One easy way to make your kitchen look a little more mid century — while also protecting the finish on the cabinets — is to use a polished chrome kitchen knob and back plate combination. (Hey, Rebecca, how about these for your 1963 kitchen remodel, too?) Our first instinct is always to try and find authentic vintage kitchen knobs and back plates. Great finds do pop up on ebay frequently — but usually they are in small lots. That means, for those of us with more than a few cabinets to fit, it may be difficult to track down enough quantity of true vintage knobs or pulls. That’s where reproductions come in handy. I had 31 drawers and doors to outfit — so expensive reproductions gave me sticker shock. But fear not — I found a more budget friendly alternative that still delivers the same great style — and I saved more than $250 vs. the more expensive ‘go-to’ option.
As regular readers likely know, Rejuvenation has several mid century chrome cabinet knob and back plate combinations available. Rejuvenation is usually our first, go-to site when looking for midcentury hardware reproductions. They generally do a beautiful job with their reproductions, and Pam says that she has been impressed by the quality of the different items that she has purchased from Rejuvenation over the years. That said, you’re gonna pay — and increasingly so, we predict. Since the company was sold to Williams-Sonoma, are we right in noticing that their fanciest new lighting is getting wicked expensive? In any case, if you have a lot of cabinet doors and a tiny budget — their kitchen knob and pull options get expensive pretty fast.
At Rejuvenation, the 2″ chrome dish cabinet knob with round backplate combination sells for $11. If you’re like me — and have a total of 31 kitchen cabinet doors in need of knobs — you won’t be excited to cough up $341 plus shipping for kitchen cabinet hardware.
So I went looking for a more budget friendly option — and happened upon this very similar retro styled Liberty 1.5″ Concave Round Cabinet hardware knob. It’s available at Home Depot — for just $1.38 each.
Next it was time to search out some appropriate back plates. After some intense searching, I found a package of 5 chrome door knob backplates from HD Supply for only $4.79 — making each backplate just 96¢.
Update from Pam, see similars on Amazon, similarly inexpensive:
At first I was concerned that the HD back plates might be a bit to large for the 1.5 inch wide chrome dish knobs. The comparisons: The Rejuvenation combination pairs a 1.5″ knob with a 2″ diameter back plate, while my Home Depot + HD Supply combo pairs a 1.5″ knob with a 2.75″ back plate. After putting my two less expensive options together (as seen above), though, I ended up really liking the combination. And, there’s an argument to be made that by wider-diameter back plate is functionally superior — because it prevents even more fingerprint smudges and oils from landing directly on my painted wood when I go to open and close a cabinet or drawer.
I saved $268.46
The only thing that was better than the way the end result looked was how much money I saved. While it would have cost me $341 ($11 each set) to purchase my chrome back plates and knobs from Rejuvenation — my budget version came out to only $2.34 for each set — costing me $72.54 for all 31 cabinet knobs — a savings of $268.46 for my job. I’ve been using the knobs for nearly three years and the back plates for several months now — and they are holding up beautifully.
A note on adding the backplates to my kitchen cabinets — it will depend on the thickness of the individual cabinet doors and drawer fronts — but I did have to buy a few slightly longer screws for five of my drawers to make sure that they were long enough to go through the backplate and screw securely into the knob. For this I purchased a small container of size 8-32 machine screws (1.25 inches long) at my local hardware store for less than a dollar. Standard cabinet knob screws are 1 inch long — the extra .25 inch was just enough to make it through the backplate without being too long.
orangey says
Well done! Thanks for the info.
Chirs says
Wow, kitchen looks great!
However, I think this is a case of you get what you pay for…
The Rejuvenation hardware looks more substantial and may be better quality. They also have a stated (on their website) commitment to being “greener” in various ways.
Kudos for for tracking down cheaper “priced” hardware for the renovation but one also has to consider the “cost”.
Doug Camin says
These are great – I have some built-in cabinets downstairs in the laundry and half bathroom that I replaced the pulls with new chrome ones but had wanted to find good backplates. These will work very nicely.
Stephanie MCM Lush says
Thanks so much for sharing Kate! I actually have both knobs in my house. I splurged and bought the chrome dish knobs (without the backplate) from Rejuvenation for my kitchen. Then when it came time to replace the hardware in our hall bath I stumbled upon the HD chrome knobs. Big $$ saver!
Having both in the house…I wish I had found the HD knobs prior to spending so much on the kitchen hardware. They really are very similar..most visitors ask if the hardware in the bath is the same as the kitchen.
I had no idea that HD had back plates! I’m taking a trip there today!
Kate says
Stephanie — to clarify:
Home Depot has the knobs only, no backplates.
The backplates are from HD supply — see story link.
Stephanie MCM Lush says
Ha. I figured that part out right after I commented. Thanks for clarifying though 🙂
Kate says
No problem — I just didn’t want you making a special trip to Home Depot only to be disappointed! 🙂
Sarah g (roundhouse) says
Yes! My house is nearly all done but one project I’m putting off until a. I know exactly what I want and b. have lots of extra spending money, is to replace my cabinet doors and pulls. I’ve also just been trying to practice ‘love the house your in’ mantra since there is really nothing wrong with what I have at the moment. I too have had sticker shock while looking around. This option is perfect! May have to already get these while I save up for doors….
Janice says
i think your cheap and cheerful solution is spot on for looking authentic and you’re a very savvy shopper to source out a less expensive option. I like your combo every bit as much as the more expensive Rejuvenation one, and in fact, I think I like it more. This is a great idea and one that I’m sure a lot of readers will mimic. I love your kitchen – very cheerful! The scalloped trim above your sink is a-dor-able!
Kate says
Thanks Janice!
I’m sure the Rejuvenation option is great too — but for those of us with smaller budgets for this sort of thing (or many many cabinet doors to outfit) the budget solution is great!
deb says
I’m amazed at the Wms-Sonoma info. I’ve purchased knobs from Rejuvenation over the years, as well as several light fixtures. Just the other day I was commenting to my husband how expensive they’ve gotten lately. No wonder, considering what you let us know today! Oh well… Thanks for the more cost-effective version.
Jay says
As always, your ingeniousness and creativity come shining through. Who wouldn’t want to find a budget friendly alternative?
Vince says
I have those cabinet pulls (in brushed copper) on my ribbon mahogany kitchen cabinets, but without the back plate. They’re vintage, and they’re exactly the same as the less expensive ones from Home Depot, except mine are 2″.
Since the new pulls are smaller, I think the back plate is essential to really achieve that mid-century look. They’re functional too! they’ll prevent wearing down the finish on the doors, around the handle.
Kate says
Exactly. At first I just had the knobs on my cabinet doors without the backplates, and I noticed some paint wear right around the knobs on most heavily used cabinet doors — since adding the backplates — problem solved! no more wear! Plus they really amp up the “retro” factor!
Michael says
The whole kitchen is gorgeous! I love the colour on the cabinets, and the little bit of lustre provided by the stove backsplash. The hardware looks totally appropriate. Great idea.