Decorative Hardware

Decorative hardware provides the ability to show your personality by the chosen finishes or styles. The hottest thing right now is an oil-rubbed bronze (or weathered) finish, which is designed to change over time.

Sometimes you only have to look as far as hardware to give a room a fresh new look. From hooks to hinges to drawer pulls, Matthew Manz illustrates just how much decorative hardware can enhance a home:

· Decorative drawer pulls, hinges and even switch plates can really tie a room together. When you want to dress up a kitchen, a favorite piece of furniture or even the front door, decorative hardware can get the job done.

The most traditional type of front door entry is a thumb latch, but a new idea is just a massive pull with great presence. A locking mechanism is concealed above it under a matching piece of hardware.

· As far as rules for decorative hardware, it’s probably best to stay with one finish within a kitchen, but you could vary the pull styles. Use something completely different in other areas of the home for a statement.

For another personal touch, check out switch plates. They’re generally inexpensive, easy to change yourself and there’s a limitless selection of different metallic finishes as well as ceramic, porcelain and enamel options.

· When looking for new hardware, go to the store with the center-to-center measurement (between the two screws) of the existing furniture or cabinet pulls to make replacing them easy.

· No door is complete without hinges. From knuckle hinges with finials to H- and L-shaped options, there’s a hinge for every taste and every budget.

Drawer pulls aren’t the only way to add embellishments to a piece of furniture or decorative accessory like mirror frames. You can easily jazz up these items with nail heads.   http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/decorative-embellishments/index.html HGTV.com

· With all of the choices, selecting new decorative hardware can be overwhelming so try starting with something that’s been bothering you for awhile. · When shopping for decorative hardware, don’t forget about the exterior of your house as new doorknobs, mailboxes and weathervanes add character to your property.