Happy Halloween! Have you bought your trick-or-treat candy yet? Carved your pumpkin? Put out the rubber spiders?
Here’s something else you should think about: October is Kitchen & Bath Month. The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) chose October for this honor because it’s the most popular month for remodeling kitchens and baths. Why? Because Thanksgiving and Christmas, which are mere weeks after Halloween, are great times for enjoying (some might say showing off) new or remodeled rooms. That’s why homeowners need you, as an interior designer, now—to help guide those projects to completion.
Here are three more reasons you can use to convince homeowners to start a kitchen or bath project this month. First: Remodeling those key rooms will increase the value of their homes. Second: Remodeling those rooms makes homes more comfortable and attractive—a daily benefit for family and friends. And third: Remodeling helps a homeowner’s dreams for a family-friendly kitchen (where everyone hangs out) or a spa-quality bathroom (for the bliss that comes with utter relaxation) come true.
As a design professional, you’re in the position to help homeowners give their kitchen or bath a new lease on life. But if now is not the right time for a potential client to move forward, you may want to share this advice—which we’re sure you already know—“One of the simplest things a homeowner can do to create an impact is to change out the cabinetry hardware. That simple change will impress future holiday guests without breaking a sweat—or the bank,” Stephanie Lowe, Product Manager – Decorative Products for Hardware Resources.
Two styles of polished-nickel hardware enhance a Hardware Resources’ Jeffrey Alexander Chatham Shaker-style bathroom vanity in Chocolate. Cordova knobs grace the middle drawer and cabinet doors; Bremen pulls add horizontal notes to the remaining six drawers. Both styles of hardware are from Jeffrey Alexander. Contrasting oil-rubbed bronze wall sconces add drama up above.
Without standout color, a neutral bathroom needs contrasting finishes (even if it’s a subtle contrast) and added texture to boost interest. In this bath, the satin-nickel knobs echo the marble countertop’s gray veining. Polished-nickel wall sconces gleam on either side of the coordinating mirror. Mottled porcelain floor tiles and a woven sisal rug add interest at ground level.
Some things for your clients to keep in mind about choosing hardware:
- They should forget about being matchy-matchy. Instead, they can create visual interest and express their personal style by using a mix of metals and styles that complements functional hardware, faucets, and light fixtures.
- They can choose one style of hardware for the cabinetry, and another style for the island’s cabinets and drawers. Or—if sections of the cabinetry wear contrasting finishes, they can select a different metal to complement each cabinet’s look. For example, they could use black hardware on the white-painted cabinets, and satin nickel hardware on the natural wood ones.
Changing out cabinetry decorative hardware goes a long way in breathing new life into a kitchen or bath. Below are some Hardware Resources cabinet and drawer pulls from its Jeffrey Alexander and Elements brands that are an easy and inexpensive way to make a fresh impression.
Okay, so you’ve probably figured out we’re a bit obsessed with decorative hardware and bath vanities at the moment. That’s because two of our Adler bath vanities from Elements saved the day for our publicist’s Jack-and-Jill guest bath (don’t let the passable, builder-grade exterior fool you; these vanities had abused tops and the interiors were downright scary). Check back later to see the tricks she used to treat her friends and family to a beautiful new space.
