A general rule is, the larger the drawer or cupboard, the larger the handle needs to be. In some cases, two handles may be necessary…

Door and drawer handles are one of the smaller details in kitchen design, but the right ones will fit in seamlessly and provide the perfect finishing touch to your vision. As well as being visually appealing, your kitchen door handles must also be functional, and choosing a handle that’s up for the job is essential. If you’re currently at the stage of choosing kitchen cupboard handles, we have some useful pointers for you.

 

Do you need knobs or pulls?

As a rule of thumb, kitchen designers tend to choose pulls for drawers and knobs for cupboards. The exception to this rule is larger or heavier doors, which may benefit from the use of a pull instead. Of course, these rules aren’t set in stone, and you might decide to go for all of one or the other. Kitchens featuring all knobs were very popular a few years back but not hugely practical – many now look quite dated.   

If you decide to go for all pulls, you’ll need to decide how they’ll be mounted. Traditionally we’d recommend going for horizontal pulls for drawers and vertical ones for doors.

Lines or curves?

When perusing hardware for your new kitchen, take note of the existing lines of your cabinetry as they should follow them. Angular cabinetry found in shaker and flat panel kitchens flatters straighter lines. Curved cabinet styles such as traditional raised panel doors, pillow-top doors and recessed panel doors with ogee edges look great with suitably curved handles.

Choosing your colours

Chrome and brushed nickel remain popular choices for kitchen hardware as they’re budget-friendly, hardwearing and fit well with almost all colour schemes. Don’t be afraid to look outside of the box, especially if you’re redesigning a classic kitchen. Try exploring antique pewter, bronze, satin brass, oil-rubbed bronze, aluminium, black matte, and rust finishes. 

Function first

Once you have a shortlist of potential hardware, is time to road test it for function. How does it feel in your hands? No matter how pleasing it is to look at, you’ll soon get annoyed by a lumpy or spiky drawer handle digging into your hand every time you open the cutlery drawer. Also consider how other kitchen users will adapt to your choices – if you have small children or those with less flexible hands, they’ll need something comfortable to use.

When it comes to choosing kitchen door handles, you get what you pay for. They’re some of the hardest working elements in your kitchen and it’s important to choose something that can stand up to daily use. Conversely, updating or changing your kitchen drawer hardware is a relatively simple way to change up the look of your kitchen in the future. 

Need help?

If you’re in the early stages of your bespoke kitchen design, we’d love to speak to you about the little finishing touches that make all the difference. Contact the team at our Buckingham showroom for a quick chat.