"What Were They Thinking Thursday!!?? - Kitchen Cabinet Hardware

Cabinet hardware is like the jewelry you put on your kitchen. It can be really fabulous and add to the overall look and feel or feel truly horrendous. 

This kitchen is in major need of some jewelry!

Cabinet hardware is also one of the easiest things you can do to update your kitchen or just get a fresh new look. 

Who has a kitchen with these 70's pulls? 

Not only is updating your hardware important but also having them in the right location. There is basically three types of hardware.

 knobs

pulls 

 

cup pulls

Each one has it's place on the cabinet and in the kitchen. I personally like it when you mix it up in a kitchen. You don't have to have all knobs or all pulls and should definitely not have all cup pulls. That would just overwhelm a kitchen and the cup pulls really need to stay on the drawers, not the cabinets. 

I love this mix of hardware! They have all three types!

This kitchen is really pretty but I don't like all the tiny knobs. I would've liked to see some pulls and I think the knobs are under-scaled for the space. 

A good mix and good hardware placement.

Love this!!!

Again, all knobs! It doesn't look bad but it just doesn't look it's best. 

This hardware just looks bad. The hanging pulls are overwhelming the kitchen. They are hanging too low on those drawers. I also don't like the painted wood knobs mixed with those pulls. I don't think the two go together. 

Another thing to try to stay away from in the kitchen is themed hardware. These look better in a small bathroom or on a piece of furniture, not over your entire kitchen!  Just a few can make a statement.

Just a bit too much

And finally, where to place the hardware on the cabinet can be tricky. Function is very important. When placing a hardware on a cabinet, the farther away from the hinge the easier it will be to open because it creates more leverage. In other words, don't put a knob or pull in the center of the cabinet door. 

There are always exceptions and this are pull out drawers not cabinets.

Here is an example of good hardware placement. The knobs on the upper cabinets are easy to reach and look good. The drawer pulls are also in a functional spot. However the pulls on the lower drawer really should be mounted on the stile instead of the middle.  This way you don't have to bend down so far.s

These pulls look a little low on this cabinet. If you have a pull on the lower cabinets, you should put it a little higher so it's easier to reach. 

Again, I think these knobs need to move up on the cabinet. Not to mention they are ugly and this kitchen needs to be dressed up with some better looking hardware!

This hardware is way to big for these small drawers!  but what a cool way to use the corner!

Why are those knobs in the center of the cabinet! Hard to reach and not good for opening and closing the cabinet!

Great looking hardware!

A minimalist approach, not every kitchen needs to be dressed up with some jewelry.

Really pretty kitchen and breaking the hardware rules with those pulls on the middle of the upper cabinets. Very cool looking but not as functional as placing in the corner. I love it though!

One of my biggest pet peeves with kitchen cabinets are the corners! I went and looked at house for sale a while back and they had drawers in the lower corner. Well, that is a big no no. You can't open the drawer because the hardware of the perpendicular drawer is sticking out. So these people had just decided to cut that knob off! What were they thinking!!! Or more importantly, what was the builder thinking!!!! Function function function, that is what we get paid for!

Here are some corner cabinet alternatives:

This is a cool idea when done right, but when not it ends up looking like this:

 

 And finally, let's end with just some pretty kitchens with fabulous hardware:

~Jessica

"What Were They Thinking Thursday??!!" - What is That??

I am all about using things differently than what they are intended for, but sometimes it just doesn't work. Yes, it is good to re-use things instead of just throwing them away but there is a limit to what can be done with old newspapers.

I think the idea of using things in a different way also stems from the current trend to be different and unique. Especially in my generation, we all want to stand out and not conform to the rules past. Why do you think we have baby names like Apple and Harper? We are obsessed with going against the grain even in naming our children. We all want to have something that no-one else has, we want to be different and have new ideas. But seriously, there is nothing new under the sun. You might think that you were the first one to use pipe cleaners as a fine art piece in your home, but typing it into google gets you 168,000 results.

Ok, I am really not going that deep with this blog post! I just wanted to show you some hilarious things that people use for purposes not intended.

First up, ironing boards!

Ironing boards are not be used for dinner parties!

Or Bars!!

But just like in anything, the rules can be broken. Since the trend is to be different and unique, the outcome can be some really fabulous designs.

This is awesome! The ironing board makes the perfect bookshelf for this space because it is narrow and it looks great painted that bold red!

This antique ironing board makes a really cute bedside table.

Next up, Corks!

Seriously!!?? A cork baseboard, what were these people thinking!!!

Just plain ugly. Don't ever use corks to make your own window valence!

You can make cute little stamps out of your old corks!

Or use them as a vase filler. Great for getting candles to stay in place.

TV trays are not for permanent side tables or coffee tables! Just looks tacky and under-scaled.

If you need to utility of a TV tray but don't want something you always have to fold up and put away, try these pull-up tables from Crate & Barrel. They are sleek enough to leave out by the sofa but still very easy to move around. 

An example of breaking the rules. This antique TV tray looks shabby chic painted and used as a side table.

Don't use sculptures for hat stands!

 

Hmm, creative but does not look good. I don't want a reminder of the laundry I need to do lighting up in my face!

 Yikes, looks like they have been whisking up some cotton candy!

 

Don't try to dress up you fan with shells. This would just be way too noisy with the fan is going!

Oh what to do with the speakers? Nothing! Leave them alone! Don't try to make them blend in, you only call  more attention to them.

Windows: Don't do this to yours!!

 Sheets are for the bed, 7am sunrise!

 Trying to save money on your electric bill? Don't put foil in your windows! Not only does it look tacky but your blinding the cars are they drive by.

Get rid of the boxes! 

Newspapers are not for window coverings! I am all about re-using them but not like this!

 Newspapers make great gift wrap!

Use them to layout your art wall before putting nails all over the wall. 

And now for some really creative ideas that work!

 A barstool turns into a sink in this small bathroom. Looks great! 

 A tent inside the house? Yes! Looks fabulous! 

 Wow! I love this! Frame samples used to cover the ceiling.

An old yard stick backsplash...hmmm..

 yes! It looks great in this downtown loft apartment.

So what do you think? Are people getting a little crazy with trying to be different? Or are some people just tacky or too cheap to buy something that was meant for the job? I think it's a combo. What are some of the craziest things you have seen?

~Jessica