Author Archives: Jennifer

How to Decorate With Knob Finishes That Coordinate Well

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When choosing knobs and drawer pulls you not only have to consider their durability and practicality of the material they are made from, you also have to consider how the knobs are going to fit in with your overall decorating scheme.

For instance, ceramic or wood drawer pulls would probably look old fashioned in a big, flashy metallic kitchen in a condo. This type of décor is much better suited to aluminum, nickel or stone knobs and pulls.

The finish, which includes the color and the texture of the piece is your first consideration. First of all you need to note whether or not the color of the pull will match the rest of your décor. A choice of color might be obvious when it comes to choosing plastic or wooden drawer handles but it might not be so obvious when it comes to figuring out what type of metal finish is best.

As a rule of thumb remember that the more textured and two-toned that a finish looks on a drawer pull, the heavier and weightier it is going to look. This is why drawers and cupboards that are made out of wooden slats often look good with a pull that is two toned or heavily textured. If the cabinet or light in color it might look good with a heavily textured fixture.
Drawers and cabinets made of natural wood can also bear the weighty look of a two toned or heavily textured pulls especially if they are a more golden colored wood such as oak or maple. Usually black fixtures with a rough surface look great wooden kitchen or even on the drawers in an all-wooden library.

Perhaps the trickiest color of drawer pull to deal with is bronze. Depending on what color you place it against it can either look stunning or ghastly. For instance, bronze pulls just don’t look that distinctive when placed against veneered wooden surfaces but they look great when affixed to a cabinet painted a glossy pure white or black.

The types of pulls that suit either light or dark woods are ceramic or glass. Go for glass pulls if you are looking for a Victorian or antique look. White ceramic pulls look best on lighter woods and in rooms that are painted in lighter shades such as lemon yellow or a leafy green.Novelty plastic pulls look best when they are placed against a glossy bright primary color or white.

Copper and wooden pulls are not recommended for steamy bathrooms and humid kitchens. Copper oxidizes and wood cracks and retains bacteria. Perhaps the best type of fixture for a bathroom is stone, plastic or metal.

Always remember that the definition of good taste is sometimes “form following functionality” even when it comes to choosing something that seems as a minor as a pull for your cabinet door or drawer.

Decorating Drawers With Novelty Pulls and Knobs

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Bored with the usual brass knobs and anodized aluminum cabinet pulls that you find on most cabinets? Fortunately the newest trends in cabinet fixtures are far from boring and not only that, they can help transform even the dullest looking set of drawers from Ikea into a personalized style statement.

Perhaps the most expansive trend in cabinet and drawer pulls are the novelty pulls. These handles are made in a variety of materials including aluminum, bronze, solid granite, sand granite, crystal and of course plastic.

One of the most popular new types of pulls are the Euro-Design aluminum fixtures, which greatly compliment the sleek, spare interiors of a condo. These streamlined fixtures are anodized to give them a slightly burnished appearance. These pulls compliment Swedish and Modern interior decoration as well as Industrial fashion themes. Common are pulls that look like T-bars, wedges or simple arches. These types of pulls also come in different colors such as gold or bronze.

Another trend that is suited to the clean look of a condo are the new granite pulls. Made of real granite and stone these pulls come in the colors of the earth and greatly compliment a home that is modernistic, Japanese or Mediterranean in design.

If you are trying to reinvent the history of a home you might opt for bronze or cast iron pulls. Many companies that specialize in reproductions are recasting bronze pulls from models that are centuries old. This can give your home a Victorian, Renaissance, Gothic or even medieval feel. Often these fixtures will boast affectations such as hinged pulls and fake keyholes.

If classic Victorian charm is what you are looking for than many companies are manufacturing miniature glass rosettes in just about every color of the rainbow. You can also buy anodized aluminum pulls that are made to mimic the fairy, flora and fauna designs from the Arts and Crafts Era. Perhaps the easiest way to decide what type of cabinet pulls are best for you is to make a firm decision about what is most important to you: your taste or your sense of humor. If you are lucky you should be able to replace those boring old brass knobs (with the rosette on the end) with a novelty fixture that combines both humor and fashion.

Also of great visual interest is the large assortment of plastic novelty knobs that are available on the market. Now any piece of furniture can be enlivened by the addition of a bright, durable knob manufactured in just about any color or shape (animal, vegetable or mineral) that you can think of. When it comes to decorative cabinet knobs it seems that there is no limit to manufacturer’s imagination nor should there be to yours.