Now, you may think, “a knob’s a knob!” but small changes can make a big impact on the overall look of your home.

Let me explain by drawing from personal experience: the first house my family ever owned was a two-story in a tract housing development, nice because the house had never been lived in before but leery-inducing for how uniform the whole block looked. Friends and family who visited would have a difficult time distinguishing our house (a plan titled “Aster”) from the seven or eight Asters down the street.

Planters and porch swings would begin to differentiate houses from one another. Some neighbors opted for complete front lawn landscaping so that visitors would have to stumble down a winding cobblestone path, encountering a fountain and a weeping willow, before making it to the front door.

My family went for the subtle, cost-effective route – we chose to change the little things, the colors of our bedroom walls, the lamps and the fixtures. Once of the first things we did to the house, in fact, was add knobs to all the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen. Sleek silver pulls made the rather rustic oak finish a little more polished. Not only were they a nice detail, knobs and pulls are ergonomic, making drawers and cabinets easier to open. Although such a detail seemed almost above notice, these fixtures were something that visiting neighbors never failed to comment on.

The picture above is from Du Verre Hardware featuring their recycled aluminum knobs and pulls. The large pulls are from the Series 3 collection and are in oil rubbed bronze. These are designed by Scot Laughton, an internationally renowned furniture and lighting designer. (Dimensions: 0.5″ width, 9.75″ length, 7.5″ center, 1.5″ depth. $42 at Du Verre Hardware).

Also pictured above is the Forged 2 Large Square Knob from Du Verre Hardware. This knob was designed by metal smith Heinz Pfleger, so it retains the handmade quality and rusticity of the original forged pieces. It’s also in oil rubbed bronze, with a retail price of $16. (Dimensions: 1.125″ width, 1.125″ length, 1.5″ depth.)

Installing knobs and pulls is an easy and not-too-expensive way to give your home a new look.

I particularly like the look of the oil rubbed bronze against clean white cabinets – what do you think, readers?

-Kim