Jamie Chappell knows her materials. As VP of Brand & Product at Fireclay Tile, she’s spent over a decade working hands-on with clay, glaze and the people who make things well. So when it came to renovating her own 1970s cabin in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the brief was clear: warm, grounded, built for a real and slightly muddy life.
We were delighted when Jamie specified our hardware for her project — KEPLER Knurled T-Bar Pulls in Antique Brass throughout the kitchen — so we asked Jamie a few questions about how it all came together. On material hierarchies, accidental cabinet colours and why the weight of a handle tells you everything you need to know.
Jamie, you said you wanted your home to feel “rich and layered, but unfussy and not precious.” How do you even begin to translate that kind of feeling into actual material decisions?
I look for materials that can stand the test of time and also stand up to everyday use. My kitchen gets used — I love to cook, and I have a small house, so it plays a supporting role to gardening, home repairs, even dragging leather-hard pots in to finish decoration or attachments. There are so many beautiful materials out there that just don’t fit my lifestyle. When I get a wild hair to take on a project, all bets are off as to how much of a mess I’m going to make.
Layering different textures already helps disguise everyday use, but the relationship of those materials to each other is what creates a space that feels thoughtful and intentional. Pairing a gloss tile next to matte or flat textures — even if they share a color story — allows each surface to stand out without creating too much contrast. Similarly, cabinet hardware that contrasts the cabinet color can create a lot of visual noise. But if you pair a metal finish that’s closer in tone to the cabinet color and introduce an interesting texture instead, the hardware feels special while the overall space retains a sense of calm.
The kitchen palette is dark and enveloping — almost the opposite of safe. Walk us through how that came together, and how the different materials started talking to each other.
I have always loved darker spaces. My yoga teacher tells me it’s because I’m a Scorpio who loves small rooms. The kitchen faces east, so it gets great morning light but stays more ambient through most of the day. The guest bedroom down the hall was a big inspiration for the overall direction — I affectionately call it the redwood room. It’s fully panelled, and it’s everyone’s favourite room in the house. I knew I wanted to bring that same wood panelling vibe into the kitchen.
I also love the architecture of places like Sea Ranch, that lean into a more modern ’70s aesthetic. Between the cabinets and the panelling, I knew the wood was going to make the space feel darker no matter what color direction I went. I’m more of a “lean in” type — if it’s small and dark, I’d rather go cosy and warm than fight to brighten it up.
The cabinet color was a true accident. I was originally going for a deep olive green, and before the panelling went up I had my painter put a dark flat color on the wall so you wouldn’t see white anywhere behind it. He needed a spec quickly, so I picked fast — and as soon as Pine Cone from Dunn-Edwards went up, everything changed. I fell in love. It felt so appropriate for the house and for all the materials going into the kitchen. Fortunately, because I was working with a local cabinet maker and having my painter site-paint the cabinets, I was able to make a game-time color change.
You’ve talked about chasing materials that “complement clay” — things that feel authentic to what they are. Where does hardware fit into that hierarchy? Is it the last decision made, or does it anchor things earlier than people might expect?
I prefer more of an edit approach to the selection process. There’s typically something I know will drive the decision-making. In this case it was the ceramic floor tile first — it’s such a major element of the house — and second was the wood panelling. From there I think about the role of color in the overall design, then go into gather mode. I pull together materials I know will work well together and function in my life, plus a few options that feel a little risky. Then I edit based on what I love. You always wind up with a few things you love that just don’t work together, which forces you to decide what matters most — and those decisions often inform the overall design in a big way.
I considered a couple of hardware styles from Plank Hardware for this project. The two finalists were the GRAYSON and the KEPLER, each with or without a backplate. I loved the shape of the GRAYSON handle, but ultimately it felt too traditional for the space. I waffled a lot on the KEPLER backplate — budget was a factor, but the bigger realization was that the backplate was going to add too much visual weight to what was already a dark room.
Both Plank Hardware and Fireclay Tile are B Corp certified. Was that kind of values alignment a deliberate filter when specifying for this project, or something that emerged more naturally?
I’ve spent my career in the materials world and know a lot about companies big and small. American-made has always been my biggest motivating factor, but that’s not always an option — especially when you’ve got a budget to be responsible for. If I can’t find something made domestically, I look for values-aligned companies I know are treating their makers well. Working in manufacturing makes you viscerally aware of the physical demands and risks of the work across many industries. Seeking out B Corp certification is one of the simplest ways to ensure you’re buying from a company that actually values the people who make the product.
The KEPLER pulls are antique brass throughout your kitchen — a finish designed to immediately feel lived-in rather than pristine. How does that sit with the way you think about longevity and living with materials over time?
I first specified Plank Hardware for one of the Fireclay showrooms, which means I’ve had samples in our studio for a while. The quality was evident the first time we opened the packaging. With metal in particular, there’s real value in weight — you can feel instantly, without knowing anything about the manufacturing process, the difference between a premium metal product and something more cheaply made. That matters a lot to me. The way something feels in your hand, especially something you’re touching multiple times a day — that matters.
Well-made hardware also shows the patina of use over time. There is nothing I love more than an aged brass door handle with a shiny spot right where people grab it every day. Those subtle cues of living in a space are what separate quality materials from everything else. Plank Hardware’s KEPLER pull handle and Antique Brass finish do an excellent job of pairing that lived-in comfort with details that feel genuinely special.
