Want to liven up your kitchen or bathroom but can’t afford to remodel or purchase new cabinets? One cost effective way to get that fresh new look is to install new hardware on your cabinets and drawers. You have two main designs to choose from; Pulls or Knobs. From these two designs there are near unlimited options in materials, prices and specific styles to choose from. A pull is of course a handle type design utilizing the whole hand, where as a knob requires only a finger or two and is a smaller and most often rounded piece.

Pulls and knobs range in sizes, shapes, colors and materials. Some of the more common materials that cabinet hardware is made of are; brass, bronze, nickel, pewter, glass, plastic, stainless steel and of course wood. You can also get them brushed, polished or even semi-transparent depending on what you are looking for.

Knobs come in various shapes such as a barrel or oval shape, acorn, round and several others. You want to determine the size of the knob and material it’s made from based on aesthetic appeal and utility. For instance if it’s a drawer with heavy items in it, a larger size and perhaps a brass knob would be in order as opposed to a soft wood or glass. For long drawers two knobs may be in order.

Pulls have the advantage of being sturdier, as they are attached at two points, there are fewer materials to choose from but the designs tend to be more ornate. Pulls come in several varieties. They can be rounded, square or have ornate curvature to them. Also, they can be directly attached to a cabinet or drawer or hanging from a back plate.

Ultimately, whether you decide upon a pull or a knob the choice is yours. Once you weigh the choices in material, sizes, designs and price, you still have found a very cost effective way of perpetuating the beauty in your home.