The Small Design Element Everyone Is Adding To Their Kitchens Again

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"I'm one of the smallest design accents in a kitchen, and might very well be the lightest. I am always used behind something else, but not always for the same reasons. I can cover up the past, but probably won't if I'm full of holes. What am I?" A backplate, of course.

The funny thing is there's still a decent chance you don't know what the solution to this Sphinx's riddle actually is. Backplates are the decorative bit of metal behind your cabinet knobs and/or handles, and are as easy to install as cabinet hardware. In fact, easier than even the easiest home upgrades. That's assuming you have backplates... and if you don't, you might want to consider getting some. Backplates are trending and have been for a couple of years. "One of the biggest kitchen hardware trends we'll see in 2026 is the return of unique, decorative backplates," Kailee Blalock, co-founder of House of Hive Design Co. told Homes & Gardens.

Fortunately, these sorts of accents don't follow the same rules or timetables as major design trends. Interior design trends are temporary, fun, and unavoidable, and maybe even useful if you're still feeling your way toward your own personal style. But it's much more meaningful to collect and style your space slowly, in layers that matter to you. Because backplates occupy both that peculiar accessory/accent space and are so thoroughly integrated into a major bit of your kitchen design, they can affect the currency of other design elements, dating or updating much more expensive things like cabinetry. For a few bucks, you can very nearly revamp your kitchen.

If renewing your kitchen for less money than a few cabinet doors seems too optimistic, consider the context of this rise in popularity. Backplates are reversing a longstanding trend of increasingly simple cabinet hardware, making their impact all the more dramatic. They are, fundamentally, decoration with roots in the ornament-minded Victorian, Art Deco, and Art Nouveau periods, and can lend your cabinets no small amount of gravitas and refinement.

Backplates work with minimalist homes as well as maximalist homes, with traditional kitchens as well as modern kitchens. They are particularly good at bringing the warmth of time and age to your cabinet hardware, just as we've seen unlacquered brass do. Simple, geometric backplates can provide a field of color-coordination or contrast, and can echo nearby shapes and colors. Matchy cohesion can turn down the drama, while contrasting metals and colors can make a bold statement in an otherwise unremarkable kitchen.

Sometimes, what backplates are best at is making existing, beautiful hardware pop. They are particularly effective at emphasizing the jewelry-like crystal, glass, gemstone, and natural stone knobs that are trending in 2026. In other cases, backplates can bring instant refinement via filigree or designs like these Tiazza petal-shaped brass backplates. You can also get a warmer European farmhouse vibe with a less ornate approach, such as these geometric Goo-Ki brass backplates or these rustic chrysanthemum backplates from Hardware Philosophy. If farmhouse is your thing, though, note that latches are making a comeback, and that might be even more effective.

Most of the strategies for design with gravitas also apply to lighthearted design, with one important addition — fun. Backplates can certainly be playful and whimsical, and can do it without the risk of novelty if you're careful. Taken out of the formal context, jewel-like knobs and pulls can work for a lighter bohemian-inspired kitchen or as a source of unpretentious prettiness. You can get a lighthearted feel from big geometric shapes and simple designs like these polished brass star backplates. And while it's probably easier to do with knobs and pulls (bee and dragonfly pulls come to mind), you can also get quirky with representational backplates meant to mimic concrete real-world things — from hand-stitching and leather-lacing to any of the many floral backplates.

But the easiest way to funk it up is probably with color. The backplate doesn't have to bring the color, only enough contrast to make a knob's color stand out. This includes everything from simple ceramic knobs to those sets of colorful porcelain knobs that suggest Spanish tile. The trick is to have fun without overdoing it... a cartoonish approach will make you grow tired of your new look faster.

Your goal is to make it clear that your choices are intentional and represent things you love. With that in place, the backplate trend might last forever for you. And it's cheap, so why wait? As Charlotte Olby, "Homes & Gardens" style and trends editor, puts it, "...while it might sound counterintuitive to buy into a micro-trend this early on in the year, this is actually a kitchen trend that I see enduring."