Cabinet Conundrum

Did you know that the average kitchen has 20 - 40 cabinet knobs and drawer pulls?
More than you thought, right? Have you been shopping for them lately? I am not quite sure whether it is terrifying or fun, but I do know it can be confusing. A bit like when we are choosing a paint color; we are dazzled by the endless array, told to choose wisely, surprised by the cost, advised not to scrimp on quality, then wander back home with an exhausted face and an empty shopping basket.

We are told that they are the jewelry of the kitchen, and the finishing touch that we need to pull the entire home together. We start to believe that without these coveted little gems our dreams will surely be squashed, and our kitchen will never, ever be featured on the cover of a beautiful magazine.

But I don't really agree. I think they are both less and more important than we realize, and I find that when we rush to buy them we can easily add a lot of unwanted clutter to our homes. I wouldn't pile on twenty five versions of the same, pretty necklace, or dot thirty three lamps around my living room, so why would I place dozens of tiny, repetitive objects all around my kitchen without more than a moment's thought.

I know I always tell people to buy what they love, and it will all magically work together, but this is totally different; of course you must like them, but if you are buying multiples of something permanent, that all look the same, they automatically become part of your design instead of just a random decoration. I think I actually just confused myself with that sentence, but hopefully you know what I mean.
Forget the usefulness of them for a minute (we know they work) and just think of cabinet knobs and drawer pulls as being lots and lots of small (sometimes shiny) accessories on display in your kitchen.

It sounds frightening (and a bit weird) but really all I am suggesting is that you plan before you buy. Try to decide ahead of time whether you want them to blend in and be part of the design, or a deliberate style statement. If it's a deliberate style that you want, then go ahead, but if you want them to seamlessly fit into your kitchen, do your research, and see what will really suit your home.

And, don't forget to count. It doesn't matter whether you want to have an entire zoo attached to your cabinets, or the simplest of brass pulls, no-one ever has just one ...