I think hardware is a huge factor in determining the style of your kitchen. Because of how much I think it affects the look of the room, and how much touching it gets - it is one of the areas that I would consider splurging on. The thing is - once you've drilled those holes for the hardware, you're not going to do it over again, so I wanted to make sure that we picked the right handles. I'm staying away from Ikea accessories so that our kitchen doesn't look like it came out of a catalogue. In fact the only Ikea thing in our kitchen will be the cabinetry.
I've realized there is a lot of choice whe picking hardware. Finish. Size. Style. The first thing I did was I studied what my Mom had, because I really love her kitchen. (See the pictures above that I snapped when visiting last) Nothing wrong from studying what others have done. ;)
The first decision was the style of handle we would go with. My Mom has the exact same handles on the uppers as the lower cabinetry - which I love. Many people go for "knobs" on the uppers but I find them too small. So I knew right away that I wanted handles.
I'm gravitating to the finish of "polished nickle" as there is a beautiful warmth to the finish compared to chrome that feels a bit too cold and modern for me. This finish is a bit harder to find in a big box store so I headed to Upper Canada Hardware here in Toronto. Although many of you recommended buying online, I really need to hold something in my hand to see how it feels, to see the finish. So off to the specialty shop I went.
