Here’s our cabinet hardware that arrived last week:
We chose these knobs and bin pulls in a finish the web site called “antique nickel.” G and I had originally gone back and forth on what finish to choose. For a while I was leaning towards oil rubbed bronze, and G was thinking something more in the silver family. We landed here. To be completely honest – I’m “eh” about them. I would have appreciated a bin pull that was more square shaped (we really hate curves, home-designally-speaking, and yes I’m pretty sure I read the word “designally” in Architectural Digest once before – but I’ll go more into this this anti-curves sentiment at a different time).
Back to the important task at hand. So we have these bin pulls. And we have the drawers where the bin pulls will live out their days as the only thing between us making a home cooked meal, and reaching into said drawer and grabbing a delivery menu. We were looking at where to position the pulls on the drawers, and figured the center of the drawer front was the logical choice. But then later I hop on Google and do a little image wandering for cabinets. And now I haz the confuses.
I saw this – with the pulls in the center of the drawers:
And then there was this, with the pulls at the top of the drawers:
And now I ask you – you fine, upstanding, confident, intelligent and good-looking people of the interwebs….
Should we put ‘em in the CENTER, like this:
Or at the TOP, like so?:
TALK TO ME, PEOPLE. THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS. DON’T LET OUR KITCHEN DOWN:
absolutely center. also, if you have your receipt for the pulls – go with something more square – especially with your narrow inset which is so very rectilinear.
http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1283091&categoryId=cat1512023
but if you’re set on your pulls, then forget what I said… they’re awesome!
Hans – you have the good ideas. I just wish these were a little more affordable – because we need 40+ of them!
amortize the initial expense vs how long the pulls will last, I would guess it is somewhere between, 40 yrs and forever. next year this time, you won’t even remember how much you paid for the pulls. but if you go with a round pull you don’t love – you’ll resent them forever.
square is the idea, not RH. you’ve met the internet. surely there is a square pull out there that isn’t from pricey RH. try Indonesia… they have all kinds of shit.
Tops of drawers. Especially for drawers lower to the ground, having to reach several inches lower to pull the handle is going to get annoying, fast. Maybe I think about this more because my partner and I are super-tall people, but that’s the more ergonomic choice.
If you’re not in love with your pulls… Maybe something like these: http://www.bluebirdknobsandpulls.com/servlet/the-11/Craftsman-Black-Iron-Cup/Detail?
I got all of my kitchen knobs, pulls, and new hinges from that company, and they shipped fast and had a discount code for 20% off when we ordered from them, which allowed me to get the cup pulls and matching knobs I’d fallen in love with at Home Depot for $40+ cheaper (we have a small kitchen with not that many knobs/pulls, but saving money is saving money!).
Thanks for the link!
Having a similar shaker style cabinet, and having put our pulls in the center of the drawers, if I had to do it again I’d put them on the tops. I think your frame (or whatever the techical word is for the frame that surrounds the inset panel) is substantially “big” enough where visually the pull will look just fine there. it is the right scale. Does that make any sense?
I got my cab hw on http://www.richelieu.com, super affordable and they had some unique styles. There’s one or two angular cup style pulls in there.
Also, in hindsight I’d have done pulls EVERYWHERE and skipped the knobs. I created endless chaos for myself by selecting square craftsman knobs which are constantly turning and getting out of center. I LOVE the square look, but I hate having to readjust them.
Ooooh – this is good to know. The issue is that we have some big giant drawers, too, and I feel like they can’t go at the top on those. My mind is spinning!
How historic are you trying to be? If you are trying to mimic how they used to do it, then center the pull. If not, put it whereever you’d most like to have it.
Also, if you install in the center, is there still plenty of room for fingers to get into the pull? It looks like the center is recessed and might make it tight to use the pull if it’s installed in there.
It’s weird on this set of drawers I showed in the example. There’s room to get the fingers in with the pulls we have, but now if we swap out for something more angular, we may not. But we’re not trying to be historically accurate.
I vote for different pulls, at the top of the drawer. I like the ones Hans suggested, and I know I’ve seen less expensive alternatives to the RH ones. Maybe something like this, this, or this. I would also check eBay.
I also found these on Amazon.
And these (on a website I’ve never heard of).
Sorry for all the comments, I swear I’m done now.
CAIT YOU RULE. These are all great. Thanks so much! But no thanks on adding to the total and utter confusion I have brought upon myself by posting this today!!!
Glad you like them, and sorry for adding to the confusion!
Definitely top. Noticed that on your example the top example (pulls in the center) were flat drawer face (no inset panel). The example that shows pulls on the top are similar to yours (with a center inset panel). Put them in the middle and you’ll constantly scrape your knuckles on upper edge of the lower panel (hopefully that makes sense).
Hi Ed. All of our top drawers are flat faced. (I think we’re hitting it all in this room). So the question then would be – would look weird if the top drawers are centered and the ones below it have the hardware at the top? I don’t think I’m even making sense anymore. I think I have to clean slate all of this and restart!
I don’t think it would look weird, since it sounds like the drawer styles are somewhat different. Besides, both your examples mix-and-match the way they do their pulls. (And also the style of pulls- some drawers have bin pulls, some regular pulls, and some have knobs.)
OH YES, Ed is totally right about this. I forgot i have this problem too, although in the reverse. I have a pull that’s not a cup – it’s a regular bar-style, and my long fingers always seem to rub/hit the lower edge of the upper panel. This is just an unfortunate flaw of having chosen shaker style doors. Also, let’s not get into the fact that flour and other powdered cooking ingredients LOVE to settle in that little nook.
That said, I wouldn’t change my shaker doors for anything – just little things to think about.
Not sure I really like the round-ness of the bin pulls with the square-ness of the cabinet. And unless you are trying to do a historical cabinet I don’t really like bin pulls – they just seem a bit trendy.
I would probably go with a very square handle on everything – maybe a 3″ one instead of the round knobs and a 4-5″ one instead of the bin pulls (or whatever sizes look good based on cabinet sizes). I see no problem with centering whatever you end up with on the flat upper drawers and putting them on the frame part of any lower drawers that are not flat.
If you really like the bin pull idea – I did vote for putting the bin pulls on the frame – I’d be afraid of constantly scrapping my knuckles on the frame of the recess otherwise.
Sorry for adding to the confusion – take your time & get what makes you happy – good luck!
Thanks for the input. You’re right – we need to take our time and choose what will make us happy. I don’t want it to be months from now and every time I walk in the kitchen I think “UGH – those pulls are awful!”
I voted top. To me the inset area in the center looks too narrow for the pull to look “right” there.
The color choices are much more limited, but Martha Stewart has some square bin pulls at Home Depot for $5-$6 each.
Thanks for the tip!
Your kitchen is going to be so lovely!! I vote for top, with different pulls. I agree with some of the previous commenters that the pulls are a little too round for the size/shape of your cupboards. You’ve been given some great suggestions though
Kitchen hardware is expensive, isn’t it!?
Thanks! And yes – hardware is one of those things that creeps up fast.
I love Cait’s suggestions for a thinner, more elegant, profile. I know it is nutty to go searching again once you have something in hand but I think it would be a big improvement. The cabinets and tops look so awesome and refined. I think the hardware should be the same.
I just found your blog yesterday through Hernando House and I’m completely in love with it! I love your writing style and your humor. You’re doing kitchen stuff now which means I will be living vicariously through you until my husband and I can someday afford to completely gut our original horrendous 1950′s ranch style kitchen (cut out scallop designs and all).
I’m in agreement with the third (secret) option. I, like you, am a bit ‘eh’ about the knobs. I feel like they’re too heavy for the center of the drawers and they look awkward on top. A thinner, sexier, more elegant pull would be beautiful. I cannot wait to see the kitchen with the counters, cabinets and pulls (whichever you decide on) all together!
We did center of the drawer because the spacing worked on our existing cabinets. Our drawers had hand grips (spacing in the back taken out so you could open without hardware) and I wanted to keep them cleaner and use pulls. I find that I use the hand places much more than the pulls just because they are more convenient. I vote top of the drawers!
http://seventhandw.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/more-kitchen-details/