Cabinet Hardware: Finding the Right Mix

As you probably noticed yesterday, my office cabinets are naked. At least in terms of hardware. My decision making process on the matter has been woefully delayed, partially because I'm waiting on my desk, but mostly because I haven't had time to figure it out. The desk will have nickel plated legs that look somewhat like this...

So, nickel is definitely in the mix of finishes. The sputnik chandelier that is currently hanging has a chrome finish, however, I might be changing that. I really want to use a fixture that combines gold/brass tones and nickel/silvers ones. Currey & Company's Allusion chandelier is a favorite, but it hangs long so it might not work. 

And I plan to install a picture light at the top of the center cavity in the cabinet unit, so that finish needs to be taken in consideration as well. I'll probably use Circa's 30" Cabinet Maker's Picture light in Polished Nickel...

With all that in mind, I have decided to use brass pulls and knobs to provide some contrast. I don't want everything in the room to be monotone silver/gray! So, here are some of the options I've been considering...

1) Hexagonal Faceted Handle Pull - Nest Studio
2) Pyramid Cabinet Knob with Backplate - Rejuvenation
3) 6" Modern Pull No. 73850 - P.E. Guerin
4) Brass and Acrylic Handle - Nest Studio

1) Gothic Cabinet Knob No. 73300 - P.E. Guerin
2) 5" Bar Pull in Brushed Brass - Lewis Dolin
3) 3" Mission Style Solid Brass Ring Pull (Antique Brass finish)
4) Cabinet Bar Pull, 5 in. - Harney Hardware
5) Mission D Drawer Pull - Rejuvenation

1) Continental Cabinet Pull 8" C to C - Allied Brass via Wayfair
2) Mission D Pull with Backplate - Rejuvenation
3) Solid Brass Faceted Knob - Nest Studio
4) 3" on Center Square Glass Cabinet Handle with Solid Brass Base - House of Antique Hardware

Brass is tough because it's not a finish that is consistent across manufacturers (like polished nickel, for example). As you saw above, there is a lot of variance in the tone and texture, so I'd recommend sticking with one maker or getting samples prior to ordering.

Anyhow, over the weekend I photoshopped hardware options into a pic of the cabinets to help narrow down the possibilities. Here are a few of the mock-ups...

Pyramid Cabinet Knob with Backplate + Mission D Drawer Pull

Artwork - Louisa by Michelle Armas

 These are the Mission D Pull with Backplates...

Artwork - Louisa by Michelle Armas

3" Mission Style Solid Brass Ring Pull (might need to do the Polished Brass finish) + Pyramid Cabinet Knob with Backplate + Mission D Drawer Pull 

Artwork - Louisa by Michelle Armas

 Pyramids + Rings

Artwork - Louisa by Michelle Armas

Rings + simple bar pulls

Artwork - Louisa by Michelle Armas

The Pyramid knobs and Mission pulls from Rejuvenation are definitely more budget friendly than my other favorites from P.E. Guerin and Nest Studio, so I'll probably end up using some combination of those. I guess I could  get samples of ALL of them so I could play with the mix in person.

Also, In the mock-ups I included a painting called Louisa by Michelle Armas that I'd LOVE to get for the space. I also put a polished nickel picture light in there to show what that finish looks like near the brass.

What do you think? Any big opinions or preferences?

Office Update

If you follow me on Instagram, you might've have already caught wind of the fact that I've been giving my office a much-needed facelift. It's the room that I spend the most time in and it desperately needed to function better. For too many moons there was no effective storage in the space. After listing out my wants and needs, I tinkered with unit design. And finally after working on the project for months (in the start-stop fashion that I do everything at Chez Knight these days),  I had a cabinet unit installed at the end of May. Shortly thereafter it was lacquered and Thibaut's Etosha wallpaper went up. The lacquer was color-matched to the wallpaper so I don't have a formula name/code to provide. Here's a look at the current state:

This shot shows a bit of my organized chaos...

Also, I got my battered old Eames Time Life chair recovered in a Quadrille design that was printed on Perennials indoor/outdoor fabric...

I'm also having a massive custom desk built (that will be over 7' long) and I can't wait to get that into the room. My current desk is a hand-me-down from my parents and it just doesn't offer enough desktop space. I need to be able to spread out the samples, plans, and paperwork that consistently litter my world. SO excited to get my desk...hopefully it will be ready next week.

Other factors that I'm still figuring out are the hardware, artwork, rug and lighting. I'll drill down on those things in another post though so this one doesn't drag on and on.

So, that's where I am with my half-baked office! What do you think so far?

Highlights from High Point - Round 1

Last week I ventured out to High Point Market...my husband refers to it as a "furniture festival," which is hilarious and relatively accurate. Held in High Point, North Carolina, HPMKT takes place in the epicenter of the American home furnishings industry so it draws manufacturers from its own backyard and from abroad. Designers, shop owners, and buyers descend upon the area twice a year to see, feel (and sit on), and price everything from furniture to rugs, lighting, and accessories. It's a rare opportunity to see a massive quantity of goods within a few days.

I went out to shop for a few current and upcoming projects and I found lots o' great stuff. I took nearly 1,100 pics while I was there! After pounding the pavement for four days, I noticed a few trends that popped up in multiple showrooms...

1) Faux Shagreen - aka Stringray, this faux skin was wrapped around all sorts of tables and case goods. It's a great texture and the colorways I spotted at market were most often neutrals like gray and ivory.

2) Cerused Wood - There's an example directly below via Global Views, but basically it's a type of finish that highlights the wood grain and has a modern/rustic look.

3) Lacquer - high gloss, super saturated paint finishes were everywhere...even on lamp shades.

The two chests shown next are both by Bungalow 5...

4) Natural materials used to create unique, luxe adornments.

Pebbles/rocks at Lee Industries

Glass/Mirror/Resin at Made Goods

Bone at Mr. Brown

Pyrite at Emporium Home

Resin/Teak

And aside from the "trends" (I actually hate that word), here are a few other favorite items I spotted...

Linen-covered studded chest at Mr. Brown...

Platinum and gold toned fireplace screens...

Glass pineapple light fixture via Global Views...

Well-priced ceramic gourd lamps with trimmed shades...

Brass swing-arm sconce...

This lamp looks strikingly similar to my beloved Hermès' Balcon du Guadalquivir china...

Woven stools at Palecek...

Globe chandelier with wood beads at Regina Andrew...

Stunning mirror at Arteriors...

 COCOCOZY Bedding!

Chair with pull-out mini side table via COUEF

Embroidered arm chair at J. Douglas

Dining chairs + table from Made Goods

What do you think of the things I snapped? Any favorites? I want that first shapely Shagreen cocktail table for my own house!

In case you've fallen in love with something and want to buy, keep in mind that pretty much everything at High Point is trade-only, so you'd have to buy through a retailer or a designer.

Bed Facelift with Auto Body Paint

I just got the old wooden bed back from Again & Again and it sure does look pretty now! MAJOR improvement over the old look...it used to have a cheesy rustic/distressed finish and now it's all glossy and sleek. I chose to go with an aqua auto body paint color like I mentioned in this post. It turned out great and I love that the color plays nice with the painting on the nightstand. It was painted by my grandmother in 1934.

I'm so glad that the old bed could be revamped. It's always nice to be able to use what you already have! Here are some shots of the bed...I played around a bit with different pillows and throws. I think I like the last one best with the duvet. What about you?

Here is the bed made up with my beloved COCOCOZY throw...

Then I played with some of the pillows from the living room...

Finally, here's the duvet that I've had on the bed...

What do you think of the bed? I think it's super fun and breathes new life into the room. Thanks to Again & Again for doing such a great paint job!

Decisions Decisions

In our bedroom, there is a tall dresser and a kidney-shaped desk that were my Grandmother's. They're definitely due for a little nip/tuck, so now I need to decide on a color scheme.

 

  

Both will likely stay in our bedroom so the finish needs to look work well against dark brownish gray walls.

Don't worry...the TV will not permanently reside on the dresser! The goal is the get it mounted on the wall. We'll put it between the bathroom door and where the kidney desk is...you can't see the area unless you're in the bed (as mentioned before, I detest visible electronics).

Anyhow, here are some inspiration pics:

Orange lacquer

Ruthie Sommers

Turquoise lacquer with white trim

  

Source unknown

Flat black with white trim

  

Source unknown

Black with white drawers

  

Chest by Hickory Chair...Tobi Fairley's entryway via

Tiffany's blue lacquer

Via Cococozy

Glossy black with white (too bad mine doesn't have this cool bamboo trim)

  

Source unknown

Pale, powdery blue with white detail

  

Source unknown

Poppy...love this against the dark wall!

  

Photo from Flickr by Jamie Meares

Subtle aqua lacquer with gold hardware

  

Farrow and Ball Dix Blue lacquer, Kimberly Ayers' office. Photo by Eric Cahan