The Devil's in the Details
If the devil is in the details, then dark forces rule design. “Finishes” is a broad term for literally everything you see in a space. But finishes can be big things, things you’ve been imagining since you dreamed up the room-- or they can be small details that make or break the effect you’re dreaming of.
Exhibit A: hardware. I dare anyone to think about the drawer pulls before they dream up their cabinets. (If you do, you’re a more thoughtful human than I am. Which may well be true.) But get cabinets you’re obsessed with, in a kitchen built from materials you love-- and you can’t help but think that 95% of the kitchen hardware available out there is just not worthy.
Here are five make or break hardware finishes from our Yucca destination to bookmark:
1. drawer pulls
We discovered our Emtek drawer pulls after I had mined the internet and almost given up, and immediately realized that their detail made them perfect. Their proportions are generous and modern, but the oil-rubbed bronze finish has a metal sheen that shines through and gives them a sense of aged patina. Definitely, in fact very, worthy of the kitchen.
2. kitchen faucet
I have a habit of personifying home design elements. I wanted an authoritative kitchen faucet, one that could hold its own against the statement-making stone counters and sassy appliances. Bold, but quiet, I imagined it like an older foreign lover that teaches you life lessons but that your friends don’t really like. Guys, those are not SEO optimized terms. Googling that is not an option. However, now I know that a lever-handle faucet with a pull down spout with two swinging arms are what I was after (and found here)— now that’s much more searchable.
3. door knobs
With Yucca being my third renovation ever and our second west&wild destination, I’ve learned that you have to keep a laundry list of details you care about. Doorknobs are easy items to move past, but finding ones with the right proportions and weight to them makes a design project feel intentional and expensive. We’re committed to these Yale knobs and key free touchscreen deadbolts.
4. bathroom hardware
Right. Towel hooks. Two words that aren’t known for being sexy. But they’re also the exact type of detail that adds quiet character to a space. These Signature Hardware hooks are aged and heavy, and feel intentional, evenly as they hang out in our bathrooms, not asking for any glory. Take my advice: invest the time, effort, and money into choosing details like these for finishes.
5. centerpiece lighting
Forget what I said about the finish coming last in this final section-- the chandelier in the great room was, in fact, the first thing we dreamed up for the whole house. The idea of it was the north star guiding the overall design, and while I could describe it in words (“like a clean, minimal version of a castle from the Spanish Inquisition”), it wasn’t until I found it at Shades of Light that I breathed a sigh of relief-- with it in place, the whole space would come together.
