Reinventing an old piece of furniture through hardware

Do you have an old dresser collecting dust in the garage, or an unloved desk? With hardware, some paint, and a few basic tools, you can turn an unloved dresser, or a roadside find into a cool and unique piece of furniture that you can fall in love with.
 
Augmenting original hardware. You’ve found a French style dresser at the thrift store. You love its delicate curved lines, bowed front, and scalloped detailing but the finish is peeling and it’s missing a few drawers pulls. If the piece has different sized drawers, you could use glass or brass knobs on the smaller and use the originals on the larger drawers. If the drawers are all the same size, you can try to match them – considering the wide variety of hardware available; this wouldn’t be as difficult as it sounds. If you can’t match them, you can find something very close. In that case, put those pulls on the bottom drawers, so the difference will be less noticeable. Add some cream satin finish paint and you have an elegant piece for the guest room, the master, or you could even use it as a foyer table.

Replace hardware to match original design style. If augmenting the hardware isn’t a workable solution for you, you can still find hardware that will maintain the vintage or period look of your piece. Given the wide variety of glass, porcelain, and brass pulls available, you’re sure to find pulls and knobs that will be true to the piece and look wonderful. Dirty glass, distressed brass, or oil rubbed pewter may be a good place to start with something vintage or period. For a more modern piece you may want to go with something with a square or tubular look in a sleek matte finish. For a vintage piece go shabby chic and dry brush off white paint or green or turquoise if that goes with your décor, sand out a few spots to give it that lived in look. For a more modern piece, high-glass black, or white or black and white can make a real statement.

Start with a clean slate – replace hardware for a new look. On your piece the hardware just isn’t salvageable, or you just don’t like the look or style of the original hardware. You’re someone who likes to color outside the lines and want to do something fun and unexpected. Absolutely. Why not? Paint the dresser in an unexpected color, silver metallic, or paint it in several colors, primaries, pastels, or varying shades of your favorite color, whatever colors speak to you. Then find some fun hardware like stained glass or themed hardware such as pulls that are cartoon characters, shirts, shoes, boats. The sky’s the limit. If the dresser is for a child, why not consider painting it in chalkboard paint that now comes in a wide variety of colors, add some clown or bunny pulls and you have a dresser that your kids will love. And can use as a chalkboard too. Imagine a piece of furniture it’s okay for them to draw on. Whatever you choose, you’ll end up with a fresh, new, interesting and beautiful piece that you can love for years to come.
 

A few tips on changing hardware

Regardless of the style and finish you choose for your hardware, you want to make sure that is balanced and functional. So be sure not to put a small knob on a large drawer, or a themed piece that is hard to grasp and therefore open the drawers. If you really want to use knobs instead of pulls, use two knobs if necessary. Test out a few styles to see what works best before making your final decision. The joy of hardware is that it isn’t permanent, and you can change it as often as you like.

All the hardware you could ever need

At Cabinet Knobs & More we have a huge selection of knobs, pulls, and hardware in a wide array of styles and finishes. Visit our website to find just the right hardware for your unloved piece. We promise you won’t be disappointed. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Cabinet Knobs & More us today.