This Under-$50 Swap Is the Home Upgrade I’m Trying ASAP (It’s an Instant Designer Look)

If you’re a member of the Apartment Therapy Community forum, you might know that I was looking for the perfect hardware to go on the drawer to a wooden table in my apartment for a while. I ended up going with some white ceramic knobs from H&M, pictured here. 

I like them, and they’re a good complement to the basic butcher table, which my parents actually got as a wedding gift in 1991. But lately I’ve been thinking of taking a bigger (but still low-stakes) design risk by going larger with the hardware. 

I recently got inspired by a trend on Nuuly, a clothing rental platform, called “The Wrong Jacket.” It’s all about pairing an unexpected coat choice — whether that’s the proportion of the jacket, the color, or its texture — with your outfit (think: an oversized blazer with track pants, for example.) It’s kind of the unexpected red theory of the fashion world. 

Choosing “the wrong hardware” could be a bona fide design strategy, as many people look to personalize their spaces and make them less cookie-cutter. As the folks at Plank Hardware put it on Instagram, “Go for multiples, go for stacks, go *massive*.” 

I love this trend because it’s bold without being permanent, and it’s relatively budget-friendly to swap out a couple of knobs in your home. I’m starting with my kitchen table and then might move to the cabinets themselves and swap out all of the pulls for something more unexpected than the brushed nickel pieces they came with (still renter-friendly, as long as I store the original hardware to reinstall it when I one day move!).

I love the size of these marble knobs from Anthropologie. My kitchen cabinets are almost the same color as the ones in this photo, and I love the way the brass back plate pops against the blueish gray of the cabinets. 

Varying the two sizes of these Lo & Co knobs (1.42 inches and 2.52 inches) could also create a slightly off-kilter look (but in a unique, good way). The irregular shape of these knobs — and the deep wine color — makes them special. 

These cloud-like handles are a splurge at $35 each, but perhaps they’re worth the $70 investment to make my desk, or a big-box vanity, look designer. They definitely deliver on the oversized, statement-making element. 

I also like the idea of more contemporary hardware paired with a timeless wood, which is why these acrylic pulls appeal to me. And I also love the slight rose tint of the colorway. Sadly, the design is too small for my table, but I could try it on a dresser or cabinet elsewhere.