Save vs. Splurge: The Hardware Edition

Terrazzo knobs or polished bronze pulls? You decide.

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Determining your budget for a kitchen redesign is an exercise in compromise. If you splurge on those blue marble countertops, you’ll need to cut back on the cabinet fronts—or vice versa. Hardware doesn’t seem like it would have much impact on the bottom line, but a few hundred dollars could be the difference between a fresh ceiling light fixture or sticking with the dreaded boob light. (Plus, remember you’re buying in multiples.) Too small to define a room but noticeable enough to throw off the whole vibe, knobs are a tricky choice even when you’re not considering price. Luckily, we did the heavy lifting for you by gathering both budget-friendly and higher-end versions of our favorite styles, from polished brass to woven textures, to ensure neither your cabinets nor your wallet suffers. 

Birchwood

Mini Balls

Superfront
$13.0

Wood Dots

Muuto
$29.0

Birchwood knobs are a Scandinavian staple, and whether you opt for Superfront’s classic spheres or Muuto’s beloved dots, you’ll be au naturel in style. 

Brass Concave

Circle Brass Knob

CB2
$5.0

Concave Knob

FS Objects
$22.0

If you’re looking to instantly elevate your space, a hit of brass is the way to go. Keep it simple with CB2’s brass knobs, or choose FS Objects’s Concave option, which are mirror-polished for a shiny finish. 

Crystal Clear

Acrylic Pull Knobs

Etsy
$3.0

Lambeth Crystal Pull

RH
$53.0

Nothing says minimalist quite like clear pulls. Etsy’s numbers only look expensive—made of acrylic, the handles are just $3 a piece. The higher price of Restoration Hardware’s Lambeth style reflects its top-notch makeup (solid brass and crystal) and considered details (“a reveal between the bar and return where the machined connection between the two is made visible”). 

Imperfect Bars 

Thelma Handle

Anthropologie
$28.0

Bar Bell Pull by Ramsey Conder

The Future Perfect
$115.0

More like jewelry than hardware, both choices will leave you feeling like you’ve stumbled across buried treasure every time you go to grab a snack. Anthropologie’s curved shape is crafted from brass, while Ramsey Conder’s pulls, inspired by automobile silhouettes, are polished bronze and get their shape from sand and lost-wax casting methods.

Half-Moon

Wardrobe Cupboard Handles

Etsy
$11.0

Half Moon Cupboard Door Handles

Chocolate Creative Studio
$26.0

Hardware is a great place to add quirky shapes to your space, and the half-moon is no exception. Etsy’s handmade option comes your choice of unvarnished or lightly oiled wood: alder, pine, birch or oak. For a more refined refinish, try Chocolate Creative Studio’s painted beechwood take. The best part? They make a perfect circle when your cabinets are closed. 

Leather Loops 

Östernas Leather Handles, Ikea ($11 for 2)

Ikea
$11.00

Corded Pull

Christina Z Antonio
$154.0

Leather is not a material you’d expect to find on cabinets, but that’s about to change. Both the IKEA and Christina Z. Antonio loops are made of real hide, but the latter features subtle hand-stitched edges.

Nickel Discs

Sommerville Cabinet Knobs

Rejuvenation
$13.0

FT Series Cabinet Knobs from the W.C. Vaughan Co. Collection

E.R. Butler u0026 Co Manufacturers
$84.0

E.R. Butler & Co.’s knobs have a serious pedigree—they can be found in architect Philip Johnson’s famous Glass House. The CB2 version is a slightly slimmer take on the classic.

Pop of Color

Decco Pulls

My Knobs
$8.0

Light Blue Cabinet Handle

Liz's Antique Hardware
$13.0

Hardware has always been a great place to experiment with vibrant shades, as this contemporary fuchsia pull and 1940s-era blue creation make clear.

Little Black Hardware

Wrought Iron Kitchen Cabinet Handle

Northern Crescent Iron
$10.0

N° 6615 Handles

The Nanz Company
$450.0

If you’re going for farmhouse-chic with an industrial twist, Northern Crescent Iron’s blacksmith-forged option has just enough toughness. Nanz’s tapered moment takes the look (and cost) up a notch with a more complex flared shape designed in the early 20th century. 

Earthy 

Dark Aster Marble Ball Knobs

CB2
$6.0

Demenico Sphere Knobs by Urbi Et Orbi

Casson Hardware
$65.0

Whether you decide on solid marble balls or terrazzo concrete spheres, you’ll get the same earthy texture and statement silhouette.

Woven Touches

Hamptons Cabinet Pull by Atlas Homewares

Atlas Homewares
$6.0

Lauhala Handle

Nest Studio Collection
$172.0

Carry the rattan trend over to your doors with Atlas Homewares’s bamboo-wrapped pulls or Nest Studio’s two-sided braided pick in various metals.

Introducing Domino’s new podcast, Design Time, where we explore spaces with meaning. Each week, join editor-in-chief Jessica Romm Perez along with talented creatives and designers from our community to explore how to create a home that tells your story. Listen now and subscribe for new episodes every Thursday.

Julia Stevens

Contributing Editor

Julia Stevens is a Domino contributing editor. Basically, she’s a professional online shopper. She started at Domino as an intern and spent almost seven years in the style department curating products for our gift guides, trend roundups, and product reviews and on set styling the beautiful homes we get to share. Off hours, you can find her scouting New York’s newest design shops and restyling her shelves

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