The Finishing Touch To Your Kitchen

A successful kitchen scheme co-ordinates many elements: cabinets, appliances, tiling, taps and, last but by no means least, hardware. Before choosing your handles, knobs and hinges, there are some fundamental questions to ask. Is your kitchen modern or traditional? Choose corresponding hardware because anything else will jar. What materials have you chosen? If you have a modern, gloss finish, stick to a similar aesthetic. What’s the lighting like? For a cohesive look, match the door handles to the finish on wall lights or pendants as door handles.

Stanza’s Thea Ingram, an interior designer specialising in Italian kitchen design, often sources hardware for clients from trendsetting Buster & Punch. “Its utilitarian design works really well to add interest to simple joinery,” explains Thea. “Matching the multiple finishes to the sockets, switches and door handles is a must for continuity.”

Finding fresh, original designs can be challenging when certain trends dominate, but don’t ignore established companies such as Armac Martin and Crofts & Assinder. “Dowsing & Reynolds is my first port of call for hardware,” says interiors blogger Sharon Hornsby of Hornsby Style. “I used its copper switches with gold toggles in my previous home and they looked fabulous. Everyone who visited commented on them as they had never seen anything similar before – I love that!”

Rowen & Wren is also defining current hardware trends, thanks to founder and designer Alex Wren’s ability to deliver style and functionality. “Deciding what to include in our new hardware collection was a combination of building on the pieces that we knew our customers loved and adding new profiles that we felt were missing. For me, the new collection is a story of filling gaps so that every aspect of your home benefits from meaningful consideration.”

A Selection Of Our Favourite Designs