Cabinet knobs are the smallest hardware in a house and the most handled. A kitchen door opens thousands of times a year, so weight and finish register long before style does. Both of these modern cabinet knobs are solid brass in one brushed gold finish, so the decision is size and shape.

Two knobs in solid brass

Rochelle is the spherical design, a clean ball of brushed gold brass in four diameters from 9/16 to 7/8 inch, in packs of 2, 4, 6 or 10. Balmuto is the minimalist counterpart at larger diameters, 1 to 1 5/16 inches, sold in packs of 10. Solid brass rather than plated metal is a difference you feel in the hand.

Sizing and placement

Knobs go on doors and pulls on drawers by convention, which holds because a drawer tracks straighter from a horizontal grip. Diameters under an inch suit drawers and smaller doors, while 1 inch and up suits full-height doors and pantries. Set each knob 2 1/2 to 3 inches in from the corner, working off a template so the whole run sits on one line.

One finish through the house

Brushed gold travels well. The same knob suits a kitchen cabinet, a bathroom vanity and a wardrobe, which is how one small decision carries through a house. Pair them with modern cabinet pulls on the drawers and the wider modern cabinet hardware range, and the same warm metal reappears on our modern light switches.

Count the fronts, measure one door, then order in one go with a couple of spares. Matching a finish months later is harder than it sounds.