An Easy Kitchen Update that Makes a Huge Difference

When it comes to a quick and easy update that makes a massive difference in the style of your kitchen, hardware ranks right at the top. It can be changed out in just a few hours, yet transforms the entire appearance and feeling of a space. Think of how the perfect necklace tops off a plain dress, or how a precisely kicked field goal can win the Superbowl. When it comes to an easy kitchen update, new hardware can transform a space from ‘blah’ to beautiful!

Case in point: when we built our home, we didn’t like our builder’s hardware selections so we decided to install hardware we loved after we closed. Here’s my NAKED kitchen without any cabinet hardware, the poor bugger:

BEFORE:

See how the white cabinets melt into each other and the background? There’s no depth or character. The space felt sterile and cold, so in our massive list of home projects adding new hardware ranked at the very top.

BEFORE:

The first step in choosing kitchen hardware was to decide on the color and style. I fell in love with the selections offered by Atlas Homewares — so much so that I’m now thrilled to be partnering with them on this post. 🙂 I started by ordering several samples in various shapes, sizes and finishes so I could style them in person with the cabinets and countertops.

I thought for sure I’d go with the modern beauty on the upper right (the It Pull), but when I held them both up to the cabinets they whispered to me “go for the Bronte.” Like Shakira’s hips, cabinets don’t lie, so I went with the Bronte. Then we needed to chose the finish. As much as I lurrrrrrve gold hardware, my husband nixed that idea because he does not understand this is not the gold of the 1980’s. 😉 Since he gets very little choice in the rest of the house, I took one for the team (not really, I actually love the dark finish too) and chose the lovely Venetian Bronze finish. While gold would certainly have elevated this kitchen to on-trend status, I went for what works best for our marital harmony.

These pulls are LEGIT amazing. They are nice and heavy and well made, and the touch of copper tone under the dark bronze gives them dimension and personality.

The next step was to decide whether to go with pulls, knobs, or a combination of the two– and also the size. THIS WILL SEND YOU TO THE MADHOUSE if you’re not careful. To make my decision easier, I perused my kitchen ideas board on Pinterest and realized the look I was going for was modern and symmetrical– and many of the modern kitchen used only pulls, not knobs. Hmmmm, this was interesting. Maybe it wasn’t so hard to choose?

To be sure, I used PicMonkey to quickly add pulls into a photo of my kitchen– yes, it’s quite a hack job but hey, it worked– along with the pendant lights and counter stools I was considering. This (crazy drunken looking) mock-up gave me an idea of the end result– a high-end design that is still comfortable and inviting.

Because I had decision fatigue with the house at that point, in terms of sizes I made it easy and went for only two sizes for all the cabinets. That way I wasn’t juggling size different sizes. I chose a regular length and an appliance pull size for the longer drawers.

Atlas Homewares generously sent the Bronte pulls in oil rubbed bronze. When they arrived, I set them up for installation and they were glorious.

Since these cabinets were brand spanking new, I hired someone to drill the holes and install the hardware because I was nervous about misfiring my drill. He had it done in an hour.

And the after? OH MYYYYYYYY…

See the difference?

They’re solid and luxurious and it makes me sound like a nutcase but they feel so darn good to pull open.

Ooooo these neutrals make me happy. Some people adore large splashes of color but I feel best when cocooned by cozy neutrals.

We still need window shades and a backsplash and a hint of paint wherever we don’t put the tile, but ahhhhhh she’s lookin’ good!

Huge thanks to Atlas Homewares for helping build my dream kitchen by supplying the hardware. Thrilled with the outcome is an understatement. This is a kitchen that welcomes you in and invites you to cook, talk, laugh, eat, drink, and relax– and my family couldn’t be more in love with it!