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Should Your Kitchen Faucet Match Your Cabinet Hardware?

By: Joanne Derrick |

When designing your kitchen scheme you’ll need to think about which elements should and shouldn’t match. It’s a good rule of design generally not to match colors too closely nor to have too much symmetry. Difference adds character and interest. 

However it tends to be the case that hardware matches the faucet and this might be the smart solution for you. It’s about taste and what works best for your kitchen.

Your overall kitchen design will help you to work out what is best for your space. The backsplash, cabinet and sink color will all influence the finishing touches such as your hardware and other accessories.

Mismatched Looks

Gold with Black Kitchen Hardware

Toned with a subtle gray backdrop, the candy color of this cute pink tile pops. Here, the brushed stainless steel faucet has been matched with a black cabinet handle. So you might think that you should have a black faucet also.

Here, the backsplash is a plain tile, so while it is colorful, it can take a little more detail. This faucet is a beautiful, unusual design so sits as a centerpiece in this look. The metal tones in with the gray cabinets. 

The black is an addition that tells us this kitchen is modern. Too much black, although on-trend, can be harsh. So don’t overdo the black hardware unless you’ve thought it through.

Elegant Classic Kitchen Hardware

This room design has a sophisticated, clean, yet warm tone. It feels as if this kitchen would be a good spot to meditate, certainly to relax as it sends out such calm vibes. 

But how does it do this? With a clever color palette and a finessed placing of accessories, that’s how. Here we have a monotone color scheme – gray, black and white. These could be dull if left alone so there accents brought in by the faucet and the accessories.

The faucet, in an of-the-moment gold color, is given a stylish look by juxtaposing against cabinet knobs in a more subtle black. These are unobtrusive against the dark gray cabinet doors. 

The dried flowers pick up on the colors from the scheme and emphasize the gold faucet. If you have a simple kitchen, adding a golden touch with faucet or hardware can be a great modern lift.

Hardware for a Pink Kitchen

This pink kitchen has a black faucet and gold hardware. It works because of the elements that each metal tone has been matched with.

The pink cabinets and gold hardware complement each other in this ultra modern look. Being opposite color shades on the spectrum, the gold stands out against the pink. If we used black, that would make the handles the focal point. Instead, here there is balance. 

The black faucet does not stand out like a sore thumb. It’s a nod to this decade’s black metal trend. But it has a sense and coherence as the window frames are also made from black metal. 

Look at defining areas of your kitchen. In the way that you might have two-tone cabinets, you can do the same with your hardware.

Fabulous Golden Kitchen Detail

This kitchen hardware and faucet do what you’d usually expect in that the metal tones match. In such an expensive looking gold, it’s easy to see why you’d opt only for that finish.

This look works by staying simple so that the gold is the wow element. The very dark wood cabinets are given a lift with the gold knobs. The top cabinets and the countertops are white so the faucet is best left in keeping with the scheme. 

Note how the sink and the finishing touches such as the lampshade all tone in with the three colors of the foundation of the kitchen – the white, the wood and the gold. 

A Match Made in Heaven

This cool look uses the complementary black hardware and faucet in the best way. The black on white look enhances the bright, clean look of the cabinets and decor. 

The plain shaker style kitchen is brought up to date with the use of black accessories and hardware. But the black has meaning as it connects to the window frames and the shelf brackets. 

Take a look at this idea if you have a plain kitchen you want to modernize on a budget. Affordable back hardware and details will be right on trend.

Toning in Your Brass Kitchen Hardware

This is a pretty, elegant look. Brass works brilliantly with the navy kitchen cabinets. These rod handles add sleek lines to this classic kitchen. The only choice of faucet here can be one that tones in.

The brass finish adds upmarket rustic to this cool blue kitchen. Another metal alongside the brass would look wrong in this scheme. The message needs to be consistent here so black or chrome finishes would clash.

In Conclusion

You can choose to match your kitchen hardware with your faucet or not. It all depends upon your overall scheme and look. 

If you’re more of a maximalist then go for it on the mixing and matching, more is more. Be sure that there is a sense to your choices, though, and that your hardware is working with other elements in your scheme.

If you like a more pared back look then you’ll want to have fewer tones. So a faucet and hardware should be the same finish for your sleek look. Pick from a range of color to get the desired look for your home kitchen.