brass obsessed: hardware styles for the kitchen

Those of you who read p&b regularly know that I recently switched out my kitchen hardware. Sadly, I'm working with a renters reality/budget (read: it should probably be free), so I didn't end up going with my beloved brass. I'm not going to lie, that decision was a tough one. The name of the blog should be a pretty good indication of what I'd pick if cost and convenience weren't an issue. If it's brass, I'm going to want it. Pure and simple.

At the end of the day, though, practicality won out over pretty, and I went with what was uber-cheap and fit the existing holes. So this week, when Christine of Bijou and Boheme and Erin of Elements of Style posted about their incredible kitchen realities/plans, it was like salt in my shiny-loving wound, leading to hours upon hours of obsessing about what I can't have. Or, in other words, a regular Tuesday night.

Seriously though, the more time I spent looking at pics of kitchens blinged out with brass, the more I realized that this is probably the only metal in which I like all styles of handles and pulls, from the contemporary to the downright country. I certainly could never have said that about nickel! So I thought I would pull together a few of the most popular styles being used right now for your viewing pleasure, showing just how versatile this heavenly finish really is. Get ready to swoon . . .

Recessed pulls:

Knobs, both modern and classic:

Bin pulls:

Flat front handles:

Traditional footed:

T-bars:

Vintage-style exposed screw:

See what I mean? I love each and every one of these, even those I would never have expected to - like the bin pulls and the traditional exposed-screw handles (which are now some of my faves). 

So what's your take? Do you have a first love, or would you have just as hard a time choosing? I'll be back later this week to make it a little easier (or maybe harder) with a round-up of the best brass goodies that match the categories above, ranging from the super affordable to the how-do-I-justify-this-to-my-husband. It's gonna be good, so make sure to mosey on back, ya' hear?

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