If cabinets are the star of a kitchen, hardware is the unsung hero. Think about how many times a day you yank open the silverware drawer, or how often you pull the knob to your coffee mug cabinet. Those little drawer pulls and cabinet knobs do a lot of heavy lifting—both practically and aesthetically.

If you're looking to freshen up your kitchen without overhauling the cabinetry—which is a serious investment—start with overhauling the hardware. Don't worry about covering up holes either. You can install backplates behind your hardware to give it a polished, elevated look all while covering up any wear from your cabinets' previous lives.

When selecting hardware, remember that they're an often-touched surface. You won't want to skimp on the quality of material for something so integral to the function of your home's (arguably) most important room. Shop for hardware that looks good now and will patina beautifully over time.

Ready to redo your hardware? Scroll on for 17 kitchen cabinet hardware ideas that you can easily recreate in your own home. Some are sleek and streamlined, some are bold and colorful, and some totally unexpected. Choose your own hardware adventure.

01Mix and Match Hardware On Your Island and Cabinets

“This stunning kitchen deserved interesting and show-stopping hardware," designer Marie Flanigan says, and we agree. Her game plan: use various hardware to highlight the difference in the design of the island versus the built-in cabinets, yet magically pull it all together.

Here's how: the pulls on the island mimic the brass edging to the cabinet fronts, while the knobs on the cabinetry seamlessly mesh with the stained wood cabinets also found throughout.

02Don't Be Afraid to Go Oversized

If these round ring pulls remind you more of a wardrobe than a kitchen cabinet, that's what Katie Paulsen, interior design at Maestri Studio was going for. The custom storage piece between the kitchen and living room needed to bridge the two rooms, and the hardware does just that.

"The oversized pulls added the unexpected furniture feel that we were going for, and they gave the piece that special touch that it needed to appeal to both spaces," Paulsen says. 

03Try Sleek Hardware for a Statement

Claire Staszak, the principal designer and owner of Centered by Design, considers hardware one of her favorite details to curate. "It can be sleek, minimal, and intentional—or fancy, sweet, and statement-making," she says.

For this kitchen, she opted for the former: streamlined inset campaign-style (referencing old military luggage) hardware, all in polished nickel, to make these drawer boxes extra special.

04

Experiment With Bold Colors in a Small Space

If the idea of going bright and bold in your kitchen is too much, how about in a bar nook instead? Mel Bean Interiors did just that in this space, where Bean wanted to feature a standout design while keeping functionality at the forefront.

"The contrast of the malachite stone hardware with the mulberry cabinet color offers a surprising, yet complementing combination that works well in small spaces," Bean says.

05Opt for Touches of Metallic

Leave it to Marie Flanigan Interiors to know just what hardware would add depth and intrigue to this kitchen. "The ornamental bolts and custom back plates give the room added metallic touches and draw the eye to the gorgeous millwork," Flanigan says.

06Use Antique Brass to Add Warmth

Designer Joshua Smith has some words of wisdom regarding kitchen hardware: "When you’re working with a neutral color palette, think of cabinet hardware as jewelry for the kitchen."

Here, Smith opted for elegant yet minimal hardware that echoes the clean and modern lines of the kitchen, choosing an antique brass finish to add some warmth to the white lacquer cabinetry. 

07Take Inspiration From Your Favorite Movie

For her cozy cottage kitchen, Liz Marie Galvan was inspired by one of her favorite movies (and probably one of yours too): The Holiday. "Painting large wooden knobs that are the same color as the cabinets were such an easy and affordable DIY to create for our kitchen," she says. 

08Stun With Contrasting Black and White

What is black and white and gorgeous all over? You guessed it. Designer Lindye Galloway, the founder and chief creative officer of Lindye Galloway Design Studio + Shop, kept it classic for this enviable all-white kitchen.

"Within this project, we opted for matte black linear hardware on the perimeter of the cabinetry to give a subtle yet modern look to the kitchen," Galloway says.

09Select Hardware That Won't Date Itself

Anna Franklin, interior designer and founder of Stone House Collective, selected this kitchen's hardware with one goal in mind: to look both modern yet timeless. Mission accomplished.

"It will look neither too trendy in present date, yet won’t become dated in the years to come," says Franklin.

10Note That Sometimes Imperfect Is Perfect

Designer Marie Flanigan sings the praises of the incredibly versatile selection of hardware from Rocky Mountain Hardware, which she used in the serene kitchen above.

"I love how the fluting is slightly imperfect, which only serves to highlight the elevated craftsmanship," Flanigan says. "With so many finishes, the hardware is perfect in any palette.”

he world of bedding choices is a vast (and sometimes overwhelming) one. Not only does bedding keep you comfortable at night, but it also provides a major amount of style and design to a room.

Whether you're looking to re-style existing bedding, or you're headed for an entirely new look, here are 20 of the best bedding ideas.

01Go for Gray

Calming shades of gray can be the ideal bedding pick if you're looking to create a relaxing environment. To keep a gray bedding look from feeling too gloomy, pair it with a few touches of white like the designer did above, to add in some brightness to the toned-down space.

02Use Throw Blankets

Throw blankets are an easy way to quickly and affordably switch out your bedding's look. Use throw blankets on top of a neutral-colored bedding (white is a popular choice) and change them out seasonally or according to your mood.

03Don't Forget Daybeds

Daybeds: the staple of guest bedroom/office combos everywhere. But just because a daybed does double duty doesn't mean it can't have great bedding too. Use statement throw pillows that complement the bedding for a look that works for this sofa/bed combination.

04Get Inspired by Quilts

If you want bedding that's as unique and fun as you are, take some inspiration from quilts. Pair a vibrantly patterned quilt with equally bold patchwork pillows and shams, and you'll be left with a bedding look that's eye-catching and vivacious.

05Contrast Textures

Contrast is a key feature of a well-designed space. For a chic contrasted look, pair a set of smooth sheets with a textured pouf or wool blanket, like designer Katie LeClerq did here.

06Break Out the Blue

Serene blue is another stunning bedding color choice. For a relaxing look, pick deep and rich blues over bright or neon shades. But blue bedding doesn't need to be all blue either—you can also use it as an accent and pair alongside off-white or gray.

07Give Linen Some Love

Linen bedding is having a moment. Its messy chic look makes a bedroom feel down-to-earth, cozy and put-together, all at once. But a word of warning before you purchase linen everything: low-quality linen can be scratchy and uncomfortable, and even high quality linen may take a few sleeps and washes to be 'broken into'.

08Pair Patterns

Who says bedding needs to all be uniform? Varying patterns can give your bedding a unique look, and it can be done pretty easily too. To make contrasting patterns work for your bedding, keep the patterns in the same one or two colors, and keep the coloring neutral if you want the look to be more subtle.

09Create Length

Make your bed stand out in an understated way, or make it look larger by adding a bedding with long vertical lines to give it more dimension. This can look like a quilt with vertical stitching, a throw blanket with fringe, or even a striped throw pillow. Put them together for a bed that makes a subtle statement.

10Draw Some Borders

For an elegant and contemporary look, use bedding with aesthetic borders. It's a great way to bring some color into a space while still ensuring it looks high-end. The borders prevent you from having an endless sea-of-monochrome-bedding look.

11Mix and Match Neutrals

Another way to break up blocks of solid color is by mixing and matching neutral bedding pieces, like an off-white duvet with a beige quilt and tan pillows. Your bed will still be a respite of relaxation, but it will look styled and put-together too.

12Try Vintage

Looking for bedding that feels more one-of-a-kind, rather than generic-department-store? Head to the thrift store. The linens section of a second-hand shop can be a treasure trove of unique bedding picks—just make sure you wash whatever you bring home.

13Bring in Velvet

Velvet gives your bed a lush look like no other. Though it's not a great pick for sheets or pillowcases, velvet is a luxurious and warm choice for coverlets, shams and duvets.

14Use White Patterns

Another way to bring in a subtle touch of pattern is by using white bedding that has faint patterns, like what's pictured above, from designer Katie LeClerq. There's something to be said about patterns that can only be seen up close, and subtly-patterned bedding sets your bed apart from one with a run-of-the-mill white sheet set.

15Match Your Bed Frame to Your Bedding

A little bit of monochrome never hurt anyone, and this bedroom, from Katie Hodges Design, goes to show it. To get the look yourself, look for an upholstered bed frame and bedding in a similar color. Repeat that same color one or two other places in your bedroom for a cohesive look.

16Make a Statement

To make your bedding the statement of your bedroom, use throw pillows to draw the eye towards the bed. To do this, pick a few throw pillows that tie in bedding colors (and any other prominent colors in your bedroom) and feature a bold or fun pattern in those colors.

17Get Inspired by Area Rugs

Another great source of bedding inspiration is area rugs, especially if you're already planning to use one in your bedroom. See if you can incorporate any of the patterns from the rug into your bedding, like Arbor & Co did above.

18Keep It Simple

Looking for a bedding look without much fuss? Sometimes, a simple white sheet set, paired with a throw pillow or blanket, is all you really need.

19Try Out Metallics

Metallics may not be your go-to color when you think of bedding. But it's time to add them to the list. Metallic accents, like the throw pillow above from Katie LeClerq, can make bedding feel chic, upscale and a little bit fun.

20Use All the Pillows

Extra pillows, especially stylish ones that match the rest of the room, make bedding feel more upscale and hotel-like, plus they can be switched out anytime with new ones.