New Cabinet Pull Direction for 2021

In 2021 we will be gradually be re-formatting our website so that our unique cabinet knobs and pulls can be viewed in greater detail and from different perspectives. This project started in 2020 and it has been quite an undertaking requiring each piece to be photographed several times, then clearly outlined in Photoshop and re-created as a dimensional diagram. We hope the result will allow viewers to appreciate the beauty of each pull and see how each is installed with either a single mount or double screw mount. The new pages will go live when all 70 pieces have received this attention so these posts will be a preview of what is to come.

Our cabinet pulls have been reorganized according to their style and on the number, we could fit onto one page for each collection. The size of the page did present a real challenge when it came to plants and creatures with somewhat arbitrary collections for flowers and plants and animals and flying creatures, but our hope is that viewers will be sufficiently inspired to browse all pages and not be deterred by categories.

The dragonfly is the piece we chose to represent our flying creatures and he/she is attached to with a single screw from the back of the cabinet drawer into the center post which is pre-drilled and screw ready, yes, all of our cabinet pulls come with screws.

The Hedgerow branch pull is attached with 2 screws also applied from the back of the cabinet drawer at a distance of 3 ½” between the centers of the screws. Many of our cabinet pulls can be adapted for surface mounting from the face of the piece but you will need to check with us to see if this is possible for the piece you are considering.

Why Would We Plate Beautiful Orchid Knobs with Nickel?

Our cabinet knobs are cast either in silicon bronze or 316 stainless steel and viewers will know that both are exceptionally durable rust resistant and quite beautiful alloys so why then would we opt to have an order of orchid knobs nickel plated?

Nickel is a metallic element and is one of the elements present in 316 stainless steel. Nickel has a silvery white appearance that is not dissimilar to stainless steel and when both are finished to a brushed satin luster the visual difference is minimal. Why then would we choose to nickel plate a bronze cabinet knob rather than cast it 316 stainless steel? The answer lies in the hardness of 316 steel which makes it a much more difficult alloy to machine and polish and in the subtle difference in appearance of nickel versus stainless steel.

The custom orchid cabinet pulls that have been described in earlier posts were cast in bronze which being a softer more malleable alloy allowed the nooks and crevices of these detailed pieces to be buffed and brushed to remove scratches and imperfections. If the pieces had been cast in 316 stainless steel the hardness of the steel would have made this process far more labor intensive. As the orchids are being installed in a room with several nickel fixtures, we opted to nickel plated so that the pieces would blend well.

F & H Plating is a valuable Los Angeles source and one well known in the interior design and jewelry industries for their gold, silver, nickel, and copper plating. Ron, the founder of F & H is a knowledgeable mine of information on plating techniques and his site describes the electroplating process. We were seeking a satin finish for our orchid pulls, so we buffed and refined the castings to give them a soft sheen. F & H then chemically cleaned the bronze orchids to remove any contaminants, gently re-buffed them back to their satin luster and dipped them in nickel solution which when electrically charged caused the nickel content to bond with the surface of the bronze. Once dried the pieces were very gently buffed to the desired luster and ready to install

Nickel electroplating is a useful process if you have a metal that is prone to rust as even a thin layer of nickel will improve the rust resistance of the base metal.

Cabinet Pulls in Brushed Steel and Brushed Bronze

We have in previous posts discussed how to create colorful patinas and oil rubbed finishes on bronze hardware, but we are often asked to create more understated finishes and are able to do so by brushing or sand-blasting or polishing the surface of the piece.

While the Ergo cabinet pull is contemporary in design it takes on a jewel like appearance when highly polished and becomes subtler when brushed or sand blasted to a low luster.  As with most of our cabinet hardware this cabinet pull can also be ordered in silicon bronze which is a warmer golden toned alloy. Natural bronze, like stainless steel can also be highly polished for a mirror finish or brushed for a subtler effect.

Modern Cabinet Pulls

Once the right amount of luster has been achieved color and highlights can then be added either by creating textural tones with polished and non-polished areas or by applying colored patinas to all or part of the cabinet pull.

In the group photograph the Ergo pull is shown in 4 quite distinctive finishes. The top view shows this 7” wide piece cast in stainless steel and finished in a two-tone luster with the face highly polished and the balance in a softer fine sand blasted finish that accentuates the shape of the wave design. The bottom picture shows the pull cast in silicon bronze and finely brushed. The center pictures demonstrate how the bronze tone can be developed from a light antique to an almost iron black finish using cold patinas that are sealed in place using with oils applied with a soft fine cloth.

Hawaiian Door Pull

We have added a new cabinet door pull to our animal and bird collections and have used the inspiration of Hawaiian birds and fauna to create this piece. The pull is substantial in scale measuring 12” high and 3” wide and can be used either for large cabinet doors or for interior doors.  It is cast in solid bronze and made using the lost wax method of casting which allows us to achieve incredible detail and fluidity in design that is difficult to achieve by other casting methods.

Fusion of bird, vine stem and human attributes for abstract cabinet pull

The pull is a fusion of bird, vine stem and even human features all of which flow together to create an abstract mythical piece.  The pattern for this piece was sculpted in wood and was carved as a 3 dimensional sculpture, both sides having the same design. In the picture we are showing 2 pieces and  by turning the piece over we are able to create pulls that are the mirror image of each other. The mounting posts are attached after the casting has been made and so on this occasion we were too able to create a left and a right pull using one pattern and one mold.

We have named this new addition the “Grand Hawaiian” pull to distinguish it scale wise from the single and double-headed  bird pulls in the same collection.  If you are looking to use other Hawaiian inspired cabinet pulls we also have an orchid stem and bamboo design  to complete your  tiki dream room.

Bigger is sometimes better with our newly sized cabinet pull

If you checked out our Latest News Section on the website then you already know that we are now offering a new edition to our Ergo collection---the 6" wide Wave pull. Those designers who are familiar with this line are already aware of the 2" and 3" pull but there has been a real need for a bigger pieces that are scaled for larger cabinet doors and drawers. I recently had the pleasure of working on a project in New York where we were being specified for many of our Ergo and Morphic pieces but the cabinet drawers simply cried out for a more robust, yet still elegant, Ergo wave. We considered a few possible sizes but decided on a 6”W x 1 1/2”D x 1”H.  Scaling a piece is not an easy task which may explain why it has taken us so long to bring out this piece but we think the wait has been worthwhile.  Designers and architects can now specify this piece that is being cast in either bronze or stainless steel, offering a good color range to suit their clients specific needs.

We have had a lot of fun photographing all the wave pieces that went into this upscale and delightful kitchen project and credit needs to be given to our wonderful photographer Doug Hill for having the imagination to arrange and photograph these pieces to show off their fluid and organic quality.

We would love to hear your comments on this new addition to our Ergo collection or, to view our entire collection of architectural hardware please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

A feast for the eyes: