Cliffside’s going green No comments yet

In celebration of the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day holiday, Cliffside Industries is celebrating all of the green elements of our hardware line. From products to practices, Cliffside prides itself on everything green that we do.

Green crystal

M995-GREEN with a Silver Satin base

Cliffside offers two green-colored crystal knobs: the M995-GREEN and the M30-GREEN. Available with eight unique and attractive stem finishes, these knobs — one square and the other spherical — add an elegant touch of Ireland to any cabinet face.

Green marble

Cliffside now offers a wider selection of green marble knobs and pulls, with our two stock pieces (PM3-GR and PM5-GR) and a variety of special-order items, including P-3-GREEN, RB-1-GREEN, and many more. The darker shade conjures thoughts of the waving grasses of the Emerald Isle…

Green Athens series

113 in the light green is a subtle touch.

The polyester “Athens” series of knobs and pulls are actually available in two shades of green: a standard kelly green, and a more ocean-like light green (shown). The Athens series offers five unique knob styles and a pull that is adjustable between 3″ and 4″ on center.

Green catalog

Cliffside's newest catalog is certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council.

While Cliffside’s “Fine Hardware Collections” catalog is not literally the color green, it is “green” in the sense that it has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to be produced from paper harvested from “well-managed forests and other controlled sources”.

Green initiatives

In addition to our eco-friendly catalog, Cliffside’s staff has undertaken green initiatives in our office work, purchasing recycled paper and also recycling our own printing and scrap paper in-house. Our doubly-used paper is then shredded for use as packing material. We also recycle boxes, newspaper, bubble wrap, and other materials as packing elements in our warehouse.

This year’s knob-minees No comments yet

The 83rd annual Academy Awards are rapidly approaching and, with them, the presentation of this year’s Golden Knob Awards! Check back next Friday to find out who the winners are, but until then, here’s your list of nominees!

Best Foreign Feature

Foreign Feature nominee: PM3-WT

Presented to Cliffside’s best import from our lines of European lead crystal and marble

• M994
• PM5-BG
• M13-32
• PM3-WT
• P-3-BLACK

Best Original Piece

K544-IR nominated for Best Original Piece

Presented to the best hardware piece that is unique to the Cliffside line

• B600-VB
• 148-SS
• 149-PN
• K544-IR
• K579-AB

Best Adaptation

Scroll Suite: nominee for Best Adaptation

Presented to the Cliffside line whose adaptation best serves our customers

• Rope Suite
• Classic Suite
• Scroll Suite
• Artisan Suite
• Criss-Cross Suite

Best “Short”

The 97015 butcher block knob

Presented to the best piece in our line of “small” or “miniature” hardware

• 97015-SS
• 100-20-IR
• AZ-SM
• 72
• M25

Best Supporting Actor

Great supporting performance from BH2A-OC-BALL

Presented to the hardware piece providing the “best support”

• 3-8-OFFSET-AB
• BH2A-OC-BALL
• AHO-VB
• BH2A-NM-OA
• BH3A-PC

Best Picture

24BP is a backplate for crystal knobs.

Presented to the piece that best exemplifies the great new photography on Cliffside’s website

• 3405-BZ
• M995-AQUA
• BH2A-RA
• IBCL-SS
• 24BP-PN

Be sure to check back Friday to find out this year’s winners!

Hardware au naturale No comments yet

In an age where many designers and homeowners are looking to “go green”, Cliffside Industries has a variety of different hardware pieces that are manufactured from natural materials. These items come from renewable resources that aren’t in danger of being depleted by overproduction.

Marble knobs and pulls

Having recently devoted an entire blog entry to our marble hardware, our readers will know that we have both stock and special-order marble hardware pieces available in five standard colors: white, beige, black, green, and brown/red.

Stone knobs

Going for a natural look? The Arizona series knobs provide a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, while the Bahia series pieces offer a more uniform shade of dark gray. Available with five base finishes (nickel, black, rust, satin nickel, and polished brass), the choice of the piece you get is truly up to you.

Wood knobs

Wooden knobs blend in perfectly when stained to match wooden cabinet doors or drawer fronts. Cliffside offers our K-519 wooden knob in two different species: maple and cherry (shown). The K-522 knob is available with three different center pin colors (sold separately) for your choice of accent within the wood.

Crystal hardware

Delicately cut by skilled European craftsmen and assembled here in the United States, Cliffside’s line of special-order crystal is timelessly elegant and always popular. Most crystal pieces are available with eight stem finishes (antique brass, old antique, polished brass, polished chrome, polished nickel, pewter, silver satin, and satin brass) and can ship to you in 7 to 10 business days.

A tip:

If you have in mind less “natural” and more “nature”… check out our new lines of novelty hardware!

Losing our marbles 1 comment

PM5 stock marble knob in Green

In addition to solid surface countertops like granite and quartz, natural marble is making a strong return to the forefront in today’s design world. John Fillippelli, of Kitchen and Bath Design News, notes that marble “is particularly popular right now” (November 2010, p.45). Cliffside Industries has recently expanded its line of marble offerings to better serve your needs, and those of your clients, when selecting hardware to coordinate an entire kitchen or bath.

Marble colors

Cliffside is pleased to offer five unique marble colors to suit many tastes and styles. Black and white are two classic marble colors that Cliffside has offered for years. Our white marble is attractively streaked with gray and black, and the opposite is true of the black specimens. Cliffside also offers our brown marble in stock hardware, which coordinates well with our special-order marble in red. Green is an earth-tone making a splash in the current market, and the classic tones of beige are a new addition to the Cliffside stock line.

Stock offerings

PM3 in beige, a Cliffside stock item

Cliffside keeps two styles of marble knobs in stock at our warehouse, which are very popular among our customers. The first, the PM3, has a gently rounded face, which lends a pleasingly smooth aesthetic to its design. Its counterpart, the PM5, has a flat face, allowing the marble to shimmer like the face of a polished countertop. Each of these knobs are now in stock in five colors.

Special-order products

Special order marble: P-3 in white

In the 2010 Fine Hardware Collections catalog, we feature a special-order marble knob (the RB-1) and a 3″cc pull (the P-3). This is, however, by no means the full extent of Cliffside’s marble hardware line. You can examine our website to find other knobs as well, like the RB-1’s larger counterpart (item #RB-2), a flatter round knob (RN-1), and even a square knob (the S-3). All of these special-order items come from the same supplier. They are also available immediately and can arrive at your door in 7 to 10 business days.

To view our marble selections in full…

… you can check out the Fine Hardware Collections catalog or visit our website. Happy hunting!

The beauty in nature No comments yet

M13-32-SS, lead crystal with a silver satin stem

Natural materials, such as brass, crystal, stainless steel, bronze, iron, pewter, stone and marble are very popular. These are being integrated in all areas of the home, especially kitchens and baths. In fact, they are often mixed and matched throughout so that it remains interesting to the eye.

There are many brass and stainless steel materials in the kitchen and we are seeing a lot of crystal in master suites. Natural brass, stainless steel and crystal are the most popular and tend to be the main materials that are used.

T565-30-BNA, a contemporary knob made from stainless steel

Stainless steel

Stainless steel is found throughout the housing industry: on dishwashers, refrigerators, sinks, ovens, microwaves, coffee makers, blenders, towel bars, and even plumbing and electrical fixtures. Crystal has really made a comeback, as well, and it has become a focal point of the master bath.

Neutral finishes

Many designers find that it’s best to stay neutral when it comes to finish. Color palettes today lean toward neutral elements to create a timeless appeal and a high-end environment. We’re seeing an increased desire for silver and gray finishes and natural earth tones.

BH3NA-OA; the old antique finish is a rich brown color

Soothing, cool colors and rich materials are in demand often highlighted by mixtures of color and texture, such as stainless steel appliances with gray hardware, or darker cabinets mixed with dark chocolate brown hardware. The gray and natural materials and the very clean, simple classic lines are more enduring.

Overall, it is definitely more of a natural look, with grays, tans, and browns, and with hardware accessories giving an accented flair to the design.

Cabinet jewelry

For the finishing touches of kitchen and master bath remodels, designers should strive to find the ideal hardware finish. Full suites of products, particularly in cabinet hardware, are offered, which should give designers confidence that those finishes and styles are going to be compatible and consistent.

IBCL-PN shows the polished nickel finish

Nickel is a very popular finish throughout the home-building and design industries, both brushed and polished; oil-rubbed bronze is a popular look, as are bright or brushed chrome finishes. We see similar trends in hardware; the most popular finish is satin silver followed by oil-rubbed bronze, but antique finishes are still very popular. Typically, these finishes are chosen from the same color family, and blend with the appliances and cabinetry.

There are now hand-forged hardware pieces, as well as ones adorned with real crystal. The appearance of these items supports the fact that consumers want unique details that will set their space apart from others. It all comes down to details.

Cliffside offers several different marble options, including this S-3-BEIGE.

Hardware is also a key component to giving any space a completed look. There are a variety of hardware options available to enhance a  kitchen and master bath remodel. Hardware is extremely important. The hardware is meant to look like jewelry on the cabinetry, not match it. It’s key that the hardware be beautiful; and everything else has to follow suit. People also prefer natural materials, such as solid brass and stainless steel, and natural looks, like marble, crystal, and stone, whenever possible.

Overall, consumers and dealers are looking for their kitchen and master bath designs to mimic the look and feel of the spa retreat, and these traditional or contemporary spaces are taking on a cleaner, uncluttered, more elegant look.