The first thing you are going to want to ask yourself is what is the style of your kitchen? More contemporary kitchens are going to require more clean lines and streamlined modern hardware, and more traditional style kitchens might have a more traditional hardware style.
Keep in mind, however, that this is not a strict rule! I think that traditional kitchens can mix in some modern design elements to keep the design feeling fresh, too! However, I have not really seen a modern kitchen pull off traditional hardware… so I do not really think it works the other way around.
If you are planning a kitchen you most likely have a few dream kitchens that you love. You may or may not have noticed the hardware, but take a really close look at what they are using! Do you like what they used, the placement, the style? Is there a kitchen you don’t love but maybe it has killer hardware? Keep an eye out for those details to narrow down a look you love.
In general, a modern kitchen should have hardware that has a more contemporary look. Hidden pulls, finger pulls, simple shapes with very little detail, very straight, oversized long pulls with simple flat front drawers.
In a traditional or modern traditional, I would not choose anything too contemporary (like the hidden pulls) but it is ok to still keep it simple. Also look to hardware that has a little more curve to it, and a few more details. If you are really trying to nail the historical hardware style, look for something that has a very traditional shape that has been around a long time like cup pulls or bin pulls..
