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?

Media Cabinet Unit Solutions

One of the things in my house that irks me is the media cabinet unit in our den. First off, I hate that the TV is left exposed. I'm one of those people that believes in concealing electronics when they're not in use. I'll spare you the nitty gritty details, but basically there is no good way to add doors. After pow-wowing with several carpenters, I've found that any potential solution is annoyingly expensive and doesn't produce the truly desired outcome.

And besides the doors-over-the TV-section issue, there are other problems with the current unit. The door lineup in the center section of the unit is not symmetrical (and I worship at the church of symmetry). Plus, the whole thing was made during the era of tube TVs so it has a super deep cavity in the center, which of course, is no longer necessary with the super thin flat-panel options we have these days.

Here are some shots of imperfect piece...

One day, our unit will get ripped out and replaced. And when that day comes, I'll employ the magic of the sliding bookcase in the new cabinetry plan. The sliding bookcases will conceal the TV - pure genius, right?!? Well, I can't take credit...I spotted the setup in the following Grange Furniture ad:

The genius TV-hiding solution is brought to you in modular form by Grange. They sell some great-looking Modular Units that allow buyers to put together configurations that meet their needs. Besides the sliding bookcases, I'm also obsessed with the library ladder + rail option that Grange offers...

As you'll see below, Grange has caters to many aesthetics and its modular units can work in almost any room thanks to the variety of thoughtful customization options...

I'm a huge fan of the drop-down desk! It provides storage and a workspace that can be neatly concealed...

Such a KILLER wardrobe/closet - the black with contrast trim is perfect...

Grange's modular units sure beat the pants off of most modular cabinet unit options, don't they? I'm obsessed and have it on my list to go investigate further. Apparently Grange is represented at a showroom here in Big D...was news to me! I'll report back with any interesting findings. I'm super curious about the price range and how it compares to custom.