Article: 13 Kitchen Cabinet Hardware Trends Designers Want You to Try
13 Kitchen Cabinet Hardware Trends Designers Want You to Try
By Vellum & Forge Editorial Studio
Redefine your kitchen through the details that matter most — where craftsmanship meets daily ritual.
Every few years, kitchen design reinvents itself. Countertops may evolve, colour palettes may shift, but the quiet revolution always begins with something far smaller — the hardware. The handle, the pull, the subtle curve your hand meets every morning.
In 2025, cabinet hardware has become the soul of the modern kitchen. Designers describe it as the jewellery of the home — a detail that carries both aesthetic intent and sensory intelligence. Whether you’re building a new space or updating an existing one, the choice of knobs and pulls defines how your kitchen feels, functions, and ages.
At Vellum & Forge, we believe this is where design meets emotion — in the cool touch of solid brass, the matte strength of bronze, and the soft sheen of hand-finished steel. Below, we explore the 13 cabinet hardware trends shaping the world’s most elegant kitchens in 2025 — each one grounded in material honesty, proportion, and craft.
1. Antique Brass Finishes: The New Classic
Antique brass is no longer vintage; it’s foundational. Designers are shifting away from chrome’s cold clarity and returning to warmer, lived-in tones. Aged brass tells a story of permanence — a material that evolves, softens, and gathers light with time.
Design cue: Brass pairs effortlessly with forest-green cabinetry, dark oak, and natural stone. Its patina is proof of life, not decay.
2. Tonal Harmony: Colour-Matched Hardware
2025’s most refined kitchens blur the boundary between hardware and cabinetry. Handles colour-matched to painted fronts create a monochromatic calm, where form replaces shine. The approach feels architectural — seamless, tailored, and deliberate.
Professional insight: Designers describe this trend as “letting colour and texture shine without visual interruption.”
3. Kitchen Gallery Rails: Functional Ornament
Once seen in Georgian kitchens, gallery rails have made a refined return. Typically installed above splashbacks or shelving, these slender metal rails combine function and decoration — perfect for hanging utensils or displaying ceramics.
Why it works: A gallery rail introduces height and rhythm, giving even small kitchens a bespoke, layered aesthetic.
4. Space-Age Hardware: Reflective and Futuristic
Ultra-polished metals — nickel, chrome, and mirror steel — are re-emerging, inspired by retro mid-century design. When used thoughtfully, reflective hardware injects energy and spatial brightness into compact kitchens.
Design tip: To keep the effect sophisticated, pair mirrored finishes with neutral cabinetry and layered matte surfaces.
5. Wood-on-Wood Warmth
As natural materials reclaim prominence, designers are exploring timber handles on timber fronts. The result is sculptural minimalism — a tone-on-tone language that feels cohesive and organic.
Craft note: Consider grain alignment between handle and panel for a furniture-grade finish.
6. Metal Hanging Rails: Elevated Functionality
From pot racks to utensil bars, metal hanging rails have evolved into a design feature in their own right. In modern homes, they serve both utility and expression — showcasing curated essentials while maintaining order.
Professional insight: When crafted in brass or blackened steel, rails add verticality and rhythm to a kitchen’s composition.
7. Mixed Metals: Intentional Contrast
Mixing metals is no longer taboo; it’s the hallmark of design maturity. The key lies in restraint. Pair brushed brass with matte black, or copper with satin nickel — keeping all finishes within either a polished or brushed family.
Designer advice: Tonal balance matters more than match. Metals should converse, not compete.
8. Vintage-Inspired Pulls: History in the Hand
Hardware is increasingly used to add narrative to kitchens. Ornate pulls, reimagined from heritage patterns, bring decorative punctuation to clean-lined joinery. Think jewellery-like detail — large, tactile, and full of personality.
Trend insight: Hardware is where you do something unexpected
9. Handcrafted Surfaces and Faceted Finishes
2025 celebrates imperfection as luxury. Hand-hammered knobs, faceted pulls, and brushed finishes transform metal into sculpture. These details catch and scatter light — their irregularities proof of the maker’s hand.
Material logic: True luxury lies in touch. Machine-perfect hardware may shine, but hand-finished surfaces resonate.
10. Backplates: Layering Depth
Backplates are the quiet renaissance of modern joinery. They frame handles, protect cabinetry, and add a sense of completion. In darker finishes, they blend seamlessly; in brass, they shimmer subtly beneath the pull.
Design note: A backplate can cover old drill holes — an elegant solution for those updating existing cabinetry.
11. Oversized Statement Pulls
Supersized handles now anchor minimalist kitchens, providing both function and presence. They introduce proportion and gravitas — ideal for tall pantries or concealed appliance doors.
Pro tip: The larger the pull, the simpler the profile. Let the scale speak quietly.
12. Organic Hardware Forms
Inspired by nature, hardware with softened edges, curves, and asymmetry complements the rise of organic modern interiors. These shapes invite the hand naturally — intuitive, comforting, and timeless.
Design influence: The shift mirrors wellness design — tactile calm, not mechanical coldness.
13. Bespoke and Hand-Finished Hardware
At the pinnacle of design lies bespoke hardware — conceived, machined, and finished for one space only. From custom patinas to engraved detailing, it’s the detail that transforms a kitchen into a work of art.
Vellum & Forge perspective: Our solid brass and bronze pieces are hand-finished to reflect the light of real homes, not showrooms. True design is not mass-produced; it’s crafted.
Function Before Ornament
“Hardware must be tactile and comfortable,” says Jason Clare , founder of Vellum & Forge. “The hand-feel is super important.”
This sentiment is echoed across the design world — beauty without function is hollow. Every designer agrees: hardware should not only look good, but feel right. A well-weighted handle transforms use into ritual.
At Vellum & Forge, we engineer that tactile intelligence into every piece — balancing aesthetic proportion with ergonomic integrity.
Design Tip: Mixing Knobs and Pulls
A refined kitchen often combines knobs for doors and pulls for drawers, creating visual rhythm and hierarchy. This contrast keeps the eye engaged without cluttering the space.
Pro insight: Uniformity is overrated. Harmony arises from thoughtful variation.
The Future of Kitchen Hardware
The kitchen has evolved from a purely functional space to the emotional heart of the home. In this transformation, hardware carries symbolic weight: it’s where touch meets design, and where the everyday becomes extraordinary.
In 2025, expect design to pivot from spectacle to substance — materials that endure, finishes that soften, and craft that feels human.
Hardware may be a small detail, but it’s the one you touch the most. And in that touch lies everything — weight, warmth, and the quiet confidence of true craftsmanship.
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