Whether it’s just sprucing up an old kitchen cabinet or installing new ones, part of the design process involves cabinet hardware. It may seem like just a small piece of wood, metal, iron or plastic handle, knob or pull but it does prove to be a heavy artillery in terms of design contribution, dramatically uplifting the look of your kitchen cabinets. When you’re like me who’s clueless about design, choosing something as simple as a hardware, knob or cabinet pull can be very frustrating. While some people are born with it, I represent the percentage that couldn’t seem to make things work design-wise even if my life depended on it. Truth be told, I simply suck. It would have been a different story if I had the moolah to hire an interior designer or a consultant where I could just sit back, relax while professionals plan, shop, and remodel, you know, just like those before and after home improvement shows featured on national TV. But since I didn’t have the money to spare, I’m stuck with a DIY stint and I’m admittedly worried. Since I don’t really trust my instincts when it comes to these design matters, I hit the internet hoping that I would be somehow guided as to what to pick. Picking out hardware could be frustrating especially when you’re choosing between thousands of styles, in different colors and design. Within an hour of wandering, I was ready to give up. Good thing there are available internet sites and readings that helped me understand the basics of choosing cabinet hardware. This makes my job as a novice home decorator that much easier so that regardless if I will be purchasing the items through a home depot, a yard sale, an antique shop or online, I would end up with nothing but great buys that will elevate my cabinet’s look.
Style and Look
Styles range from traditional or classic, to contemporary, or even eclectic. Flipping through kitchen cabinets’ online store pages, I found out that my taste is leaning towards the rustic type, which matches my love for everything vintage. I personally like hammered iron pulls, handles made of stone, and crystal knobs over modern styles in polished chrome, plastic, and theme-inspired handles in varying shapes and sizes. It’s actually difficult to make mistakes in choosing a hardware design that fits people’s tastes since I learned that there isn’t a wrong design element to begin with. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and rule books were made to be more of a guide rather than a law. So as long as you’re happy with your choice, then what you pick is considered a winner.
Price
Considering DIY slashes off a chunk of costs of a kitchen remodeling stint but it doesn’t mean you can already go shop-crazy. Having a budget set for each project is a clever way to keep track of expenses. And if you’re anywhere near being a shopaholic as I am, it’s easy to get-hooked on pretencious offers posting as ‘Best Buys’, with ‘Before’ and ‘After’ price advertisements that could get you all excited. Little do you know that it’s all part of a marketing ploy where the ‘Before’ price is an overstatement. Believe me, been there, done that. If you think that spending $2 beyond your budget won’t make that much of an impact, think again. If you’re shopping for 40 to 50 pieces of pulls and handles budgeted at $10 each, that’s an additional $80-$100 more if you’re lured to a $12/piece deal.
Brand Credibility and Durability
While it’s a great thing to find cheap items, it isn’t always the wisest to base decisions on such. They say quality has a price and more often than not, it’s always the case. So if you get psyched about finding a $2 deal per pull, there must be a catch. Well, to be fair, not always. Some brands offer stuff at wholesale prices but you have to order hundreds, if not thousands at a minimum. If it’s a brand you’ve never even heard of, it’s always wise to research on customer feedback ratings on the internet or better yet, ask friends and family members if they had experience using such a brand. If no one has come across such brand and no logical explanation warrants the low price offered, it’s better to go for the brand that is a bit more pricey but has an established record of quality. Oh, and it’s a must that you check out terms covering returns and replacements just in case the items delivered to you have defects, aren’t what you ordered, or as easy-to-break as a snowflake.
Bio: Marie Christine Sing-Umali is a blogger and home improvement enthusiast working for Kitchen Cabinet Kings, a leading online distributor of discount bathroom and kitchen cabinets nationwide.At Kitchen Cabinet Kings you will find high quality birch, maple, bamboo, and oak kitchen cabinets.