Whether you’re replacing your cabinets with new RTA kitchen cabinets, or giving your kitchen a minor makeover with some new hardware, bronze is a finish option you might want to give a second look. We’re going to include a variety of specific finishes in this category today, and depending on what model of hardware you’re interested in, it could be called anything from “oil-rubbed bronze” to “satin antiqued brass,” but the common theme is a dark, non-polished, bronze-colored finish.
A Touch of the Unexpected
Dark bronze hardware can look dramatic and unexpected, used with light-colored cabinets, and can modify the look and feel of your kitchen to create some interesting dynamics. For example, most people would go with a polished chrome or brushed nickel finish with white cabinets. With bronze, however, you can take the airy simplicity of white and turn it into something more akin to rustic farmhouse, without losing the light and airy feel.
Light and mid-toned stained wood finishes can also benefit from bronze finishes because the similar overall color tone lets them blend in, while still remaining visually interesting on closer inspection. Of course, the natural inclination is to use bronze with dark cabinets, but be careful with extremely dark cabinets; you’ll need to choose the design carefully to stay in “antique chic” territory rather than cheap or drably stereotypical.
Super Easy to Keep Clean and Maintain
Let’s be real for a second here. The truth is, most “bronze” cabinet hardware isn’t actually made of bronze. Nor would you want it to be! Real bronze takes tons of maintenance to avoid it growing a green patina. While green patina might look great on statues and domed roofs, it probably isn’t quite what you had in mind for your kitchen cabinets.
Thankfully, our bronze-finish cabinet hardware is mostly made of die-cast zinc, metallurgically modified to give it that classic oil-rubbed bronze finish. This makes it really easy to clean and maintain—just sanitize it like you usually would, and wipe it down once in a while; it doesn’t hold fingerprints, and doesn’t need regular oiling like genuine bronze.
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