Modern or Vintage - Is a "Dated" Home Hardware Look Right for You?

Do you love sleek lines and polished surfaces, or do faded paint and claw-footed bath tubs make your heart skip a beat? Maybe you like a combination of both, or you're on the fence about which direction you want to go with your home decor. Here is a guide to help you choose, or successfully combine the modern and vintage styles of home hardware.

Basics of a Modern Bathroom or Kitchen:

Modern styles are more sleek and polished, with more geometric shapes, straight or smoothly curved lines and clear-cut angles. They are much simpler, with solid colors that are often neutral. The neutral shades are often referred to as earth tones, and are not featured on the color wheel (black, white, gray, beige, tan, etc.).

   

1. Amerock  2. Siro Designs  3. Top Knobs 4. Atlas

Basics of a Vintage Bathroom or Kitchen:

Maybe you have a specific era in mind. Mid-20th Century retro, or Victorian, or just a general shabby chic/rustic vibe are just a few examples. If you want to do vintage, then you probably have a pretty specific genre in mind.

Vintage home hardware often comes in colors that are warm or cool (they can be found on the color wheel). Be sure to balance brighter colors with plenty of surrounding neutrals, to keep the colors from being too overwhelming.

   

1. Amerock 2. Hickory Hardware 3. Siro Designs 4. Richelieu

Tips for Combining the Two:

When the modern world and the vintage or rustic combine, it's usually because the existing home decor was already one or the other. If you moved into an older home and you want to give it an update without losing the old world charm, adding modern-styled home hardware or accessories would be a great idea.

When installing home hardware of the opposite side of the spectrum, try to find a matching finish that goes with existing hardware in the house, or choose a color/finish that goes well with the other colors in your bathroom or kitchen.

 

1. Brass Accents 2. Sugatsune

Since the colors of the modern style are often neutral, you shouldn't have a hard time finding vintage home hardware that goes well with the existing modern decor. Things that are harder to change, like wall treatments, carpets and indoor architecture can stay the same, while you add interest with inverse-styled light fixtures, cabinet hardware and bathroom accessories (things that are much easier to change).

Make Your Home Look Like a Rustic Cabin with Home Hardware

The rustic look isn't something you see everyday, especially not when it comes to home hardware. Rustic is natural and weathered, looking like it was crafted by a blacksmith a century or two ago. Of course, that isn't really the case, but many brands can create cabinet pulls and cabinet knobs, as well as decorative hooks and others that look as good as old.

1. These Twig Pulls from Schaub & Company add some natural-looking charm to your kitchen. Use these if you have other pieces of decor that feature natural-looking pieces of wood. For example, a shelf that includes a piece of a tree branch left to its original shape would echo this style nicely.

2. Old fashioned and simple shapes are part of the rustic charm, along with the weathered finish, such as this bronze cabinet pull from Hawk Hill Hardware.

3. Sometimes echoing the rustic style calls for using a more subtle approach. The rustic copper finish of this Berenson knob will go along with a subtly rustic decor style.

4. The spiral motif is simple, yet has a nice old world vibe. It's the "olde iron" finish of this Schaub & Company knob that really makes it rustic.

5. This Schaub & Company Knob in Dark Pewter looks like its seen "better days", or that it's been seen a few long hard centuries of wear and tear. Of course, that's how it's supposed to look! These would look great with a set of natural wood cabinets.

6. Use these spiral weathered pewter cabinet pulls by Schaub & Company with dark natural wood cabinets that will contrast the lighter color. Using them with a smooth marble or otherwise solid and polished cabinets would work, but wouldn't drive home the rustic look.

7. Michigan Naturals Forest Floor brown mix Stone Knob, Medium Smooth and natural river rocks as cabinet knobs is very unexpected and interesting in any home. Not necessarily rustic -- it just depends on the rest of the decor in your kitchen or bathroom.

8. The natural wood look would go perfectly in a home with a rustic beach-style theme. These Hawk Hill Hardware Driftwood Appliance Pulls would fit right in with sea shell, river rock and other sea or river motifs.