How to Choose Cabinet Handles for Your Kitchen

It's easy to overlook cabinet handles when you're remodeling your kitchen or building a new home. After all, they're fairly small, easy to install and don't cost as much as, say, a refrigerator or new cabinets. Nevertheless, cabinet handles, also called cabinet pulls, and their near kin, cabinet knobs, can make a big difference in the look and utility of your kitchen. You use your cabinet hardware dozens of times a day, and while hardware like cabinet hinges are not highly visible, kitchen cabinet handles are high profile and can add to or detract from the look of your kitchen, depending on how carefully you choose your kitchen cabinet knobs and handles. Keep reading for information on how to choose cabinet handles that will help give your kitchen the look you want.

Choosing Cabinet Handles:

Choose between cabinet knobs or cabinets handles and pulls.

The choice between kitchen cabinet knobs and cabinet pulls and handles may seem unimportant, but knobs and handles have different features that can alter the overall look of your kitchen. Because kitchen cabinet knobs are round, they often give a kitchen a welcoming, home-style look that works especially well in country-themed kitchens. Kitchen cabinet handles and kitchen cabinet pulls, on the other hand, can give a kitchen a more sophisticated or elegant look. These distinctions are fairly loose though, and you can find plenty of rustic kitchen cabinet handles as well as sophisticated kitchen cabinet knobs, if that’s what you want.

Choose a cabinet handle style.

Between your cabinets and your drawers, you may have thirty of more cabinet handles in your kitchen, which has a significant effect on the look of the room, so you will want to choose knobs and pulls that match or complement your kitchen decor. If your kitchen has a modern look, consider choosing a cabinet handle that has angles and a very simple design or a square knob. Keep in mind that you can find knobs and pulls in a number of different designs, so if you have a Tuscan-themed kitchen, you can find kitchen cabinet knobs stamped with grapes, and if you have a rustic kitchen, you can find kitchen cabinet handles made from twisted wrought iron.

Choose a cabinet handle material and finish.

Once you know whether you want cabinet handles or cabinet knobs and which sort of design you want, you’ll want to choose a material and finish. Cabinet pulls and handles come in a variety of materials, from inexpensive plastic to high-end polished brass. As a general rule, nickel or stainless steel cabinet handles usually give a more modern, sophisticated look to a kitchen, whereas bronze and brass handles often project an antique or rustic look. Most materials come in different finishes, from glossy polishes to dark antique finishes, so you’re sure to be able to find something that matches your kitchen decor.