An Easy Kitchen Update that Makes a Huge Difference
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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:
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!
Just a few more projects in here and we can check the kitchen off our (massive) to-do list. Gosh I love when a project is quick and easy like this one!
Disclosure: I received free product for review however was not paid for this post. As always, opinions are 100% my own and always honest.
Looks wonderful! You did a great job, maximum impact with minimum cash output. Depending on the style of a kitchen some people may also want to update those builder grade switch plate cover as well, Just a thought. I did that throughout my kitchen and along with changing hardware it made a terrific impact.
That is a fantastic suggestion! We plan to do that when we tile the backsplash, but I’ll start looking at switchplates now since I eventually want to update the entire house.
I NEEEED these cabinet pulls! They’re perfect for my kitchen redo. I looked them up, but don’t see “oil rubbed bronze” listed. I love the copper undertone. I only see Venetian Bronze that looks more gold. Would you be able to tell me what you ordered? Thanks so much!
Carrie, Your kitchen is gorgeous and those pulls just elevate it to a new level of awesomeness! Can’t wait to check out Atlas Homewares for some new pulls for our new farmhouse kitchen!
Thank you so much! You will LOVE the selections at Atlas. There were so many fantastic choices!
We also did that. Our handles are those stainless steel round bars. Loved the look with our white slab door/drawer fronts! Turned out there was big problem with sides of the horizontal drawer pulls snagging pants pockets. So, replaced those with centered flush type steel rectangular pulls that we mounted on the drawers after using router to make mortise holes No more snagging pockets!
Pocket snagging was actually a huge consideration for us as well. My husband’s #1 rule (aside from no gold) was that they couldn’t snag pockets. 😉
I want to know how you’re keeping those floors clean. Mostly how they stay shiny? Are they a laminate? Love that new kitchen…It’s beyond dreamy!!
It’s a combo of our Roomba and constant cleaning. Everyone warned me they would get dirty quickly… and they do. In hindsight, I should have chosen a lighter brown! They are hardwoods.
What’s the name of your countertops? Love them!
Thank you! They are Viatera Rococo and are quartz. 🙂
Amazing how much impact cabinet hardware makes! Are your pulls 3.5” long? And what length are the appliance pulls?
Hi, I’ll have to check the exact dimensions but I believe the pulls are closer to 6″ and the appliance pulls 11″.
What brand are those chairs? I love the juxtaposition of the sharp cool white and the warm organic wood.
Thank you!! I love how they look too, the organic color of the wood partners so nicely with the quartz. I got the chairs locally, but there’s a similar version at World Market.
Where/what brand are your kitchen island light fixtures from?? I adore them!
Thank you! They’re from Ballard Designs!
Your kitchen is gorgeous!! I’m working on my kitchen as well using the oil bronze hardware . My only dilemma is the faucet color. My sink is in the island and I am using almost the same quartz color the you have. Should I go with a stainless steel or oil bronze faucet? Btw my floor is dark brown, brown island, white shaker cabinets and stainless steel appliances.
I personally like to match my metals when possible, but a rule of thumb is if the metals are at different heights it’s easier to match… so that might work!