement. If possible, try samples to see how they fit with other selections in the room.

Talk through hardware with a designer

If you're planning a kitchen and want to talk through hardware choices, we'd love to talk.

Schedule a showroom visit at our 5,000 square foot showroom in Norwell. No pressure, just a real conversation about your home.

Transitions Kitchens, Baths & Remodeling
433 Washington St, Norwell, MA
(781) 871-0881