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Looking at CaraRoses pictures of her kitchen remodel got me thinking about a few things.

I am also getting ready to start a kitchen remodel (painting cabinets, new counters and new appliances). We will be painting our cabinets white and I was also planning to have oil rubbed bronze knobs/fixtures.

So my question is, do you think ORB is a class look or a trend? The same with white cabinets? I love them but I don't want them to be out of style in 10 years. Our current cabients are pickled maple and they were very trendy in the early 90's but now they're really outdated (which is why we're painting them).

All metal finishes go in and out of style so choose what you like. I rarely concern myself with current trends. Other than wall paint, knobs are one of the least expensive things to change should you tire of them.

Painted cabinets are always classic and have been around for years. If you are concerned with changing styles, your counters are the thing that will give away the age of the kitchen more than anything. They are also the most expensive thing to replace.

White cabinets are classic. Oil rubbed bronze probably trendy. You would have to have a specific type of house for it not to look odd in a short time.

Just looked at a house for sale. It was obvious they had replaced the faucet as it was ORB and it looked out of place.

Well, I'm going to givie you my opinion, and that is all it is.

I think you should use whatever you like in your home and not worry about whether it is out dated or not. You are the one that will be living there and if you like it, it doensn't matter if it is trendy or not- only that you like it.

I've got floor guys here now, and as I was emptying my china cabinet yesterday, out came all my beloved watermelon dishes and some of the accessories. They are so 90s. I could care less. When I put my kitchen back together, they are staying out and I'm going to enjoy them through the summer.


Nope, don't decorate you home for others, decorate it for yourself.

Of course, if you know you are going to sell your home in a few years, then my answer would be different. But for you- do what you want and don't worry about trends and being outdated in a few years.

I would agree with metwo on the faucet. You can still have bronze knobs and a nickel or chrome faucet.
I might also add to my previous comment that appliances can date a kitchen too. Stainless steel is very popular but we are seeing a trend away from it. If you are painting your cabinets white, you can't go wrong with white appliances.

I was debating the same thing.
I went with white cabinets and did go with stainless steel appliances only because we are doing this to sell and stainless is still popular in our area. I fluxuated between the ORB faucet and chrome and decided chrome, which I personally think is timeless. Then when it came to cabinets knobs I'm reusing the the knobs from my old cabinets and they were satin nickel. I'm going to add bin pulls to the drawers in the satin nickel if I can find them. The light fixture over the kitchen table I went with a similar satin/brushed nickel finish.
Trying to keep up with current trends can make your head spin.
From what I'm reading brass is making a big comeback....whoddathought!

If your staying in your home. I would put in what YOU love. You have to live with it.
I re-did my kitchen, maybe 11 or so years ago. I put in Antique Copper knobs and pulls. I love them.

Using the Oil rubbed bronze sounds nice. And the easy part is that you can change it out when you're ready for something new.

Are you planning stark white (appliance white) cabinets or antiqued white? IMO ORB works better with antique white/cream and silver colored (nickel knobs and chrome fixtures) with appliance white.

Since you asked I do think that ORB is a trend and it's been around awhile so it's probably on it's way out. White (appliance white, gently antiqued white, or antique white/cream with no distressing) cabinets are classic altho I think the heavily antiqued/distressed dirty look is a trend.

Of course this may only be my picky opinion and I agree with others to use whatever you like and ignore trends. I advise looking at lots of pics to see what you really prefer.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: joyluck,

I spent alot of money changing all of my door hardware to ORB. The hardware is too harsh for my white doors and I'm very sorry I picked that combination. I have alot of brass and bronze antique accessories so I didn't want nickel hardware everywhere.Now I'm stuck painting my doors to match the wall colors, so the door knobs don't look like black polka dots.

I should have stated that my architecture is modern and that my trim color is a cool white without the depth or warmth of Cara Rose's kitchen, so I think it depends on what sort of white you are talking about.

To me, painted white cabinetry has been around for eons, making it a classic.

I would skip the strong contrast of ORB, and stick with something quieter, especially if you are doing new hardware. Get something that blends.

I had a kitchen of knobs at one time. 50+. They really disrupted/distracted the look of the kitchen. NOW, I have handles and knobs that blend with the color of the cabinetry, and a sink/faucet that also doesn't draw attention to itself.

It's less visually chaotic. The eye is drawn to the windows and view outside, to the "things" I have in the kitchen (plates, books, art).

Find another thing to focus your attention on, and don't bring attention to the hardware. To me, that's the wrong item to put focus on.

Just my take on it.

Continuing along the thought that Charles D alluded to: Instead of picking finishes that are on trend, try picking things that look good together. Lay out a sample of the counter material, paint samples, knob samples, etc and choose a combination that is pleasing, and that blends with the rest of your house, with your architecture, and your lifestyle.

I am looking at hardware myself and finding antique bronze (blends with wood better) or aged/antiqued brass is nice too (not shiny new look).

What a great thread with lots of ideas. There are lots of great metal spray paints out there now, so if your knobs and pulls become some thing you wish you had done differently you can always use this option. I have often painted knobs and pulls. The faucets are a whole different dimension though.

I think we should decorate our home like we want it if we are staying. I do think white cabinets are timeless but I also think ORB is trendy.

I think most of us believe that chrome or brushed nickel is timeless because when I grew up that was all we had available.

And yes, I see that brass is making a big comeback, but I won't be going there. LOL

Do what you like and enjoy what you do!!

I'm not sure if it's a quality issue or what, but my experience with ORB is that it doesn't hold up to use...the "finish" wears off. So, if others have had good experiences with theirs, my advice would be to shop carefully.

To me, the style of the house, kitchen and general decor should dictate the finishes. If your decor style is contemporary (meaning what's current, not modern(e)), then going with a "trend" isn't going to hurt resale value, if that's what your concern is. The advice you received regarding looking at all the finishes together is the best, IMO...if it all looks good together and you love it, go with it.

I see you got plenty of responses and I admit that I didn't read them all. When choosing finishes for things, keeping with the general character of the house makes them seem less dated even if it was a trend that has passed-well except for Harvest Gold.

If you need to sell someday, so what if the faucet isn't what the new owners want. They can get their own. That it is clean and perfectly functional is more important. The right person will love the place no matter what small things they may have to change.

In summary, if you like it and it supports the overall style/character of the space, go for it. If you're not sure, think on it for a while and the natural answer will probably come.

THanks so much for all the responses. It REALLY helps.

I should have stated that we NEVER plan to sell our home, so it's only for us.

My problem has been that I'm not 100% sure what I want. We've had chrome with bronze and then brushed nickle. I really liked the looks of ORB and it was a change from what we had before but I don't want to be bored with it in 5 years and regret it. Make sense?

I am happy with the white cabinets (although they will be slightly off white).

Are you the one with the pickled oak cabinets?? If so, I THINK I remember your kitchen from a couple of years back when you were on the quest for a paint color that looks good with pickled oak. It could have been another poster. I do remember at the time that my DD was in the process of painting the same type of cabinets - it made a world of difference - she is so happy she did it.

I love ORB hardware when done right. But I have seen a few kitchens where there is an "overload" of hardware and they stand out in a bad way. I love the mix of ORB knobs, subtle pulls, even the cup pulls when appropriate.

I'm attaching a google search of "white cabinets with ORB hardware". There are a lot of beautiful kitchens, but scroll through the pictures and you will notice that a couple of them jump out as being "too much ORB" if that makes sense. Without being negative on someone's kitchens that they are so proud of, I'm sure that the unattractive ones will jump out at you also. I also like ORB with darker brown-tone counters.

Can you share a picture of your current cabinets - that will help.

Help! I can't remember how to attach a link!

Tuesday

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Tuesday,

I'm also updating my kitchen. My counters will be somewhat simple and neutral in color as will my backsplash. I can paint w/ all my usual colors and it will look good. I will be painting my cabinets and using ORB pulls. And they can be easily changed out down the road if my tastes change.

The sink will be stainless, as will the faucet -

I'm tired of stripping wallpaper and you all can be thankful that THESE walls aren't in your kitchen to fix....

TUesday - YES, that was me with the cabinets. I will try to post a picture tomorrow of the cabients. I will do a google search of the ORB with white cabients and I'll see what you are talking about.

We're also not sure about appliances. We currently have black and like them. I like the looks of stainless but don't like the fingerprints. So we're still deciding on that part.

These are some really bad pictures but my ipod was all I could get out right now. This at least gives you a idea of our current kitchen.

Here is another angle. Also, I'm standing in my living room, so it's all open.

This is REALLY bad but I wanted to show the whole kitchen.

Lastly - This is one of my Inspiration pictures for the cabinets and knobs.

You are going to be so much happier with those cabinets painted white! I really, really dislike pickled oak. As I mentioned earlier, DD had a terrible time picking paint colors with hers unless she went really dark. She is so happy that she painted.

I like your inspiration pic with ORB hardware...that was what I was talking about - the hardware is not too busy.

Tuesday

Thanks Tuesday. I've always hated them too but I didn't pick them out, so I was stuck. I'm so excited to finally have a new and updated look.

Speaking from experience regarding knobs and pulls. You have a much larger selection when choosing a 3" or 4" or even 5" - a solid number rather than getting into 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 center to center.

years ago when I did my kitchen I chose 3 3/4 center to center pulls and when I went to replace them I went to Hardware Restoration to see what they have and they didn't carry my size. I found Top Knobs had the 3 3/34 but not much to choose from.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sunny Daze,

Beautiful inspiration picture!!!

Love, love, LOVE the granite countertop.
Has anyone else noticed that Formica and WilsonArt DON"T make a laminate top to resemble that lighter look?????

Also I could like to point out that the picture features either chrome or polished pewter hardware to match the stainless steel appliance???

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Love, Lu,

Yes, it has ORB knobs/pulls but the stainless or brushed soomething faucet to match the sink and the appliances.

I'm so excited!

Love the inspiration picture. It's so pretty.

Can't wait to see your finished kitchen...YAY

I think I would prefer chrome or polished pewter with your white cabinets. It may not always be the latest in style but it is so traditional, its never really OUT.

Also I'm womdering if you are going to put down granite countertops or laminate?

This is a picture of another inspiration picture that shows the granite that I want. It's called "White Alaska" (I think that's the name). It also shows ORB hardware, which I REALLY like but it has a stainless or brushed faucet to match the sink and stainless appliances. We're also planning to have or center island a darker stained wood, like in the picture.

Regarding handles, my eye is so biased.

For balance, you might consider an appropriate-sized handle on the upper cabinets, knobs on shallow drawers, cup pulls on the larger, deeper drawers. Or some combination, rather than just putting knobs on all uppers, and cup pulls on all lower.

.
ETA: I think the faucet relates to the appliances, and the color of the knobs relates to the island.

So it works. If the faucet had been dark against the background, it would stand out and be an attention getter. The current color blends into the background and is NOT an attention getter. The eye goes to other places first--which, when it comes to drawing attention to a sink, to me is a good thing to NOT draw attention to. Mine always has dirty dishes....
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This message has been edited. Last edited by: Indexlady,

indexlady - In all of the many inspiration pictures I've seen, they either have ALL the same knobs/handles/pulls on everything, or they use the cups/handle on the drawers and something different for the doors. Are you saying to do something different? I only have the regular size drawers (No small ones).

Also, I'm planning to have a brushed/stainless look faucet to match with the sink.

In the inspiration picture, it doesn't look like they have coordinated the size/shape of the handle to the size cabinet or drawer.

The cabinets look na*ked with just a tiny knob on such a large, tall, beefy cabinet. The drawers on the lower cabinets were treated all with the same cup pulls--yet the drawers just underneath the countertop-the same size as yours--look overwhelmed by the cup pull.

In the bank of drawers, there are eseentially two depths of drawers... the smaller, shallow drawer just under the countertop like what you have, and then the beefy, deeper larger drawers below.

I'm just suggesting to step outside the ordinary and consider other options that might look more balanced in regard to cabinet or drawer size in relation to the hardware.

OK. Thanks for the tips

I think your inspiration pic depicting the type of granite you wish to have is beautiful. The white cabinets with the right granite will be perfect with ORB knobs on cabinets and cup pulls on all the drawers. I personally think the ORB will work with white if the right granite is chosen to tie it all together. It appears what you are preferring by way of granite will do just that. I think you have to follow what your instincts are telling you. I like knobs on cabinets and the cup pulls for all the drawers. A very nice look. I also think the clear glass pendant lights that are turned downward you showed on another post will look very nice with this look too. Good luck and will look forward to seeing pics of your finished kitchen. I know you've wanted to do this for a very long time. Just trust your taste for style.

I absolutely LOVE that second inspiration photo! That granite is gorgeous and the ORB hardware would go perfect.

I recently installed a quartz countertop with copper flecks in it, so I got copper hardware. But the sink and faucet is still stainless. You don't have to have everything match.

Love Lu, Yes, I believe that Wilsonart does make a light counter top like the one you mentioned in granite.

The one in the store is all creams and taupes, but you can special order the one with black flecks too.

Thanks everyone. I'm so excited. I told DH all I want for Valentine's Day is to order the new oven cabinet (since that's the first thing we need to do). I'm looking for lights now.

I absolutely love the inspiration pics. Seems every one that I save looks similar to that.

Good luck with your kitchen. I know you will have fun with it.