As “Kitchen Week” continues, pumping up a metallic finish in the color scheme can be amazingly effective.
Cabinet-look kitchens are particularly prone to hardware overload, especially with white since it’s such an effective backdrop. So the very first thing I noticed about this kitchen was the handles — all matching and lined up like a blacksmith’s army in drill formation. Yet the effect was surprisingly stunning since the handles matched not only the dark finish of the elegant steel-frame Palladian windows but their graceful arcs as well. How refined. Along with the white, the wood components (beams and floor) work as neutrals. And the pale gray counters, the stainless appliances (we get a peek at Wolf wall ovens on the left) and sublime mercury glass lanterns are simply lighter tones of the hardware finish. I’ve always been a proponent of more restrained hardware, nothing too brassy (if you’ll forgive the pun) so there’s a lesson here, at least for me: too much of a good decorative detail can become an asset, or even a theme, when it helps drive the overall design.
Another white, black, gray and wood kitchen also shows black hardware prominent on white cabinets. This is successful in a similar way but for different reasons. These handles, pulls and hinges are smaller scale and less numerous. Plus, the window frames and door are white-painted. So it’s left to the dark grout that outlines the white subway tiled walls to marry with the hardware — which it does to perfection.
I am not usually a particular fan of black hardware, but these kitchens are gorgeous, and because of that hardware, as you’re pointing out. I especially feel drawn to the 2nd one, which feels more homey. I prefer this more understated approach to black and white rather than the black counters on white cabs.