No kitchen cabinet hardware?

[Jim Stevenson]

Hey guys, so I've been seeing a lot of kitchens (both new and refurbished) with no hardware on the doors and drawers. Is this a new trend? I'm guessing it's to add a more sleek and modern look and to also give the buyer the option to choose the hardware. I personally prefer hardware on but am interested to hear your thoughts...thanks.

[Sam LLoyd]

I've gone back and forth.... most times I end up putting off the hardware installation... and then it never gets done.  Here's what I think.

Door style:  This is the biggest, some doors have a lip specifically for pulling it open, or even a finger grove cut under the panel.  On the other hand, some doors have squared edges, where it would be a pain to pull them open without a pull.

Look: Smooth look?  cotrast?  Ugly brass ones that you can't replace because you'd have to special order pulls with a specific spacing, and they'd be expensive (that's one flip I did).   You have to make the decision as to how much the look will help.

Cost:  That one is simple.... fancy drawer pulls can be very expensive if you add them all up.

So, put all those three together, make you decision, and don't look back, since you'll never be able to quantify it.  What I've done (other than the ugly brass ones).  I've left them off several times since the doors were suited for it and it saved a few bucks.  I've put them on when the door required them and I didn't want tenants to get fingerprints all over white cabinets.

You can find tasteful (and simple) contractor packs at Home Depot and Lowes, as well as Wal-Mart... and probably other stores that I don't have access to here in Alaska.  Good luck with your kitchen.