My reasoning was the same as yours - white cabinets, the "skirt" would help protect the finish. (The ones I chose were ORB with a white ceramic oval knob - much more traditional.)

The only downside I could think of is that the "skirt" on your knobs looks oval and might be tough to keep in alignment. Sometimes hardware has little "pins" on the back that press into the wood to hold it in place... does this?

I think the combo looks really good together.

Thanks. It's actually round -- must be the way it photographed. I also learned that what I'm calling a skirt is more properly known as a backplate. :P

Now that I'm somewhat fixated on that knob, I'm torn between these two pulls, which I think go better with the knob than the European bar pull. I'm also concerned that I'll catch that little end extension on one of my pockets. In fact, I'm such a klutz that it's guaranteed I'll rip the beejesus out of something within a matter of days! So now I'm looking at one of these two. I think the color difference is due to photographic issues but I'm waiting for verification from Hickory before I go any further. I'm leaning toward the bottom one.

I clicked because I didn't know what "skirt" meant. I was thinking maybe it was another name for an escutcheon (also called a "backplate"), but I've never seen this kind that really does look like a skirt. How cool!!!

Speaking of Colonial, escutcheons were common with bail pulls to keep the bails from banging on the wood (like a pickguard on a guitar), and also guarded keyholes from being scratched by keys. So it makes sense that the skirt on your knob would guard against fingersmudges.

I agree with Latimore that the shapes look good together, but I think the knob and skirt are round and the oval look is perspective from the angle of view. Can you get the two in the same finish? One consideration would be whether the skirt or the knob it's attached to can turn. Even if they're not oval, if they turn, they will make scratches. That's not a big problem unless you decide to change the hardware at some point, but I've seen some really bad marks made by similar things. Even if they don't turn, if they're screwed on tight they'll probably leave marks.

Not much of a downside if you really like them!!

And they're very cool!

Jacy, we cross posted, but I agree on the pulls. I have some pulls going in with those ends and expect to be catching my own pockets.

I really like the first of the two new pulls. The bottom one isn't as sleek as the knob, and still has stick-out-y bits to catch your pockets.

There's also a ridged design around all four sides of the second pull, that will be nothing but grime-catchers. (Can you tell I hate to clean?!?!) As long as Hickory confirms that the satin nickel finish is the same, I think I'm going with the sleeker version. Cabs are Shaker-style, so sleek and simple are good.

Thanks for the help! I had no idea this would turn out to be one of the most challenging decisions of all.

I think these look good together. If you're not sure about them and want to keep looking, you can purchase backplates separately, although you'd want to get everything from the same manufacturer so that the finishes all match. I'm in the hardware deciding phase, too, and it is taking a lot of time and looking!

The only downside to backplates is the price!

I have backplates on both my knobs. I didn't originally purchase them with backplates, but they looked lost on my very tall cabinets with just the small knob, so I ended up getting them. I like them a lot, but it adds extra money. In my case, my backplates were almost as expensive as the knobs!

Jeannie, now you know I have to ask where the second knobs came from please?? They are very nice.
thanks!

Jeannie, thanks for the mention of the very tall cabs. I'd thought about giving some heft to the hardware on my upper white cabs for that same reason.

Love those knobs and backplates -- wow! I'll bet the addition of the backplate really brought out the detail on the knobs.

Done deal!

If the backplate is not part of the knob, or VERY firmly attached to the wood (in which case it will leave a mark) it will eventually work itself loose and spin. Or be spun. Perhaps over and over by the fiendish fingers of a child. (I can hear it now ... takes me back! BAD fingers!)

If it has a pattern or is not symmetrical, it could set those of you with a little ocd off, trying to keep them lined up.

Not fatal. Just plan for it when you install. Make sure there's a way you can tighten it up occasionally.

Peytonroad, the ORB knobs are from Top Knobs, the Edwardian collection. The backplate is from RK International. Top Knobs didn't make a backplate for any of their ORB knobs. You can see that the finish is slightly different in the knob and the backplate, but in place, it is not noticeable at all. We were actually going to spray the backplates to make them a little shinier so they would match better, but once there were in place, it looked fine, so we didn't. Now, why didn't I just buy the RK International knobs that actually match the backplates? I honestly can't remember. It may have been because of the price, I know I liked the Top Knob knobs better.

And Jacy, as for the tall cabinets needing heftier knobs, it was definitely true in my my case. I ordered so many sample knobs you wouldn't believe it. And most of them just looked so lost and skimpy on the cabinets. It wasn't diameter, it was thickness. I had originally picked Top Knobs Ribbon and Reed, which has the same diameter as the Edwardian Knob, but the flat part of the knob is much shallower, and it just didn't look right. The tall backplate on the antique pewter knobs really made all the difference in the world.

Half the cabs are in - yippee!

So I take a close look at my Shaker-style cabinet doors and note the raised border/edge is just over 2" in width. The backplate on the knob I want is 1-3/4" in diameter, so that'd leave just about 3/8" of open space on each side of the knob.

I'm thinking that's out of proportion. Any thoughts?