Cabinet hardware is the final touch that brings life to your millwork. When choosing, there are many factors to consider: grip, comfort, style, and finish being important among them. Below is a summary of the most common hardware types with tips to help you decide which is best for your particular cabinet door or drawer.

KNOBS

Because of their size and the way you grip them, knobs are best for cabinets fronts that don’t require a lot of strength to open. This makes them ideal for upper and base cabinet doors, as well as on small or light-duty drawers. For wider drawers they can be doubled up for two-handed opening. One thing to keep in mind: because most knobs only have one point of attachment, they have a tendency to rotate over time. For this reason, it’s safer to stick with round profiles where the detailing doesn’t require a strict orientation.

BAR PULLS

A larger or heavier-duty drawer is often more comfortable to open with a bar pull. Other than the look, the main question is how long the pull should be. A shorter spacing of 4”–7” will typically fit well among a diverse set of drawer faces. Using pairs or employing longer lengths is sometimes done for wider cabinets, though this isn’t always functionally or aesthetically necessary. Bar pulls can also be used on cabinet doors, though we find them functionally better in this role with a vertical orientation to avoid confusion over where to pull.

CUP PULLS

Cup pulls can be employed as a change of pace from bar pulls—their gentler profiles are a little less likely to snag clothing or bump little heads. They typically have a more traditional or rustic vibe, but there are a variety of options to choose from. Unlike bar pulls, however, they are not appropriate on upper cabinet or large doors.

EDGE PULLS

Metal edge pulls have a very minimal look while lending an accent to stained wood or painted cabinets. This sleekness, however, makes their application limited to light-duty work. In particular they are well suited for upper cabinet doors in either a vertical or horizontal orientation. At base cabinet drawers, however, they don’t quite provide enough grip to be comfortable, and they are vulnerable to catching water and corroding on their top surface.

INTEGRATED PULLS

For a more minimal look, the pull can be integrated into the edge of a drawer or door front, either as a separate metal piece or routed directly into the wood. Often this is done as a continuous finger-grip along the entire length of a front. For doors, however, this can cause some confusion on where one should pull to open against the hinge. To avoid this issue, the pull can be limited to one spot on the panel (as with a simple cut-out at a drawer’s top centre). Be careful with kitchen applications, however. Stained or painted wood may end up absorbing oils and discolouring over time. Also, the grip on an integrated pull is sometimes not sufficiently comfortable to handle the heavy-duty pulling necessary for refrigerators, dishwashers, and pantry doors. In those instances, consider switching to bar bulls.

STYLE & FINISH

Cabinet hardware comes in a variety of styles. Because comfort is important, we recommend rounded edges as opposed to square ones. Also, some detailing can help bring life to these pieces—they need not be strictly minimal. Metal finishes are most typical, and we favour warmer tones: brass, oil-rubbed bronze, and nickel. No need to worry, these will look fine next to stainless steel appliances.

To help you decide exactly what to pick, it is important that you handle the piece in person to understand its feel and scale. We recommend that all our clients visit a showroom to make selections. In Toronto, Upper Canada Specialty Hardware has an excellent selection, as does ADH Fine Hardware. Many home furnishing stores also carry interesting cabinet hardware worth a look.

CABINET HARDWARE