The experts will tell you that interior design is about the details, right down to the doorknobs and the cabinet pulls. What might seem like minutiae to the average person are imperative to those with a designer’s eye—and these particulars can really make or break a space. Plus if you’re redoing a bathroom or kitchen, selecting fixtures and hardware can be overwhelming. Gold or silver? Brass or bronze? Round or square?
That’s why, in this installment of NJ HOME’s “Where Pros Shop” feature, we asked 13 designers across New Jersey to tell us their favorite places to shop for their clients for fixtures and hardware. Most of these spots have great selections, as well as top-notch sales reps to help you narrow down your choices. Check out the pros’ picks (and why they’re their faves) below.
Then, check out our experts’ favorite places to shop for furniture in New Jersey, their favorite lighting stores in New Jersey and the best rug shops in New Jersey.
Essex County-based LM Masiello of LM Interior Design is a loyal customer (and former employee) of Hardware Designs in Fairfield, where she purchases all her plumbing and hardware products. “The knowledge that their quality salespeople have to offer is invaluable and the generosity with which they share it is wonderful and touching,” she notes. Noel Gatts of Bean & Bloom in Bloomfield agrees: “Hardware Designs offers the latest in finishes, style, function and design, and their staff is delightful.”
The Ferguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Showroom is a favorite of a few of our designers. Katy Champion-Uras and Elissa Palamara of Swell Design Co. in Atlantic Highlands like the Long Branch location for its vast selection and knowledgeable salespeople. They “recommend bringing an itemized list of what you will need and scheduling an appointment so you have ample time with a sales associate.” Julia Mazzucca of OGGI Design House in Monmouth Beach loves Ferguson Red Bank as well. “You can see how fixtures from different spaces will work together before approving your final selections,” she says, and this helps you visualize what your final product might look like. Meanwhile, Wyckoff-based designer Susan Farcy likes the Ferguson showroom on Route 17 in Mahwah. “They have a fantastic selection of vanities, soaking tubs, cabinet hardware and plumbing fixtures displayed so beautifully, so it’s easy for my clients to envision how everything will look in their home,” she says.
Sean Kelly, designer at StyledbySean in North Wildwood, says Anthropologie is his favorite stop for hardware thanks to their “unique pieces that really elevate any piece of furniture,” and Signature Hardware, a brand that’s also sold at Ferguson showrooms, is his go-to for fixtures. “A lot of my clients send me inspiration photos and I can easily find what I need on their site,” he says.
Diana Weinstein of her eponymous design firm’s favorite for hardware and fixtures is General Plumbing Supply, with locations in Dover, Morris Plains and all across the Garden State. They boast top-notch employees who make plumbing seem less confusing, she notes.
Lauren Amoruso, who owns her own design firm in Jersey City, likes Waterworks in New York City. “Especially for bathroom fixtures and hardware, I always source from Waterworks,” she says. “Their pieces can really elevate a space and bring in an element of luxury with their details. They truly have something for any aesthetic.”
Megan Pisano of Megan Pisano Design in Chatham prefers Frank Webb Home in Madison. “It’s locally owned and operated and has an old school vibe,” she says. “They know their product inside and out!”
Angela Toledo of Artistica Interiors in Haddonfield shops at Weinstein’s Bath and Kitchen in Collingswood. “They have a wide selection from reputable manufacturers, beautiful vignette displays and terrific customer service,” she says. “I know my clients are always well taken care of when we shop here, plus it’s fun to peruse the other downtown shops afterward!”
Jean Herron, a kitchen and bath specialist in Morristown, loves Moe’s Distributors in Morristown. “[It’s] the best cabinet and door hardware store I have ever been in,” Herron says. “Multiple rooms of samples from a staggering array of companies are seriously hard to pull yourself away from!”
Bailee Klein of BK Interiors in Toms River tells her clients on a budget to purchase basic furniture and splurge on statement hardware, what she calls “the jewelry of the room.” And she has no shame in her online shopping game. “My go-to store is MyKnobs.com because they offer discounted prices on a diverse collection of decorative hardware,” she says. “Pullcast is my preferred brand because they design incredibly unique and luxurious pieces.”
Lauren Tobias of Monmouth County shops for hardware at Atlantic Plumbing Supply in Long Branch—she says it has a great selection, but the staff can help you narrow your options.
Tell us your favorite places to shop for fixtures and hardware in your county on Instagram @njhomemag. And for more design, decor and shopping tips from the pros, check out the winter issue of NJ HOME, online and on newsstands now!