Furniture Hardware Tips For When You Get Older

When we were young, all those delicate and ornate pieces of furniture and were great to have around. We didn't mind that they weren't the most comfortable to pull or turn to open, we just wanted them to look pretty. As the years have gone by some things have changed. Whether its arthritis or just a weakening of the muscles in the hands and fingers, it's not always as easy to open those old doors and drawers. As you look for new pieces of furniture to replace the old ones, here are some tips to make it a little more comfortable to use your furniture.

Door Knobs - Small knobs are extremely hard to get a good grip on with older hands. Instead of being frustrated every time you need to get into the cabinets, take a little more time to be choosy about the knobs on your furniture before you bring it into your house. If you are sure you want knobs on your furniture pieces, you may want to look for mushroom knobs. These are larger knobs that have a curved edge that allows your fingers to smoothly slip around for opening. If you have a tough time with your grip, you can even cup your hand around the backside of a mushroom knob and still be able to open it.

Drawer Pulls - For opening your drawers, you don't want to have to wrap your fingers around the pull on the drawer to get it open. Instead, look for drawer pulls with a little extra space between the front of the pulls and your drawers. That way, you can put your whole hand inside the pull to open the drawer. You won’t have to rely on the grip of your fingers. Drawer pulls can sometimes even replace knobs on those cabinets to make everything easier to open.