There is no chest of drawers, no wardrobe and no cupboard that cannot be made beautiful by a new set of hardware. Handles, knobs and pulls are interior designer's secret weapons, unholstered whenever things are looking a little tired. Antiques can be made new, IKEA furniture can be pimped and kitchens can be spruced in one fell swoop.
This is a sentiment we hear time and time again when talking to interior designers. When budgets are constrained and certain cuts need to be made, designers often suggest scrimping on the furnishing - be it wardrobes or kitchen cabinets - and splashing on the hardware. As Steven Gambrel wrote in his dos and don'ts of decorating, ‘Hardware is what you touch and feel when entering a house or room (or cabinet). Often, when architecture needs a lift, it is the hardware that brings detail and dimension to otherwise conventional millwork. And when one can budget for the installation of excellent hardware, the room becomes ‘decorated’ before the furniture even arrives.’
A brilliant example of using hardware to elevate ‘convential millwork’ are the IKEA wardrobes in Sophie Ashby's former house in Spitalfields, which have been made to feel much more expensive thanks to the beautiful horn handles from Bosco London. Just as Steven advises, Sophie has splurged on the handles and saved on the carcasses.
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Interior designer Laura Stephens went one step further than Sophie, switching out the doors of an IKEA wardrobe entirely in the Victorian flat shown at the top of the article. ‘We got my joiner to replace the doors of this IKEA wardrobe to match the ‘Gallier Diamond’ wallpaper by Brunschwig & Fils because my client loved it so much,' she explains. However, it's the solid wardrobe knobs from Matilda Goad and bespoke Jessica Light tassels that catch the eye more than anything else.
Perhaps the designer most associated with stylish hardware is Beata Heuman, who launched her own collection a few years ago. Unlike the straight and narrow hardware of old, Beata's collection is a moment for personality, colour and just the right amount of fun. In Beata's own house, seen below, she has used her own range to add visual interest to the simple kitchen cabinetry.
Upscaling your handles and knobs is such a simple fix, but it can dramatically change the feel of the room. As the interior designer Jessica Summer explains, the ‘micro details need as much attention as the macro elements in a project.’ It's not about spending the most money, but about finding the best version of the thing you're looking for. What are you waiting for? Grab the handle by the, well, handle and get going.
