5 Unusual and Inspiring Color Combinations for Kitchens and Bathrooms

If a certain color combination appeals to you, don't be afraid to run with it. Color combinations that usually aren't used in home décor can make your home unforgettable, and as unique as you are. You can also use colorful pieces of cabinet hardware to add color in the most unexpected ways.

Cabinet knobs and pulls don't have to always be in metallic finishes. There is a world of color possibilities in cabinet hardware, waiting for someone to be bold enough. Here are some interesting and unusual color combos for some colorful inspiration.

Black and Orange

A sleek black bathroom or kitchen needs bright colors and white to balance it out. Usually a lot of white is included with all black walls, counters, and cabinets. Orange adds the right kind of zest to this much black, and orange cabinet knobs and pulls are easier to see!

Pink and Gray

Shades of pink along with different shades of gray and silver look stunning together. To keep it from looking flat, use a couple different shades of the gray, and a couple different shades of pink, which are only a little lighter or darker than the other. Gunmetal gray and hot pink look edgy, while light pink and light gray are more soothing.

Aqua and Yellow

Aqua and yellow or gold contrast beautifully, especially when there is a large area of aqua, with yellow accents. Usually aqua or turquoise is used as an accent color, but it can add a feeling of happy serenity to a room if used on the walls, cabinets or in tables and chairs. Pair it aqua cabinets with yellow knobs or pulls. Together, these colors make for a cheery, yet calm atmosphere,

Purple and Green

Muted, bright or dark and jewel-toned, green and purple together make a room feel lush and lively. Purple is mystical and royal, while green is down-to-earth, A purple or green accent wall, with wood cabinets and green cabinet knobs or pulls would be great for a bathroom. 

Red and Blue

Red and blue (dark blue in particular) are bold colors that many people avoid using together in large amounts, because they can be so imposing. Red and blue work best together when one is more muted than the other. Be sure to add plenty of white, black or other neutral shades or colors to balance it out. This color combination for a bathroom, kitchen or dining room is not for the faint of heart.

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.

Cabinet Hardware Installation: How to Choose the Right Size and Placement

Installing new cabinet hardware isn't as hard as it sounds. With the right tools and a few simple preparations, you can even add hardware to brand new cabinet doors without messing up. Here are the things you should know about size and placement, as well as a tool to help you get the job done accurately.

Choosing the Right Size and Placement for Cabinet Knobs and Pulls

If you're outfitting drawers, choose one knob or pull if the drawer is less than 18 inches wide. If it's more than 18 inches wide, you'll need two. Space them about 1/6^th of the length of the drawer from each end. Make a slight adjustment with spacing until you're comfortable.

Omnia Stainless Steel Pull

You should choose knobs with a diameter no more than 1 ½ inches, and no less than 1 inch. You can ignore this rule if you plan on using wood knobs, which can be a little bigger. Always match the size and style to your drawers as well as the cabinets.

1 1/2 inch Allison Knob


Richelieu Hardware 1 7/8 Maple Knob

Always place pulls or knobs in the horizontal center of a drawer, and slightly higher than the vertical center. If they are centered vertically, they will appear slightly too low. Imagine standing in front of the drawer, looking down at it. It would appear too low, and also feel a little too low when you grab it to give it a pull.

Corner template - Image from Lowes.com.

Use a Template to Position the Knobs or Pulls

Don't be intimidated by the thought of adding new cabinet knobs or pulls to your cabinets. There are transparent templates that will help guide you for exactly where to make the holes.

These templates are sold at hardware stores. There are templates that fit around corners, or straight ones, depending on where on the cabinets you drawers you want to place the hardware.

To use a template, place it up against the edge of the cabinet, identify where you need to make the hole, in relation to the edge of the cabinet. Being able to see through this template makes it very easy. Mark through the hole in the template with a pencil. Do this so that the hole/s will be in the exact same spot on each cabinet door.  

Top 3 Essential Pieces of Home Hardware for Keeping Your Home Organized

Being able to organize your home neatly is a huge part of decorating, and keeping a home in general. Many who live in small apartments run into the task of getting their things put away in the limited room that they have. You don't need to resort to keeping your things in ugly storage bins, however!

There are many ways to keep your things organized, without sacrificing aesthetic, or your home decorating style. This is where the jobs of several types of home hardware come in. Here are a few types of home hardware that don't sacrifice form for function when it comes to keeping your space organized.

Label Card Holders

Just screw one of these onto the front of a drawer and write down what is contained in that drawer. These are particularly useful in offices and even closet drawer organizers, where there are many drawers that each hold a specific set of items. There are many different styles of label card holders to choose from.

 

If you already have pulls or knobs on the drawers, you can get just the label holder that functions as a label holder (above). If you need knobs or pulls, there are some great label holders that have one attached.

 

Small Wall Shelves

Free standing shelves are nice if you have the room, because you can forgo putting holes in your walls. Sometimes wall shelves are a necessity in small spaces, to keep things up and out of the way. These are especially useful in bathrooms and bedrooms.

 

You could choose to get a shelf, or set of shelves as shown on the above left, or just a few brackets to hold up a board as a shelf. Put them around your bathroom counter to keep it from getting cluttered, by your bed or your dresser.

 

Medicine Cabinets

They don't have to just be for your bathroom. If you need a mirror in a small bedroom, or anywhere else for that matter, (mirrors make small rooms appear bigger), medicine cabinets can also be used as hidden storage. Keep small things tucked away, but in quick reach.

 

Kids Room Decoration Inspiration from Home Hardware

A child's bedroom should be a safe and fun sanctuary for every child. The theme and decorations should reflect the child's unique personality, or a parent's imagination. When we choose a decoration theme for a child's room, or help them choose, we can let our imaginations run wild.

If you're having a hard time picking a theme, it's always helpful to look at some elements, like home hardware, that you can build on. Sometimes the colors, specific aesthetic and theme are all right there in the knobs or pulls.

A room fit for a fairy princess.

 
The great thing about choosing something like butterfly cabinet knobs or heart-shaped home hardware, is that you can also pair them with anything else that is cute and whimsical. You can also pick them out in whatever color you want, which can help you decide on a color scheme.



You could take a cabinet knob, cabinet pull, or even a decorative hook theme and use the colors and design motifs in the rest of the decorations. For example, if you like the decorative hook shown above, you could pick out flowers that look like it, as well as hearts.

A jungle safari.

What child doesn't love animals? You can mix the different animal pulls together on a dresser for great jungle safari or wild theme. Maybe your child wants to focus on just one type of animal? There are turtles, bears, monkeys, deer, elephants and much more -- even dinosaurs!

The Old West

Depending on your child's age and tastes, elements from Western-themed home hardware might be right up their alley. The knobs and pulls, as well as hooks come in rustic-looking finishes and detailed shapes. Choose a running horse, a bull's or cow's head or even just home hardware that looks like its made from old leather or wood.

Out in Space/Futuristic

Whimsical space decorations are perfect for the future space explorer. Many kids love celestial designs, so these moon and star cabinet knobs would be a lot of fun adorning a dresser or any organizer. 

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).