Mixing Finishes in Beantown

Today we’re looking at the amazing kitchen remodel of Horton Brasses customer Gena Hooper, aka A Bluebonnet in Beantown. Gena Bluebonnet outfitted her Boston kitchen with an imported British Aga range, custom cabinets by Country Craftsman painted in gourmet Farrow & Ball Cooking Apple Green paint, locally sourced Danby marble and soapstone countertops and, in a nod to modern times, a custom Trikeenan glass mosaic backsplash.

Gena and her DIY-er husband labored over every detail, creating a space of mixed finishes, high function and measured serenity. Understanding cabinet hardware’s small but significant impact on the final aesthetic of her space, Gena chose a mixture of authentic vintage pieces and quality reproduction hardware. The finished result looks timelessly classic.

 

Glass knobs from Anthropologie, patinated vintage library pulls from eBay,  cabinet handles in antique finish from Horton Brasses

 

Gena pairs the vintage pulls on the same run as the new Horton Brasses handles. A risky move not everyone has the courage to take but the payoff is a beautiful harmony.

 

Regarding her choice, Gena states:

I’ve had a heck of a time with hardware. This is what happens when you get all cutesy and buy vintage library pulls. Next to all that authentic, patinated goodness, most modern hardware looked too glossy, too perfect. Plus, I was trying my darndest to keep to a restrained budget. This is where Horton Brasses came in. 

Online, their Antique finish looked like a match for my pulls. The pull shape was simple, and the finish looked muted. Perfect. The hardware arrived yesterday. When they said it would come quickly, they weren’t kidding.

In person, their hardware was even better. The metal was ever-so-slightly distressed. Nothing gaudy, but a lovely, barely discernible texture to the metal. The shape and heft were perfect. Comfortable in the hand.

          

Additionally, Gena mixed in painted wooden knobs, a traditional choice that has really lost its way to the popularity of nickel. Love it! Despite multiple hardware styles, the crystal, wood, vintage and new brass pieces look well put together in a singular space, complimenting–not competing–with one another.

Inspired by Gena’s period-style New England kitchen? Check out the Horton Brasses cabinet handles Gena used, as well as the vast assortment of wooden knobs available.

While I don’t have the cabinet handle Gena has in my own kitchen, Orion recently sent me a sample piece from that collection (linked below). I was actually overwhelmed –in a good way–by the weight of that thing and loved the organic shape and ergonomic feel of the handle. If I had held it in my hand before I remodeled, I surely would have included those handles into my mixed lot of hardware. 

 

Gena used the 4-7/8″ cabinet handle on her large drawers. Check out the 8″ appliance handle for putting a singular pull on large drawers. There is also a 14″ appliance handle in a matching design.

4-7/8″ Cabinet Handle $10

8-3/4″ Appliance Handle $34

14″ Appliance Handle $150

 

*all photos courtesy of Gena Hooper @ A Bluebonnet in Beantown