Door knobs can make or break the look of a room. No matter how much great cabinet hardware you have or what kind of paint is on your walls, an ugly outdated door knob can ruin the whole look. While removing and installing all new interior door knobs can seem like a daunting task to someone who hasn’t done it before, it’s actually a pretty straightforward process that you can do yourself.
So you’re looking for a new lighting fixture as a new edition to your new home, or to possibly update a room. Whatever the reason may be for the new edition, there are certain tricks and tips that may help aide you in your search for the right product. Let’s get right to it!
When decorating a room, most people focus more so on the furniture and color palettes of a room however, lighting plays a key role in completing the design elements of a room.
There are various styles,themes,colors, sizes and shapes of lighting fixtures available, it’s all just according to what you are looking for in particular.
There are chandeliers, mini chandeliers, flush mounts, semi-flush mounts, pendants, mini-pendants, wall sconces, wall lighting, floor lamps, table lamps and ceiling fans.
What’s great about chandeliers, is there ability to really dress a room up. Because of their grandiose appearance, chandeliers usually tend to be placed in dining rooms or foyers. Sometimes, even master bedrooms depending on the size and dimensions of the room. If you still want that “wow” factor of a chandelier but, you don’t necessarily have the space needed to avoid it seeming over-crowded, there are mini chandeliers available. Mini chandeliers make a cute addition to any room, especially bathrooms and bedrooms.
Pendants, are also another type of lighting that seems to be gaining a lot of traction in the lighting business. They are typically low-hanging fixtures, meant to draw attention in the room. They are great for the kitchen and also, seem to be a hot item in many food establishments all over the States.
If you want to avoid any sort of hanging light fixture all together, then maybe consider your options with either a floor lamp or, even a table lamp. Wall sconces are also a great way to add lighting, but to also add a design element to a bathroom or hallway.
Traditional, transitional, contemporary or modern?
Not everyone may know the difference between these style choices but, it’s definitely important to become familiar with them. Say for instance, you would like to go with a more traditional style lighting fixture. In order to get that look and feel, you would go with more of an ornamental design. Typically, with materials such as brass and crystal.
Transitional is more of a hybrid cross between both traditional and contemporary themed designs. Generally, transitional fixtures are comprised of more simple materials such as iron.
Modern themed fixtures usually have less detail and more of a clean, smoother shape to each fixture. Modern, refers to present-day design elements however, modern may also incorporate a more “futuristic” look. Modern light fixtures can be comprised of steel, chrome and glass.
Contemporary lighting fixtures can be both modern and traditional in style. Contemporary typically incorporates new styles from the present day.
When a piece of hardware on a cherished piece of furniture breaks the first thought is to try to replace it with a matching piece of hardware that will be consistent with the wear of the remaining hardware. Many people have luck locating the perfect piece of hardware through collectors, but it is a time consuming process.
Attempting to replace all of the hardware on the piece of furniture can also cause a problem if the hardware is discontinued. With luck and perseverance, the replacement for the original hardware can be located through the original seller or manufacturer, but it cannot be expected that they have ample storage space to stock discontinued items.
Luckily, the availability of new hardware that will compliment the discontinued piece of furniture can be found because of the popularity of reproduction hardware. This makes it easy to match the new design with the manufacture era of the piece of furniture.
When looking for a replacement for the discontinued furniture hardware, examine the furniture surface that hardware removal has exposed. Any signs of aging can be covered up by choosing the new hardware in approximately the same shape and size as the original. You don’t want new hardware installed with a ring of darker or lighter furniture showing around it. That would ruin the entire look.
Some furniture hard ware is attached to the piece of furniture by screws inserted from the back. When replacing the hardware, you’ll have to use screws that go through the width of the wood and into the new piece of hardware. This enables the hardware to attach with no visible screws or nails, leaving a clean, sleek look that is not hampered by messy installations.
Others are attached by tiny nails or screws from the front of the piece of cabinet hardware. These screws or nails will be shorter as they will not go all the way through the wood. Once the type of hardware and size is identified, make sure the centers for handles and pulls match. This is the length between the centers of the two screws that hold the piece of hardware in place. You must carefully measure the distance between the centers of the two screws so that the same holes can be used for the replacement hardware. This will eliminate causing further damage to the piece of furniture by the need of drilling additional holes.
I know It’s difficult to imagine summer when winter just came upon us but, for those of you who plan on installing built-in pools this up-coming year, usually have to get a good head start in pricing and design in order to have everything ready to go by early spring.
Some people like to get fancy with their tile work in their built-in pools, while others like to keep it simple. It really comes down to personal taste and also what your budget is. Don’t feel too intimidated by the installment photos below, most belong to multi-million dollar homes in wealthy countries.
Vidrepur, a vendor we work with here at MyKnobs.com and CoolTiles.com, has a very nice collection of tiles for your built-in pool project. With a wide variety of sizes and colors to choose from, Vidrepur definitely has what you’re looking for. To give you a quick background on Vidrepur, they are a large tile manufacturer based out of Spain, with head quarters in both Mexico and the States. All of their tiles are made from 99% Recycled glass, which is awesome that they care about the environment, as well as a design standpoint.
Featured below are some of their popular glow in the dark tiles. Now, not all of us can afford such an amenity as glow in the dark tiles but, they sure are cool to look at!
Vidrepur offers other material-based products such as, Titanium, pearl and glass.
Featured below are both standard and more extravagant tile work for built in pools. If you visit Vidrepur’s website directly, you can find step by step instructions for installation.
Now that 2015 is in full swing, most of us are looking for a fresh new start. Renovations are common place around the start of a new year as new home decor trends start to surface. With that being said, here are some top trends in home hardware for this year.
Brass has made a big comeback, recently. Sticking with a more European but, rustic look.
RK International is one brand among many following suit with this growing trend recently, by introducing their new line of Valencia Bronze pulls and knobs. Bronze has also become prominent in both bathrooms and kitchens as well, from faucets to accent pieces.
Another growing trend is a “worn” or “distressed” look with home hardware pieces.
Again, RK International released a brand new product line of appliance pulls comprised of Worn Nickel.
Most of us are used to seeing brushed, polished or satin finishes so, this is a refreshing look for those of you who want to really stray away from the typical finishes.
Brass
Brass has made its own come back as well. Although many still prefer a more polished brass look, the growing trend seems to be a more rustic or, antique brass finish.
Two-Toned
Appliance pulls with two tones also seems to be gaining popularity as well.
The two contrasting finishes can really be the right hardware piece to make a room or kitchen have that “wow” factor.
When it comes to accenting home furniture with cabinet hardware, you don’t always have to go with the bold and colorful styles and finishes. This is especially true for those of you who have a large sized room with a need for multiple pulls or handles for your furniture. Choosing the right finish and style is imperative for decorating your furniture, without overwhelming a space. If you have light colored furniture, you may want to stick with a lighter finish for your cabinet hardware as well. Polished Nickel, or other nickel finishes tend to be light and blend well with lighter colored furniture. Some people enjoy the contrast between light furniture and darker colored knob or handles. The only problem is that the focus tends to go directly toward the darker colored objects which, takes away from the room’s ambiance on a whole.
If you have darker colored furniture, having a finish that’s not too light but does have a slight contrast works well. Perhaps using a brushed pewter finish or an antique brass finish would work nicely together.
A recent customer of ours submitted a review of a few cabinet pulls they had purchased for their walk-in closet.
The customer raved about cabinet pulls they chose and how each one seemingly disappeared into the space, which is precisely what they were aiming for, to avoid their space looking like a series of ladders.
With the right cabinet pull choices you can truly transform a space into something that doesn’t take away from the other aspects of the room.
If you go to Etsy’s website, there are a ton of vendors that sell gifts for Christmas, that are actually re-purposed items you can find lying around your own home. Recently, cabinet hardware has become a hot item to re-purpose. Here we have comprised a list of 5 gifts you can make to give to that special someone in your life, this holiday.
1.- Cabinet Knob Bottle Stopper
Did you know you can turn an ordinary wine cork into a decorative bottle stopper with new or old cabinet knobs? You can use whatever type of adhesive you like but, I, myself, am a KrazyGlue kind of girl. I find it gets the job done quickly and efficiently for most mediums used. You can either use cabinet knobs you may have replaced or, you can buy new knobs for relatively cheap.
Crystal door knobs add a really nice, antique touch to the cork.
These make a really great addition to gift baskets, with a touch of creativity.
2.- Cabinet Pull Key holder
Take old or new cabinet pulls and screw them onto a wooden platform or directly into the wall for a quick and creative method for hanging keys.
If your home already has an antique design element , the antique-style pulls will really accentuate the room. Cabinet cup pulls, are also another option to place keys in. The cups will act as a key dish, when flipped upside down.
3.- Tie and Scarf Hanger
I don’t know about you but, I always seem to just toss my scarves into the abyss, aka, my closet. I’ve even started using my jewelry tree as a scarf holder. Of course, this tends to look messy. I thought this idea was brilliant. Take an old or new cabinet pull and screw it into the wall. Voila! Now you have a place to neatlyhang scarves and/or ties.
4.- Coat and Hat Hanger
Most people just hang their coats in their closet but, what does the single person living in a small studio apartment do with no closet space and a room full of coats? Coat hangers seem to be making a popular comeback for many DIY-ers. Especially with all of the cool and creative ways you can make one yourself. All you need is a piece of wood for the backing and some cabinet knobs. Screw the knobs into the wood and screw the wooden backing into the wall. Since there are tons of really cool knobs, you can literally match your knobs to whatever theme your room may be. I personally think crystal and brass knobs on a piece of worn, painted wood looks very artistic and cute.
5.- Mason Jar Travel Mug
Anyone who knows me knows that my love for mason jars continues to grow every day. I love when restaurants utilize them as beer mugs but, the only downside is holding the mason jar without dropping it (especially after a couple of drinks).
That is why this idea is pure genius. Using Gorilla Glue, mason jars and the cabinet pulls of your choice, you can create your own travel mug! After applying the Gorilla Glue to the side of the mason jar, use rubber bands to make sure the cabinet pull really adheres to the glass. Allow time for it to set and dry.
