For all the things my walk-up NYC apartment lacks (an elevator, a washer/dryer, a landlord that answers my emails), the one thing it does have is soft-close cabinets. You know, those cupboards outfitted with special hinges that slow the door just before it loudly hits the frame and consequently wakes your whole apartment building. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything.
I've become so accustomed to them that I've started to forget not all cabinets or drawers are soft-close. I've become the very thing I used to hate so much. When I'm not home, my presence in the kitchen is announced by slams and thwacks and subsequent 'sorry!'s, though I feel like a real glutton if I explain my behavior with 'I'm only used to soft-close!' No one wants to stand next to that girl at a party.
My soft-close cabinets feel like an accidental rite of passage, a necessary bridge into adulthood that I didn't even mean to cross. I just woke up one day and there they were; such a subtly luxurious upgrade for my kitchen cabinets I had only ever encountered in hotels and parents' houses. Now, though, I don't think I can live without them. I won't miss much about my apartment when I move, but I will miss the cabinets.
That said, however, I recently discovered that you can make any cabinet soft-close yourself. Perhaps that was silly of me to assume; but in my mind, soft close was something that had to happen at the time of installation. If your cabinets weren't properly outfitted when you first moved in, no soft-close for you, at least not without a headache of a DIY! Alas, I was wrong.
I credit home design content creator Erin Zubot for the revelation; and in the above reel, she demonstrates how easy it is to realize. Of course, you can always replace your cabinet hinges with soft-close hinges and call it a day. But as Erin mentions, that's quite a costly and time-consuming solution.
Instead, she found a gadget on Amazon that turns any cabinet into a soft-close in mere minutes; you don't even need to change out the hinge. Just attach it near the bottom of the cabinet (it seems that just under the hinge is ideal) and voila — a bit of peace and quiet for dinner times to come.
A drill is required so it's not non-invasive. But if loud noises and uncooperative cabinet doors drive you nuts, I say it's worth it.
Price: $14.29 for 2
You can get two of these dampeners for just $15 — perfect for a set of cabinets. Customer ratings also back up the ease of installation; 4.7/5 stars according to the reviews!
Price: $54.34
Was: $63.92
Erin says it's a bit more difficult, but you can apply tee soft-close method to your drawers, as well. Don't be too intimidated by the price tag here; this is for a set of 10 drawers installs.
Price: $29.85 for 20
Was: $42.99
These hinges look to be a bit more involved, I won't lie. It seems the installation process wouldn't be as swift and easy; it's as though they're meant to replace the actual cabinet hinges rather than work with them. But if that's what you're looking for, this appears to be good value for your money!
3 extra soft-close options
Price: $7.99
These tiny bumpers don't change your hinges, but they do dampen the sound of wood slamming against wood — which, for the price, is the next best thing! Stick them on nightstands, cabinet doors, or dresser drawers.
