[jen_va]

This is a long message, so please bear with me.

I'm doing Stat white cabinets with green walls, lava Marmoleum floor (kind of a soft black), Pragel stone effect black laminate counters on the perimeter, Numerar oak counter on the island, and black appliances. The overall feeling I'm going for is kind of cottagey. Originally, I was going to do the hardware in either brushed nickel or satin nickel, with knobs on the doors and cup pulls on the drawers. But I'm rethinking that plan, and strongly leaning toward utility pulls in either polished chrome or polished nickel, like these:


(Not definitely these exact pulls; these are just the first I found when looking for a picture.)

I think these would look great with Stat, and I'd put them vertically on the doors and horizontally on the drawers. The only issue is how to place them on the big drawers. In my perimeter cabinets, the widest drawer I have is 15" wide, so one pull would be adequate. But on the island, I'll have a 36" wide, 4-drawer cabinet. With my original cup pull plan, I was going to use one pull on each of the shallow, 18" wide top drawers and two pulls on each of the deep, 36" wide drawers, like how Kathy did in this pic:


But would the 2 pulls/drawer still look good with the utility pull style?

I'm definitely planning on buying samples of the pulls before I commit to them, but our plan is to get the perimeter cabinets installed so that the kitchen is functional, then focus on some other urgent house projects before building the island (could be a few months, could be closer to a year). So I won't be able to try it on the actual island before committing.

As far as I can see, my options are:

A) Use the utility pulls on all the cabinets. On the 36" wide drawers, use two utility pulls per drawer.

B) Use the utility pulls on all the cabinets. On the 36" wide drawers, use one pull per drawer. (I don't think I'd like the way this looks.)

C) Use the utility pulls vertically on all the doors. On all the drawers, use knobs -- one knob for every drawer 18" or narrower, two knobs on each of the 36" drawers.

D) Try to find a hardware manufacturer that offers utility pulls in two different widths. Use the narrower on the doors and most of the drawers, use one of the wider on each of the 36" drawers. (I don't know if this is a likely option, but if you guys think this would look good, I'll start hunting.)

E) Use the utility pulls on all the perimeter doors and drawers. Use something different, but coordinating on the island doors and drawers. (Like what? What do you guys think would coordinate with this type of pull?)

So, which of the above options do you think would look best? Is there another option I'm not thinking of?

Thanks!

Jen

p.s. When deciding between chrome and nickel finish, is there anything I should consider, other than looks? Does one wear better than the other, or easier to coordinate, or some other consideration?

[DesignDiva]

I like the shiny, either chrome or nickel, and option A. Alternatively, knobs on the smaller drawers and wall cabinets, and pulls on the large drawers and base cabinets with doors.

[DulcineaK]

jmo, but with a cottage feel i don't think i'd go shiny. prolly just a personal opinion.

i have stat white and must say i like the look of two pulls on my large drawers and a single pull on the small drawers. i don't like the look of a knob on small drawers mixed with pulls in the same run. definitely knobs on the upper cabs.

your combinations sound great, can't wait to see pics!
~Dulci

[GardenOfDarwin]

Jen, I agree with Eva, and with Dulci on the nickel vs. chrome issue; polished nickel would be better than chrome IMHO. This is admittedly a personal bias -- I don't care for the blue undertones of chrome...strikes me as cold vs. the warmth of nickel. I have brushed nickel and stainless in the breakfast room, and they blend well. What's your faucet going to be?

I don't have any drawers, 'cept'n the ones in the Perfekt cabinet and the faux ones on the sink base (we have the tip-outs, so needed something there), and we put the cup pulls there. On the sink base doors and the 12" pull-out, we put the same knobs that are on the upper cabinet doors. Here's a pic (on the very slim chance that you're not tired already of seeing my breakfast room...)



On the Perfekt, we turned the drawers around, and used cup pulls -- oh, and on our one Scherr's drawer as well:



Then, on our island we have card holders and we kept the original wood pulls. On the small wall cabinet we have we have finger pulls with card holders and one more knob....all this to say that I don't think a mix is a problem, as long as there's not an obvious clashing of styles.



Out of curiousity, what's the age of your house, and are you going for a certain time period of cottagey?

Susan

P.S. Rejuvenation Lighting (http://www.rejuvenation.com) is a great resource for finding out what finishes were in popular use during different periods of the 20th century.

[jen_va]

Thank you all so much! It's so nice to be able to ask these questions somewhere, and get actual feedback -- when I ask DH, all I get is variations on "yeah, you could do that" and "that would look nice, too." So, just to make sure I'm understanding correctly, you all think that two of the utility pulls, horizontally, on each 36" drawer would look good?

Susan, my faucet is going to be the Essvik with the pull-out sprayer, which I believe is chrome-plated. Do you think that would still look okay with nickel pulls on the cabinets? I kind of hate to match my pulls to this faucet, when it's not really my dream faucet -- just the cheapest one that works in my space.

My house was built in 1980, so it's not like I have to be true to the time period. (Thank goodness-- having an authentic kitchen for this age of house would mean golden oak cabs with brass hardware, fluorescent lights, and soffits. In other words, the original builder's grade kitchen we just ripped out.) I hadn't given much thought to the time period of cottage -- I suppose something that was built in the thirties or forties, and has been lived in with stuff eclectically added ever since.

And I never get tired of seeing your breakfast room!


Jen

[kelly]

Susan,

I spy with my little eye..

COPPER!!!!!

In your breakfast room! Lovely!!

[DesignDiva]

golden oak cabs with brass hardware, fluorescent lights, and soffits

you mean like this?


Yes, folks, that WAS my kitchen when I moved in here, 12 years ago. I shudder to think of it now...kind of like those legwarmers and the wrap shirt I thought was so cool when I was in high school.

Well, it went with my hair, anyway. More than I can say for this kitchen!

[kelly]

Yes, but I see a marble slab there for rolling pastry dough! You may have seriously upgraded your surroundings, but I bet your food has always been awesome!

[DesignDiva]

Good eye, there, Kelly! Yes, I did have a marble slab...sitting on top of my wood pastry board, which I used for bread and such. I taught baking classes at a local kitchen store, so pastries and other GBD* goodies were frequently found in my house.

I really hated that kitchen, because I love to bake so much! Can you believe there were only about 5 usable cabinets? The range is where that stupid whatever-it-is bar thing was. And that fridge was 20 years old when I got it from the church I worked for...I swapped with them because the one that came with the house opened the wrong way LOL

Of course, good pastry and good espresso can make even the most vile kitchen tolerable.


*golden brown and delicious

[DulcineaK]

jen, yes, 2 pulls horizontally on each large drawer.

i don't think you should even worry about matching the finish of your faucet. i don't think i've ever had one match my hardware. currently i have the IKEA cup pulls (SNACKA) on my stat and i have a venetian bronze faucet cause i love it. i've sorta got an eclectic modern farmhouse thing going on so i do whatever i like.

i always think of farmhouse, cottage, country, etc as if it appears to have layered over the years. a faucet added when the old one wore out, a light fixture put in when the time came, etc. that's my own personal take on it, but i get lots of compliments on my still unfinished kitchen and not much matches in mine, it's just filled with good quality that i love