Functional Simplicity

Decorative hardware has long been valued for its ability to give kitchens and bathrooms a stylish update, tie a design together, or help provide the perfect finishing touches to a space. While often neither seen nor heard, functional hardware is vital to making the kitchen or bath space work more efficiently.

Ergonomic issues, open floor plans, streamlined design trends, new technology and consumer demand for ease of use and silent functions are all influencing current trends in both decorative and functional hardware. That’s according to manufacturers recently recently surveyed by KBDN.

While the trend in decorative hardware is toward a cleaner, simpler look, the use of decorative hardware to instill homeowners’ personal style into their kitchens and baths is also on the rise. “Homeowners are using decorative hardware as a way to add some personality to their kitchens. Our newest designs do exactly that – unique touches that will enhance the personal feel of a kitchen,” says Wendy Haynes, product designer for Hardware Resources in Bossier City, LA.

While many manufacturers see a trend towards simplicity in decorative hardware, there is still some demand for the ornate, lush look. “Simple is in for the young and ornate and decadent is for the last home of the retiree,” says Marte Yerkins, v.p./market development for Grass America Inc. in Kernersville, NC.

“It’s like choosing an accessory to accompany an outfit,” says Haynes. “Decorative hardware is a simple touch that can change the entire look of the room.” She adds that the real push, from a design perspective, has been toward developing truly unique designs. “Everyone has seen a wire pull and mushroom knob before. Why would a homeowner get the same old hardware as every other house on their block? Consumers want to find that new, unique design, and go for the most impact,” she notes.

With kitchen size increasing, the trend for kitchen hardware leans toward “bigger is better.” Jon Forbes, chief operations officer for Alno, Inc in Sylmar, CA says, “We also continue to see a demand for larger and larger cabinet pulls as they are used on larger cabinets and appliances.”

But while long, wide handles appeal to many homeowners, John Pelka, v.p. of marketing for, Hickory Hardware in Nashville, TN, adds that his firm is also seeing smaller appliance pulls used on cabinetry. “The whole area of appliance pulls is one of the growth areas in the overall market,” he says. Hickory Hardware is working to bring more design and unique finishes to that part of the market, building several product families that include appliance pulls, he notes.

Functional Ease

On the functional side, larger drawers and doors require hinges, slides and closing hardware that are heavy duty to handle the load. “It’s kind of behind the scenes, but it’s important that the capacity of functional hardware actually increase from what it has been in the past,” says Pelka.

Manufacturers also see demand for hardware that functions with ease. As the population grows older, Pelka says, people are looking for easy-to-use, easy-to-grip designs. To that end, levers are becoming a popular alternative to knobs, he says. At the same time, designers and consumers are looking for items with style. “One of the major things is the whole idea of functional simplicity with style. That’s really going to be important in the future,” Pelka says.

Dennis Poteat, marketing communications manager for Blum, Inc. in Stanley, NC, sees motion as a key driver to the trends in functional hardware. This shows up in silent-close options for doors and drawers as well as touch open/close for drawers without pulls. Blum offers solutions for both of these – BLUMOTION for the silent close and TIP-ON and SERVO DRIVE for the touch open/close features.