Save vs. Splurge: The Hardware Edition

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

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

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

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 

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

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 

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

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

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

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 

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

Woven Touches

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.