Kitchen Cabinet Hardware

As you may know, I’ve been doing everything humanly possible to complete a budget friendly kitchen remodel. I started by painting the fridge pink, then the cabinets got painted, next I even attempted to to redo my counter tops with a coat of paint, the sink and faucet got switched out, I installed open shelving, and now I want to talk about the kitchen cabinet hardware!

As a reminder, here is how the kitchen cabinets and hardware looked when I started:

Not cute! But after some painting and hardware, it’s been a major transformation!

For me, a kitchen’s hardware is like the jewelry to an outfit. You get to express yourself and by changing the hardware, you can totally change the room. Its the finishing touch that makes SUCH a difference! And guess what, it doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated!

My must-haves with my kitchen hardware-

When I was selecting the hardware, here is what I absolutely had to have for my kitchen:

a brass finish (to match the faucet)
a modern style (to update the traditional cabinets)
pulls that have a 3″ measurement center to center (so that I didn’t need to fill or drill new holes)
knobs that coordinate with the pulls
an affordable price point (since that’s my goal with this whole space)

hints for finding the perfect kitchen hardware

This post is sponsored by Brainerd, a brand by Liberty Hardware, all opinions are my own. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Everyone’s hardware wish list is going to be completely different, but if you’re using existing cabinets, I’d totally suggest measuring the distance from screw to screw on you pulls and finding a replacement with the same measurement. If you can skip filling and drilling holes when installing, your life is going to be SO much easier! Hint, 3″ is the standard distance.

I’d definitely suggest when looking for hardware to actually touch it before buying a whole set for your kitchen. You need to touch it and see it. This is something you’re going to use everyday, so you want to make sure it feels and looks how you’re wanting it to.

There are a TON of different options for hardware. A fast way to narrow them down is to match your faucet finish to the knobs and pulls.

Finding the perfect style and color of hardware for each kitchen can be tricky. If you aren’t sure what you want or what will look good in your space, I’ve recently discovered the EASIEST and most affordable way to try a bunch of options! Its from Lowe’s and is called the Cabinet Hardware Sample box– its a box of 5 different knobs or pulls.

cabinet hardware sample box

There’s a bunch of different styles of these boxes (I have the Trend boxes). They cost $7.50 each. You buy whatever box (or boxes) you think will work best with your cabinets and then you can take the box home and try them out. You can hold the knobs and pulls up to your cabinets or actually screw them on.

These pieces of hardware in the boxes are inspired by best selling and trending finishes and styles. The boxes are curated to be the best of the best. They’ll help you narrow down all of the choices in the hardware store to avoid decision over load.

Another cool part is, the box includes a coupon. Once you’ve tried them out and narrowed it down to some favorites, you can buy them and use the coupon for $10 off your purchase of $50 of any Brainerd brand Cabinet Hardware purchase. So essentially, the box is free! Plus you can use the knob and/or pull that is in the box. Such a win win situation!

what hardware I ended up going with

For my kitchen, I choose the Brainerd Bayview Brass Rectangular Bar Cabinet pull for $5.97 each and the Brainerd Bayview Brass Rectangular Cabinet knob for $4.97 each. I needed 26 pulls and 5 knobs for a total of $181. For the difference the hardware made to the room, that is a steal! And I would know- the pulls in my last kitchen were $15 each!

I love that these are in stock at my local Lowe’s so I can just pop by and pick up what I need. I’m not the only one that loves instant gratification, right?!

Anyway, I am so, SO happy that I was able to get everything I wanted in hardware looks wise, functionality wise, and price wise. That is defiantly the trifecta of design! Now to go paint the rest of my kitchen cabinets and get this renovation finished ;).