Sunday, January 22, 2012

All about hardware

Folks, I got my cabinet hardware.  After much frustration trying to find LONG pulls for our bigger drawers, I finally decided on the Lugarno pulls and knobs from Restoration Hardware. 
I really wanted to find something cheaper, but all the cheaper options that come in sizes longer than 4 inches were very modern or only came in brushed finishes, like Ikea.  I didn't want to do two smaller pulls on the wider drawers, so Lugarno it was.  I got 8 inch pulls for the 33" drawers.
And 6 inch pulls for the 24" and smaller drawers and trash pull out.  
I think they look perfect!  Simple 1 1/4" Lugarno knobs for all the doors. 
I chose polished chrome to match our faucet, rather than the ORB of the lights.  They look fantastic with the faucet!  It is like sparkly jewelry for our kitchen. 
Installing these large pulls what a huge pain in the butt.  I'm not going to lie, it was a good thing Shaun was ice fishing while I was doing this project because I was sweating like a pig (as per usual during this pregnancy) and swearing most of the time.  First, I taped all the cabinets to avoid marking the wood.
The trick was to find the center point on the cabinet, mark 3 (or 4) inches on either side, then use a hardware template to make sure the holes are exactly 1.25 inches from the top of the cabinet since the shaker trim is 2.5 inches thick.  This turned out to be an almost foolproof plan.  See, perfect!  {and, hello!}
This piece of styrofoam totally worked to keep the drawer far enough away from the cabinet frame while drilling. 
The styrofoam also worked like a charm while installing the knobs. 
I drilled an extra hole in my desired location on this cabinet knob template to make sure the knobs were exactly 1.25 inches from the side and bottom of the cabinet.  I'm super picky about placement!
No matter what I did, taping the back of the door/drawer, backing the door with a scrap piece of wood, etc...the backs would splinter. 
I tried to not beat myself up too much, and just dabbed some of my trim paint on the spot, wiped the excess, and called it good.  You can hardly tell when the screw is in place. 
Here is a better shot of our granite, subway tile, and two contenders for paint colors (Behr Pier, Behr Lotus Leaf).  Once we get the granite installed, I'll be testing out these colors on the wall. 
And, we got the appliances yesterday - they are fabulous! 
I'm drooling over the sleek frig and cool microwave drawer.  Who has a microwave drawer?  It's ridiculous.  The slide-in range and dishwasher aren't unwrapped yet, but hopefully they will be installed and ready to go soon. 
I paid $320 for the hardware, that is for 22 knobs, three 8" pulls, and seven 6" pulls on sale.  An average of $10 per piece isn't a steal, but I'm so happy with the sizes, and they are very high quality...totally worth it to me!

30 comments:

  1. oooh shiny and pretty! love it and especially that faucet!

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  2. Your kitchen is going to be fabulous!

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  3. Its starting to look like a kitchen again! I would love a microwave drawer, I've never seen one. Hardware is gorgeous, as is the faucet.

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  4. I LOVE the hardware!! I know that we hear a lot about finding cheap hardware but sometimes it is definitely worth the splurge - especially in a gorgeous kitchen like that!

    It really is the jewellery of the room. I can't wait to see everything put together. Especially that faucet!!

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  5. Bling Bling, the hardware is SOOO worth it. Great choice. And what, microwave drawer. I want one.
    PS. I vote the color on the right, but that's just cause it looks uber fun.

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  6. Wow! I'm so impressed with how everything is coming together. Excellent call on the hardware.

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  7. Gorgeous!! And I think you were right to splurge on the hardware - it's a drop in the bucket at the end of the day and it's so worth it! We have the same hardware in our bathroom and I'm smitten with it.

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  8. pretty! i think it's difficult to find nice cabinet hardware, and rh always has great choices. worth it!

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  9. Yess! So beautiful! I'm so happy to see these pulls and knobs in action, since they're what I chose for our kitchen plans.. And I learned so much from this post, from the nifty hardware measuring tool and the tape trick - Nick's convinced too and we'll be on the lookout for these pulls and knobs every time we swing by restoration hardware outlet. I am SO sick of opening the cabinets sans hardware.. I'm scratching them up! Anyway. Beautiful. Love it. You're making all the perfect choices for your kitchen!

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  10. What an amazing transformation at work! Really nice!

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  11. Looks awesome!!!! I vote Behr Pier as it's also one of the colors we're debating (for the last year) for our bathroom

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  12. Gorgeous!! I'd like to hear how you like the microwave drawer??

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  13. I am majorly lusting over this kitchen reno....majorly. :)

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  14. So, so pretty. So, so, so very envious!! Lucky you.

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  15. gorgeous!
    i'm so jealous of your fancy new kitchen! i can't wait to see it when it's complete!

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  16. When I installed some cabinet pulls, I tried to make my own cardboard template, which worked about 95% of the time. I think your system worked a bit better :) Anyway, great lookin hardware!

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  17. Your kitchen is looking amazing! I love those pulls - they are so pretty and they match your faucet so well. =) I'm looking forward to see your paint samples.

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  18. Wow! This is looking SO good. I love the deep drawers and the drawer pulls are excellent. More than worth the money, in my very humble opinion.

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  19. I freaking love it! It looks awesome.

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  20. I'm so glad to hear someone else who says they sweat and swear when doing this - and I'm not even pregnant! I too am very particular about placement and have found that to be a plus. If you mark both the front and back, you can drill a partial hole on the back and then drill from the front with no tear-out. Your kitchen is beautiful!! I did mine 10 years ago, and I'm starting to get the itch to do it again...

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  21. wow! the kitchen looks great! I am jealous of how much you have done... I should really get to ordering our cabinets ;)

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  22. Sigh I'm going to live vicariously through your kitchen OK? K thanks. I'll be over when it's done. Seriously those pulls look gorgeous. I'm seriously considering using them in our master bathroom but I've already bought the matching sconces so I'm not sure I want everything to be matchy-matchy.

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  23. Sigh I'm going to live vicariously through your kitchen OK? K thanks. I'll be over when it's done. Seriously those pulls look gorgeous. I'm seriously considering using them in our master bathroom but I've already bought the matching sconces so I'm not sure I want everything to be matchy-matchy.

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  24. LOVE. THEM. Your kitchen is totally swoon-worthy!! I so look forward to your posts and updates!

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  25. Nice choice on the hardware! You've done a great job picking out some classic stuff.

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  26. Looking great , I have that stove you'll love it

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  27. Love.it. You so made the right choice and it is like jewelry for your cabinets! Awesome choice!

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  28. splintering sucks. sounds like you tried everything, though. what's always worked for me is using a scrap piece of wood (poplar is good because it's smooth and strong) on the backside. clamp it there while drilling with a sharp drill bit for best results. i like your attention to detail.

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  29. You are a smart lady! thanks for your tips now I can drill the holes for my cabinets. I am using T-bars for mine and one set is 7" long center to center so I think I will buy a basic template for the hardware store and measure my cabs the best way I can. thanks again.

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  30. Thank you for your help. Who knew how HARD purchasing cabinet hardware could be?! I LOOOOVE your kitchen!!!

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Thanks so much for reading....your comments mean a lot to me!
Sara