How to Update Oak (Wood) Cabinets with Hardware that’s Budget Friendly (PART 3)

The Best Handles, Knobs & Pulls for Cathedral, Arched or Shaker Style Cabinets 

Are you looking for ideas to update your kitchen or bathroom cabinets without spending a fortune? Or maybe you’ve ALREADY spent a fortune on your space and NOW you want to save! Regardless of whether you’re starting your journey or ending it, this hardware will give you some major bang for buck (non-street-corner style – sorry to disappoint).

The first thing you need to do is figure out what type of cabinets you’re working with…

SHAKER STYLE CABINETS

CAN BE A VARIETY OF WOODS INCLUDING OAK, MAPLE, PINE OR CHERRY

This type of cabinet has a square/rectangle door profile with a ‘frame’ around it. It can be fresh outta the 80s oak or a simple recessed maple panel, but the great thing about this profile is that it’s super timeless (it’s usually the finish of the cabinet that gives its age away).

There are shaker styles that have more detail and some that have less. Some have a raised panel with a bit of detail, and some have a flat recessed panel. Regardless, the MAIN idea is that your door panel has a square or rectangular-shaped ‘frame’ around it.

ARCHED & CATHEDRAL STYLE CABINETS

USUALLY OAK OR MAPLE

Of the two, arched is an easier style to update than cathedral style. Arched is just a bit more subtle, a bit less…churchy. Cathedral-style cabinets are trickier to update as their shape is much more pronounced (passive-aggressive word for dated). In this case, regardless of the finish (wood or painted), it’s the STYLE of the cabinet that gives its age away. And while most of us get curves as we age, these aren’t the type of curves that are easy to camouflage.

And I’m not trying to be mean, I’m trying to be realistic so that I can help you embrace what you have and make the best choices moving forward (I swear)!

Left: Double Cathedral / Right: Single Arch

There is a single arch and double arch, a single cathedral and double cathedral and curse thee who has the double cathedral. The DC is just a bugger to update as its style is hard-pressed to step out of the ’80s UNLESS you want a more country look.

Should You Paint Your Wood Cabinets or Leave Them Stained – A QUESTIONNAIRE

But I digress; let’s stay on track here and start looking at hardware…

Let’s Give it a Name – Transitional

When I’m hardware shopping for clients who want to update their kitchen cabinets, I’m looking for styles that transition the cabinets from where they currently are to a more updated, modern version. I want flexible hardware, that can nod to one style while kindly humouring another – make sense? And we’re going to call this hardware style ‘transitional’.

TRANSITIONAL STYLE HARDWARE TO UPDATE KITCHEN CABINETS

Because shaker-style cabinets are transitional themselves, we can look at hardware with slightly cleaner lines, without being UBER modern and sexy – yes, I just called hardware sexy.

And, of course, you can get most of these styles in whichever finish you like; these are just the shapes to get you on the right track. And while some of these are a BIT pricier than I’d like, you can take the idea and shop at your local store to see if you can find a better deal.

GETTING A HANDLE ON THINGS

Cabinet handles, also known as pulls, have come a LONG way. Gone are the dated plastic pulls of the ’80s and wood-metal blends of the ’90s. NOW we have handles that actually add function AND style to a cabinet door, such as these…

Click on the links below to see the different available finishes.

1.  Cup Pull – Black  |   2. Bar Pull – Black  |   3. Arch Pull – Black  |   4. Cup Pull – Polished Nickel  |   5. Bar Pull – Polished Nickel   |   6. Arch Pull – Polish Nickel   |   7. Cup Pull – Oil Rubbed Bronze  | 8. Bar Pull – Oil Rubbed Bronze  |   9. Center Bar Pull – Oil Rubbed Bronze  |   10. Cup Pull – Brass  |   11. Center Cup Pull – Brass   |   12. Center Pull – Brass 

UGH, YOU’RE SUCH A KNOB

Just joking. However, some cabinets look best with knobs, particularly when you only have one knob hole and aren’t inclined to bust out the drill.

Knobs are a bit more unisex when it comes to working with shaker and cathedral-style cabinets and one knob can often suit both profiles. And really, can you believe I haven’t made a rude joke about knobs yet? I know, it’s disturbing, isn’t it?

Click on the links below to see the different available finishes.

1. Classic Mushroom Knob – Black  |   2. Mushroom Knob – Black  |   3. Geometric Square Knob – Black  |   4. Square Knob – Black  |    5. Basic Mushroom Knob – Polished Nickel  |   6.  Mushroom Knob – Polished Nickel  |   7. Round Knob – Polished Nickel   |   8. Square Knob – Polished Nickel  |   9. Mushroom Knob – Oil Rubbed Bronze  |   10. Basic Mushroom Knob – Oil Rubbed Bronze  |   11. Detailed Mushroom Knob – Oil Rubbed Bronze  |   12. T-Bar Knob – Oil Rubbed Bronze  |   13. Mushroom Knob – Brass  |   14. Simple Mushroom Knob – Brass  |   15. Square Knob – Brass  |   16. Rectangle Knob – Brass

And you might be thinking, ‘umm Kylie, there are a lot of mushroom-shaped knobs in that image?’ That’s because I love you and am trying to save you from the freakin’ AGONY of oval and square knobs that inevitably loosen up and go off-kilter so you spend half your time in the kitchen tweakin’ your knobs so they all line up. I’ve got a few in there, but consider yourself warned. And no Mom, I’m not going to make a rude joke to finish the ‘tweakin’ your knob‘ sentence off but you KNOW I thought about it.

And I know you might have some questions about hardware finish, but that is an upcoming blog post (don’t hold your breath though as I have a few good ones in the meantime).

Want more?

5 Ideas to Update Oak Cabinets – (PART 1 in series)

MORE Ideas to Update Your Wood Cabinets – WITHOUT a Drop of Paint! (PART 2)

The 16 Best Paint Colours to Update Oak or Wood Cabinets or Trim (PART 4)

Need to get a ‘handle’ on things? 

Check out my affordable E-design, E-decor and Online Color Consulting Packages! 

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6 Questions to Ask BEFORE You Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets White

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2018, UPDATED IN 2022