Motherof3,
If you love the birdcage hardware, go for it! If it's a bit trendy, so be it, sounds like it will look great!
I think it's very wise to limit trends to hardware and accessories in a kitchen because they can easily be changed someday.

I think birdcage hardware has had some sort of presence since sometime in the early nineties, so it is not a flash in the pan. As with everything, it depends upon its appropriateness in the overall design as to how it will look over the long term. In the right kitchen, it will look as good in ten years as it does now.

Read the latest "trend" thread! (These threads pop up periodically!)

Even if it's a "trend", if it works with your kitchen then go ahead with it! Most likely anything your KD is pushing you toward is also a "trend"...for the moment at least!

Besides, one of the easiest things to change later is cabinet hardware, especially if you have hidden hinges!

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread: What's a 2010 kitchen? What will be out of style in 10 years?

I think birdcage knobs sound lovely in a colonial-style home, and agree with the other posters not to get too hung up on "trendy." Drop handles, on the other hand...I don't love. We have them on a built-in hutch and on my husband's dresser, and I find them annoying. I wouldn't go so far as to they they aren't functional, but they are more difficult to get hold of than a standard pull. It's a bit like how you want the toilet paper installed--I put it rolling away from the wall because I hate knocking my hand against the wall. That's my problem with drop handles, that I have to touch the surface of the cabinet (or at least the hardware plate) in order to grab the handle. An I find they are a bit more awkward and a bit slower, which I think would be annoying in a kitchen context for your main drawers. If you love the look, maybe you could save them for a hutch or other featured cabinet?

I first saw them--along with staggered-height uppers--a few years ago while looking at model houses. Then they seemed to be everywhere. So trendy? Yes. But who cares? They are easily changed out, unlike staggered-height uppers. Handles that drop down are more of a function issue and I wouldn't use them unless you really, really love them--so much that the extra step won't bother you.

The problem with both those choices for me...used in a kitchen...doesn't have to do with trend, but with function and cleanability. (Not really related to your question, so feel free to ignore me!) The drop ones mean that every time you grab the handle, you're likely touching/smearing part of the drawer as you scoop under it, and I can just imagine, in my house, trying to clean bread dough or other such dried on goo, out of the little cage area in the birdcage knobs. I like pulls I can operate with my clean pinkie, knuckles, or side of my hand if I'm in the middle of a messy project or cleanup. For knobs, I prefer something easy to wipe down. Just my 2 cents, for what it's worth. Best wishes...Deciding on knobs and pulls can be fun, but also frustrating. But as for being trendy...It only matters what you love when you walk in that room, and if you get tired of them and want to replace them in a few or several years to what you love then, so what? Hardware is an easy thing to update to give the room a facelift.

There are birdcage drawer pulls that are not drop handles...

I think they are pretty.

Here is a link that might be useful: Provence Series at USKnobs

RHome410...I had that fear too when I installed my knobs & pulls (not the drop, btw, I don't even like the drop handles on my BR furniture!)...but surprisingly I have had only one incidence of stuff getting inside the cage in almost two years...and I did it, not my family! It was on the trash pullout pull. I cleaned it out immediately and it was pretty easy to clean (not peanut butter, though...my one fear!). I solved the problem of a repeat by draping a dry dishcloth on the pull...something I needed to do anyway b/c I still haven't been able to convince my DH to install the foot pedal (he doesn't want to lose the soft-close!)

Go for it. It sounds like they would go great in your kitchen. I just finished picking hardware out for my kitchen and the pulls have little flowers on them. My best friend looked at me like I was nuts, BUT I LOVE THEM!!!

Aren't birdcage pulls Colonial to begin with?

Segbrown,
As far as I know, there is no "birdcage" style hardware on antique cupboards from the Am. colonial or federal or pre-Civil War periods. I believe it is a modern adaptation, but I could be wrong. In the last 20 years or so, similar wire cages appeared on hardware and on a lot of wrought iron railings.

The most accurate cabinet closure you could use for really historic cupboards would be a piece of wood or metal on a fulcrum that is lowered across the junction between two cupboard doors. In time, this will probably leave a scar on the piece, which is treasured by antique owners. Not exactly elegant.

"Drop" pulls were used on drawers in the 1600s and early 1700s in American colonies; they could be medieval for all I know. They have resurfaced a few different eras thereafter, often on historic revival pieces, such as on my parents' 1920s bedroom set. They are indeed clumsy and they're noisy and hard to grab, which might be the reason they were replaced by bale-type pulls. They're on William and Mary style stuff, much like Pilgrim furniture.

In 18th century to the early 19th century, you got bales on batwing-backed handles or even more pared down bale handles without a back plate. After the turn of the 19th century, you got oval shields behind bails. Then came the round knobs of the pre-CW period, including those big flat round wooden knobs of the 1830s and 40s and 50s. Sandwich glass elaborate molded design knobs were about 2 to 2 1/2 inches across. Bennington ( Rockingham ) style clay knobs were used before the Civil War--there are lots of them in the Arabia steamboat from that period which was salvaged and are in the museum in Kansas City. The ornate Victorian molded metal design pulls and knobs were post-Civil War and today's trendy bin pull is definitely last quarter of the 19th and into the 20th century.

I think that the birdcage style of ironwork is related to fireplace tool handles, which allow the user to avoid burns when grabbing them.

The birdcage pull or handle is perfectly fine to use in your modern kitchen. You live in the present and you probably don't have antique freestanding cupboards.

There are some remarkable historic reproductions being made of the Sandwich pulls and the Bennington pulls. I just love them, but they won't work in my kitchen, sigh.

Emenee has an attractive line of coordinated metal and clay hardware pieces. I got a chance to look at them at Twin City Hardware's display room and I left drool on them, especially the brown swirl knobs.

A couple other repro places which interest me online are
http://houseofantiquehardware.com/
http://www.lookintheattic.com/

Here is a link that might be useful: One place to look for historic hardware

I associate birdcage pulls with neo-Tuscan and other italian -ate design rather than something specifically historic.

**"I think that the birdcage style of ironwork is related to fireplace tool handles, which allow the user to avoid burns when grabbing them."**

That's probably what I was thinking of ... that and just basic forged iron type hardware.

I'll enter the debate FOR drop handles - as long as you have a nice large plate behind it. The plate protects the cabinets from fingernails and gooey hands. I had no problems with using or cleaning the handles and stuff didn't junk up behind the plate. I used them as an accent to differentiate a cabinet stack on some frequently used drawers.

The ones I chose were nice and big, so YMMV.

Thank you for all your opinions. My renovation has really heated up and I didn't get a chance to respond until now. I appreciate everyone's opinions and it has helped with my decision making. I have been searching until all hours of the night looking for hardware that I like better than the birdcages, but I keep getting drawn back to the birdcages.

florantha - thank you for such an informative reply! I love all things colonial - drop pulls, bale pulls, glass knobs etc. I looked at the websites you provided and fell in love with these very ornate pulls. I have them on my bedroom dresser, but DH nixed them for the kitchen.

I really wanted to keep in the colonial style with my kitchen, but I'm going to follow my heart and get the birdcages....even the drop birdcage pulls even though my brain is telling me what a pain they could be. We are not the cleanest family, but I'm not too worried about goo getting stuck. I plan to use the regular birdcage pulls on the perimeter drawers and the drop ones on my island to dress it up a bit. Too bad my island will be the main area I store all my everyday dishes and pots/pans! The birdcages are relatively inexpensive compared to the other hardware that appealed to me so I'll take the dive and switch out down the road if the drops are too cumbersome or the birdcages get outdated.

Thank you again for all your replies. GW has really given me confidence to go with what I love.

motherof3

Motherof3

I have Colonial style kitchen & purchased more sample hardware than I care to honestly reveal - Odd that nearly 90% of the hardware looked great with out Mahogany cabs - go figure.

I ended up with lovely "cricket cage" hardware from Carpe Diem - Pricey, yes, but when I received the samples I knew they were for our cabs

I get many compliments on them.

Old pic wind down of the remodel

Some of the contenders

Best of luck to you

Here is a link that might be useful:

jejvtr - Your cricket cages go so well with your cabinets. I love the detail on them. Very pricey indeed! Like you, I also looked at the hammered drawer pull, but thought they were too heavy for my cabs. I'm just hoping my drop handle birdcages aren't going to be too annoying. Thanks for posting.