5 Out-of-the-ordinary Ideas for Using Home Hardware

Many types of home hardware have uses outside of the standard, you just need to think outside the box! Being innovative is a great way to change things up and help make your home look a little more interesting, or to save some money.

Here are a few different ways to use home hardware that you might not have thought of.

Hooks...

… To Hang a Curtain

Get a piece of scrap wood, or a new piece of wood and paint it or stain it to the color you want. Use scrap wood that has faded paint would be good if you like the “shabby chic” look in your home. This piece of wood needs to be long enough to span the top of a window, and only needs to be a few inches wide, and about an inch thick.

Install single hooks about 3 or 4 inches apart across the board, or at least so that they are distanced from each other evenly. Get a curtain with loops at the top, and hang them on each hook, with the edges of the curtains meeting in the middle, so you can pull them apart to let the sun in during the day. You can also do this for a shower curtain, or wherever you want to hang a curtain!

… To Re-organize a closet

Take the rods out of your closet, and install hook racks along the inside walls. Install some up high, as well as some lower, so children can reach to hang their coats. This is a much more convenient way to hang coats in a closet.

House Address Numbers...

… On a Planter

Get a box planter that is big and noticeable, and one that will match the outside of your home. It should be up high (like on a porch railing, or even attached to the front of the house), or at least clearly visible from the road, with a flat front so you can easily install the numbers. Add plants, just not ones that will hang in front of the numbers.

… On a Monogram

Cut out or purchase a large capital letter of your family's last initial. Depending on the shape of the letter, arrange the house numbers so they read evenly spaced, from left to right (straight or diagonally), or top to bottom.

… On a Shutter

Get an old window shutter, or a new one in the color you want. Install your house numbers onto the shutter. You can get extra creative and decorate the shutter in different ways.

What Home Hardware Brands are the Best to Shop for a New House?

Shopping for new home hardware can get complicated, if you are looking for hardware that matches with existing hardware, or if you're getting all new hardware and want it to blend seamlessly across the board. This means you should find brands with a wide selection of collections and finishes, so you can find your style, and find all the types of hardware and accessories you need – towel bars, tissue paper holders, cabinet knobs, appliance pulls, etc. – and have them all match.

This specific instance would be if you are remodeling or you've had your new house built, and now you need to start adding the useful and decorative hardware and home accents. Using the same style and/or finish across your home, from the doorbell to the hinges, can make it look much more polished and cohesive.

We've compiled some of the best brands for just this purpose. The following brands have a big variety, and don't specialize in just one style, like modern or vintage. The following are also examples of what to look for in other brands.

Note: It can be necessary match finishes from the same brand, even though another brand has the same type of finish. The shades and tones in the finish can vary greatly from one brand to another. For example, brass from one brand might be a little darker, or more yellow in tone from another brand's brass finish.

Brand: Hickory Hardware

Why They Are Great

They have a huge variety of collections with different styles and finishes. Let's say you just put the vintage -looking cabinet hardware from the Queen Anne collection throughout your home. The finish is a bright gold-toned brass with a little bit of a weathered texture. You can shop their other home hardware, right down to the door stops, and bathroom robe hooks in this finish.

Brand: Hawk Hill

Why They Are Great

You can do some one-stop shopping for your door bell button backplates, House numbers, cabinet knobs and appliance pulls in collections that cover these things, or collections that go well together. For example, you can grab house numbers in copper, a rustic-looking door bell backplate in weathered copper, your cabinet knobs, appliance pulls or cabinet pulls in the same rustic bronze that is signature of that brand.

Brand: Alno 

Why They Are Great

They have several different collections for bathroom accessories , which are versatile enough to match with any other cabinet hardware or home accent collections. They also offer a wide variety of finishes, to make the job of matching even easier. They have modern styles like the Contemporary 1, 2, and 3 collections, as well as Eclectic and the rustic Hammered or Mission collections.

Some other brands with a big variety of products: Top Knobs, Liberty Hardware, Laurey, Jeffery Alexander and Amerock.