18th Jan 2013
How to mix Kitchen pull handles, knobs, and cup pulls
How to mix Kitchen pull handles, knobs, and cup pulls
Cabinet hardware is the all important finishing touch that can make your kitchen stunning or possibly terrible. Well chosen handles are critical in any new kitchen and possibly more so in a kitchen refurbishment.
In the past kitchens were designed either with all pull handles or all knobs, but with many kitchen handles being manufactured in matching sets it is possible to mix.
However you may ask which handle belongs where? There doesn't seem to be one answer to this question and personal choice will be the deciding factor. Reviewing different kitchen designs on the internet suggests an equal split between; all knobs, all pulls, knobs on drawers / pulls on cabinets and pulls on drawers / knobs on cabinets. One design even had knobs on wall cabinets, cup pulls on drawers and pulls on base (floor) cabinets.
It is all personal taste but it would seem that mixing types adds interest and appears to be in vogue.
Some other things to consider
Heavy doors on built in/under dishwashers or fridge freezers may need a large handle with two screw fixings rather than a small knob with one screw fixing. Continued use of these appliances will cause the fixings to loosen over time. Hence a larger handle with two screw fixings will last better. This may also apply to larger cabinet doors depending on hinges/closing mechanisms.
Wide drawers ( over 600mm) may need either two knobs at each end or a handle to ensure that it can be opened smoothly. Again this can depend on the type of runners that the drawer uses.
When drawer packs have two types of drawer front – a shaker front for the deeper drawer and a slab for the shallow drawer – it is possible sometimes to mix cup pull with normal pull handle.
Check out these matching sets
Here are a couple of links to other blogs discussing this issue.
http://studiobcreativejuice.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/what-were-they-thinking-thursday_16.html
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1211025330665.html