A kitchen is mostly flat, hard surfaces. Stone, glass, painted board, steel. All of it cool to touch, and all of it identical from one panel to the next.
Timber is the one element that varies, stays warm, and happens to be the part everybody puts their hand on. That is the whole idea behind Ookami Studio.
Cabinet handles, pulls and knobs in solid oak and walnut. Not veneer, not timber effect. Designed in Australia and held in stock here, so timber hardware does not become the thing that holds up a job.
The range
Five designs. The OK.1 D Handle is a clean rectangular pull in three sizes, the most straightforward piece and the one that carries a whole kitchen without becoming repetitive. The OK.2 Half Moon is a curved pull that reads as a soft arc against flat joinery. The OK.3 Knob is small and quiet, for overheads and narrow drawers. The OK.4 pairs timber with brushed brass. The OK.5 Moonbeam runs from 64mm to 452mm hole centres, which covers a bathroom drawer and a full height wardrobe door in one design.
Oak or walnut
Oak is lighter and open grained. It sits back against pale joinery and painted cabinetry rather than announcing itself. Walnut is darker and closer grained, with more depth, and reads as a deliberate decision on a pale kitchen.
One caution worth stating. Oak on oak joinery rarely matches exactly, and a near miss looks worse than a deliberate contrast. If the cabinetry is already light timber, walnut is usually the better answer.
The finish
Hard wax, not lacquer. Lacquer forms a film over the timber that looks flawless until it chips, and it flattens the texture that made timber worth choosing. Hard wax sits in the grain instead, so the surface keeps what it started with and can be refreshed rather than replaced.
What it asks in return is modest. A dry or barely damp cloth, no solvents, no abrasives, and do not leave water standing on it. The timber will darken gently with handling, more on the drawers used every day than the cupboards that rarely open. Most people prefer it at year five to day one.
Where it is not the right answer
Timber is not suited to standing moisture, outdoor cabinetry or anywhere cleaned with harsh chemicals. On a bathroom vanity in normal use it is fine. On a surface that regularly sits wet, specify something else and we will suggest an alternative.
Seeing it first
Grain and colour vary piece to piece, and a photograph flattens both. The full range is on display in our Palmyra showroom, which is worth the trip if you are choosing between oak and walnut for a whole kitchen.
Specifying across a project? Send us the plans and we will write the hardware schedule at no charge. See how it works. Trade pricing is shown once you log in.
