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8 Tips for Mixing Knobs and Pulls on Kitchen Cabinets!

8 Tips for Mixing Knobs and Pulls on Kitchen Cabinets!

When it comes to house renovation; sometimes it’s the little details that affect the bigger picture. This includes choosing the best lighting fixtures, installing the ideal door knobs, placing apparent but not overwhelming baseboards, and choosing the right wood materials for doors and cabinets.

One example of the little details that majorly impact a space’s aesthetic and functioning is the mixing of knobs and pulls on kitchen cabinets. Choosing the proper cabinet knobs and pulls is frequently something that surprises people.

This is because, there are so many different finishes, designs and sizes available that it can be a little confusing for one to choose the ideal mix. 

So, how can you blend your knobs and pulls in a way that makes sense practically and yet makes it appear classy and well-organized? A lot of it will depend on personal preference and comfort, but the following tips should make the decision-making process more manageable. 

Tips on How to Mix and Match Knobs and Pulls

There are many ways to change up how your kitchen’s style looks. A few examples of what you can do include:

1. Adopt a Uniform Finish

Cabinet hardware may be coordinated in a variety of finishes, but mixing different knob and pull types in a uniform matching finish is considerably simpler and safer. This makes the contrasts between different kinds of design less obvious and automatically provides the hardware with a sense of coordination.

Do not forget that the “finish” includes both the material and the texture. For instance, brushed brass and satin brass both have a gold hue, but they seem distinct due to their various surface textures and varying degrees of gloss.

1. Adopt a uniform finish

You may even go a step further by selecting the identical metal finish for your faucets, switch plate covers, light fixtures, and cabinet hardware to create a more unified appearance.

2. Consider the Number of Doors and Drawers

In order to avoid any knobs or pulls to stand out, it is better to utilize a single type of knob or pull in many locations. As a result, with a bigger kitchen with more doors and drawers, it could be simpler to make different designs of hardware work together.

Therefore, in a kitchen with less than 20 doors and drawers, it is generally best to use no more than two types of knobs or pulls. Moreover, use a single type of handle throughout a small kitchen with less than 12 doors and drawers to avoid overwhelming the space and add interest elsewhere, such as an open shelf. Keep in mind that this is not a strict guideline, but it can assist in providing a clean appearance.

3. Keep It Simple

If you’re now of the opinion that combining different hardware types is not for you, don’t worry. Just keep things simple. For the majority of cabinet tasks, simple straight handles with a 3 or 4-inch space between screw holes will be sufficient. They function well with narrow drawers but may also be used with broader drawers and swinging cabinets. This is the best option if you want to keep things straightforward and utilize only one type of hardware everywhere. 

4. Choose One Style For the Top Cabinets and Another For the Bottom Cabinets

Using one sort of hardware for the uppers and one for the lowers is a terrific alternative for synchronizing the style of your hardware. You would typically want a knob on the top cabinets since they’re simple to hold when swinging a door open, and a pull for the bottom cabinets, as they work well with both cabinets and drawers. 

Full-height pantry doors might be treated as upper cabinets or lower cabinets, or even have the hardware divided between the top and lower sections. Nevertheless, if you separate them, they should follow a vertical line at counter height. Otherwise, choose one design to utilize across the entire pantry space so there is an understated consistency the eye can notice.

5. Choose a Distinct Design

Consider selecting distinct knobs or pulls for each functional kind of door and drawer if you enjoy the aesthetic of combining more than two types of hardware or have a big kitchen with a variety of cabinets and drawers

For example, the conventional swing doors on the top and lower cabinets can have plain circular knobs, whereas most drawers may have bin pulls.

On the other hand, cabinets that swing down, such as those used to hide a dishwasher, should have a handle rather than a bin pull. Although a bin pull can be used in these situations, a handle can be a little more comfortable and can be grasped from more angles to perform this function. 

Further, these handles can also be used on other paneled appliances, such as fridges and freezers. In this way, each handle will complement the purpose of its door face and can create a unique feeling of balance.

6. Consider the Sizes of Knobs and Pulls

Mixing knobs or pulls that almost match one other might occasionally produce an unappealing aesthetic. When two pulls or knobs are very close but not identical, they may appear mismatched rather than purposefully linked. To prevent this problem, be sure that the scales of the various designs you combine are visibly different.

6. Consider the sizes of the knobs and pulls

For example, small latch pulls for the cabinets, bin pulls for the drawers, medium handle pulls for swing-down doors, and long handle pulls for the fridges and freezers.

Each hardware group’s unique size contributes to an unsaid feeling of structure that aids your eye in making sense of everything. It’s a subtle technique to keep things from looking cluttered even when there’s a lot going on.

7. Decide on Long-Term Use

The knobs and pulls finish and design can be altered later on, or even immediately, but the holes drilled in your cabinets can’t be changed as easily. So, it’s crucial to carefully analyze all the shapes and sizes available and make a choice that will be practical for you now and in the future, regardless of what design you find fashionable right now.

However, if holes were drilled by you or a former owner and you later regret their location, you can still avoid having to refinish the doors by selecting new knobs or pulls with a complementing backplate, which will conceal the unneeded holes and offer an additional accent.

8. Consider Who Uses the Kitchen

Lastly, it is important to consider who will be utilizing the knobs and pulls you choose for your kitchen, as well as how they will be utilized.

If your elderly parents stay with you, they can find it difficult to unlock the knobs on all of your cupboards and drawers. In contrast, if you have kids and placed pulls everywhere, they could be able to quickly access places they shouldn’t.

FAQs

What is the difference between a knob and a pull?

The purpose of knobs and pulls is to open drawers and cabinet doors. Pulls require the use of three to four fingers and the thumb, but knobs only require the thumb and one or two fingers. This is how knobs vary from pulls in terms of how they open. This is why pulls are typically preferred over knobs even though it is widely agreed that knobs make it easier to access top cabinets.

What are the advantages of knobs and pulls?

Some of the advantages of having a knob for your kitchen cabinets are that they’re a bit cheaper than pulls, they work better for upper cabinets, and they’re easier to install.
On the other hand, some advantages of having pulls are that they’re usually easier to grab and clean while also not catching on your clothing.

Final Words on Mixing Knobs and Pulls on Kitchen Cabinets

To sum it up, both knobs and pulls can be mixed together through a variety of methods but it all depends on your personal opinion and aesthetic. There is no right or wrong, however, you should consider functionality and easiness when deciding on what to choose.

Furthermore, you should keep some level of consistency and balance for cabinets and drawers of the same kind so that the kitchen appears uniform and pleasing to the eye.

Lindsay Reed

Hi, I'm the founder of ProjectPerfectHome.com! I created this website to be a resource for everyone who wants to make the best home possible.