When most people think of hardware, they either think of computers or they think of nuts and bolts. When you’re building a house, though, hardware includes everything from the kitchen drawer pulls to light fixtures. There are a lot of different things that fall under the hardware category, and when you’re building a house, you get to decide the style and finish of all of them. There are so many decisions it can start to feel overwhelming, but you can narrow down your options by looking at today’s hardware trends. Here are a few of the most popular hardware styles.
Satin with Mixed Metals
Satin finishes have been trendy for a while, and that trend is likely to continue. Whether it’s something like satin chrome or satin nickel, people do continue to like satin metals. Today’s twist on the satin finish, though, involves adding a little bit of an accent metal. For example, a light fixture may have just a bit of gold running through it. This gives the fixture a bit of unique detail that makes it pop. These little gold accents are often randomly added, too, so no two pieces are the same.
Brush Gold
Brush gold or French gold is also popular, especially on the West Coast. It’s something of today’s version of polished brass. That was a popular trend in the 90s, but it died off for a while. Now, brush gold is set to become the polished brass of the 2010s and beyond. It looks very nice paired with dark cabinets—deep grays, black, even some dark jewel tones such as emerald and ruby.
You do have to be careful if you go the brush gold route because no one can quite agree on what brush gold is. Each manufacturer has their own slightly different shade for it. This means if you purchase cabinet pulls from one manufacturer and later need to replace one knob, you either need to make sure you buy from the same manufacturer or take one of your other knobs in to make sure the replacement one is the same color before buying it.
Matte Black
Matte black is another popular, trendy finish that many people are bringing into their home. It’s very simple to look at, but it pairs very nicely with many different appliances and colors. Black stainless steel appliances are also becoming very trendy, so many people are matching their faucets, cabinet pulls, and even light fixtures to that color. These matte black items also look great with many different cabinet colors, although you do have to be careful of going too dark. Many people love the classic black and white kitchen, though, and matte black is the way to go there.
Large Cabinet Hardware
Switching it up from color and finish trends, let’s look at size. The upcoming trend is to go big—big handles and big knobs. People are doing everything from six inch handles to 18 inch handles on drawers and cabinets. Even the knobs are getting bigger and bigger. These bold hardware choices are giving kitchens something of an industrial look. These large handles and knobs are paired with cabinets that are very simple. You won’t see many designs or patterns on the cabinet doors or drawer fronts. Instead, many people go with smooth, plain fronts topped with oversized hardware. Some even look for nontraditional materials instead of wood.
Blending Metal and Glass
Another interesting new way of creating hardware is to blend metal and glass. This creates a very different kind of look that works very well on light fixtures. It’s still in its early stages, so not a huge number of manufacturers are using this technique yet. However, it could easily become one of the hottest trends. Some of these light fixtures actually have the metal wrapping around the light bulb. This creates an entirely different look than what we’re used to. It’s ultra-modern, and it likely won’t be for everyone, but those who like that style might want to incorporate these fixtures.
Another use of glass is on door and cabinet knobs. The metal handle is topped with a bit of glass. This glass isn’t necessarily clear, either. Often it’s colored with just a tint of blue or red, making it stand out a little more. These pulls are more the traditional size instead of the extra large ones, but the touch of glass makes it look different.
These are just a few of the unique hardware trends you can expect to see in the future. Which ones will you include in your new house?
