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Do you match cabinet hardware to faucet, etc.?

14 years ago

The cabinet hardware that fits best with my cabinets is an antique rust - brownish with some black highlighting. Does my kitchen faucet need to be oil rubbed bronze then? And if so, won't a stainless steel sink look funny with anything but a stainless faucet? But my appliances are SS. My lighting fixtures are an antique bronze. What is the rule for matching/not matching kitchen finishes??? If I'm going with a SS sink then must the faucet be SS and then should the cabinet knobs/pulls be a stainless finish?

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sombreuil_mongrel

14 years ago

I used six different pulls/knobs/handles; I unified them with a single matching finish. I used the same finish on the faucets as well. I couldn't have things moving in too many directions. There are also three competing wood finishes in my kitchen. I think it's good if some thread is carried through, in my case it's polished nickel hardware. It could be some other "thread" for you.
Casey

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Comments (6)

idrive65
14 years ago
As Stacy and Clinton say, "different pieces [of clothing, in their case] don't have to match, they have to go." Stainless is a neutral. I see knobs/pulls as "jewelry" that don't need to match your neutrals. If you are worried about ORB with a SS sink, buy a cheap ORB faucet at HD to see if you like the color. (Then return it. Don't intall plumbing fixtures from HD) Or have you considered a dark colored silgranite sink?
eastcoastmom
14 years ago
I am doing stainless undermount sinks , faucets will be satin nickel and hardware ORB. I had the same question as you- went through kitchen magazines and found examples of it done with similar cabinet and counter choices both ways. You can do the same thing or check out the finished kitchen blog right here on this forum. I figured out that I liked the unmatched faucet /ORB hardware look for my otherwise tone on tone kitchen - the stainless added just a little extra pop of texture and color. Already have stainless range and ovens , so the faucet does coordinate there, as well as with the sink.
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1) Personally, I do not think all of the hardware has to match in finish. I have mixed chrome and brushed nickel and stainless in the same room. Personally, I prefer them to be in the same "family" (ie: silver colors), but that's just a personal preference. 2) I do not think that hardware finishes have a strong impact on whether a room looks dark or light. I believe that paint, floor color, countertop color, and vanity color have a much bigger impact on how dark a room feels because they fill up the space. 3) If you really like the contrast of dark wood (and/or dark granite or something) with the white, go for it. Consider using a light colored wall paint to keep the room from feeling too dark. I love the striking contrast of white and dark wood. 4) What other finishes would you like to mix in?
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Katherine, Share some pics of your existing cabs and BR finishes and your choices- we love voting! I spent months (cuz it took us over a year to do our Basement BR) picking hardware to match. I did get all shiny chrome and love how it all relates. But my existing upstairs cabinet hardware doesn't match the fixtures at all, and I never gave it a second's thought when we bought the house, and I would hazard a guess that no one has ever even noticed. Think of the cabinets as furniture- I bet you have rooms in your house where the furniture hardware does not all match!
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I took some pics of the three pulls I am mainly considering. One is in PN b/c that is all they had and the other two are brushed nickel. After looking at them, I think I might be ok with the brushed nickel. Here are all three. Bottom is obviously the polished one. It is the one I thought I would like the best too, until I got them all installed (this is in my current mudroom, not future kitchen--cabinets aren't installed yet). The top is Jeff Alexander Belcastel, second is a Hickory pull that looks very similar to JA Bremen and last is JA Tiffany. I think I like Belcastel! I thought I might avoid the squarer look b/c my pendants are rounded, but I think it is my favorite. Here is a view of the two I like the best. Would love opinions.
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@Jan Moyer Oh now that you asked, I‘m renovating my small kitchen to white shaker cabinet, with Calacatta Mirage countertop and backsplash with gray floor tiles. (I’m unable to continue the LVP to the rest of the house) The color is monotonous and I would like to break it with bright gold pulls. I feel like if I continue with champagne gold faucet and pulls, which is more like brown, I’m not going to achieve that contrast?? What should I do? The picture is my current kitchen. The renovation will start in 2 weeks so I need to really make up my mind. Help.
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brunosonio
14 years ago
They don't and shouldn't match, it's too much in a kitchen. Don't be afraid to experiment, you might be surprised at what combinations work in your eyes.

I did the same as posted above...went to HD and Lowe's, bought cheap hardware, brought it home, taped it to the cabinet doors and tried different combinations. Not only can you try different finishes but you can try different styles.

I then returned everything for a refund. Just don't install them, keep the original wrappers, and be careful not to scratch anything. Once I found the combo I liked, I went online to find the cheapest price.

We went with chrome fixtures and brushed SS hardware. I actually found a $6 pull from Lowe's that I liked better than the $25 pull I was going to buy online and saved myself quite a bit of money!

Another thing I noticed...depending on how much metal is in your kitchen (backsplash, appliances, lighting, etc) you may find the hardware needs to co-exist with everything but your plumbing fixtures.
wildcat22
14 years ago
We are completing our new build house, will have walnut stained cabinets, ORB lighting fixtures, black finish hardware, Tropical Brown granite (pretty dark), SS appliances and sink, and ORB faucet. I had the same questions you did and we considered a silgranite sink, but it was just too dark in our dark granite, the SS sink is a nice accent to the counters. And I think the ORB faucet compliments the tones/colors/mood of our kitchen than another finish would. And the good thing is the faucet is relatively cheap compared to all those other features of our kitchen, so we can always change it out down the road if we want. We did see almost the identical kitchen in a model home and liked it all together.
biochem101
14 years ago
In a word, no.

My hardware is pewter. I don't even know if they make pewter faucets. My faucet is brushed stainless.

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