Where to put knobs and handles on kitchen cabinets: Easy guide and protips

With this guide, I want to explain to you where to put knobs and handles on kitchen cabinets as a professional does. When it comes to picking between a hardware design or another, you should choose the accessories that best reflect your personality. Then, knowing where to place hardware on kitchen cabinets will help you create a space that is not only beautiful and personalized but also functional and well balanced.

Since the kitchen is where we spend much of our time at home, you’ll want to get the most out of it when planning upgrades. It is normal to have doubts about choosing knobs or handles for kitchen cabinet drawers and doors. However, handles are a highly recommended option for people with arthritis, as they provide a better and larger grip area. On the other hand, knobs for kitchen cabinets will always be a classic choice.

No matter what type of hardware, this guide on where to put knobs and handles on kitchen cabinets is for you

We’ll focus on installing handles and knobs for Shaker styley and Slab style kitchen cabinets. These are the most common styles for cabinetry, let's take a look.

Note: If you choose handles for your drawers, the following image will show you the size of pulls you should install according to the width of the drawer.

where to put handles on kitchen cabinets drawers?

According to the height of your kitchen base cabinet. It features between 2 and 5 drawers fitted. Regardless of the number of drawers, these are the installation options for the handles:

• All handles are installed horizontally and completely centered. The only downside of this configuration is that the pull on your bottom drawer might be a little low, and you'll have to bend down to grab it.

• All handles are installed horizontally and centered but 1“ or 1 ¼” from the top edge of the drawer. Installing the handle closer to the edge could generate that you hit your knuckles on the countertop.

• This option is only for Shaker-style kitchen cabinet drawers. On the top drawer, install the handle horizontally and completely centered. On the bottom drawers, install the handle 1 ¼" below the bottom edge of the top rail to achieve a slight variation that will still look good and, of course, be functional.

where to put hardware on kitchen cabinets doors?

These are the options about where to put knobs and handles on kitchen cabinet doors. These rules apply to install pulls on upper and lower cabinet doors as well:

• On Slab-style doors, the handle is installed vertically, in the middle of the door and 1“ or 1 1⁄4” from the edge so that it looks like a pair. On a Shaker-style cabinet door, install the handles in the middle of the door as well, but aligned with the center of the stile. This option is not as functional because if you do the same on the lower kitchen cabinet doors, you will have to kneel down to reach the handle.

• On Slab-style doors, the handle is installed horizontally, in the middle of the door and 1 ½“ or 1 ¾” from the bottom edge so you do not hit your fingers on the countertop when closing the lower kitchen cabinet doors. On a Shaker-style cabinet door, install the handles horizontally in the middle of the door as well, centered on the bottom rail. On all doors, it is important to make sure that the pull will not hit another piece of furniture when opened fully.

• 80% of kitchen cabinet doors have handles installed this way. The handle is installed vertically in the corners of the doors. On Slab-style doors, you should install the handle 1“ or 1 ¼” from the side edge and then 2" from the bottom edge. On Shaker-style doors, you will want to align the handle with the top edge of the rail and centered on the stile.

where to put knobs on kitchen cabinets doors?

• When installing a knob on a kitchen cabinet door, the placement is the same as for a handle. The only mistake would be to install it too close to the edge of the door, as this will look off. If you have a Slab-style door, you should install the knob 1“ or 1 ¼” from the side edge and then 2" from the bottom edge. In this location, the knob will look good even though it is not centered, and it will make your kitchen look symmetrical. On Shaker-style doors, you will want to align the knob with the top edge of the rail and centered on the stile.

Pro Tip:

• Use double sided mounting tape or mounting putty to temporarily install the handles and make sure you have chosen the location you really like.

• Before drilling the door or drawer of your kitchen cabinet, use a smaller drill bit to start the hole. This will act as an initial guide and prevent the larger drill bit from slipping and taking a different path and scratching your cabinets.

Now that you know where to put pulls on kitchen cabinets, look for kitchen cabinet painting services to refresh or change the hues of your cabinetry and get an even better result.