What usually looks best is a pull length that is about 1/3 the height of the cabinet door and 1/3 the width of the cabinet drawer. Your eyes follow the length of the pull up the height of the door or across the width of the drawer. Pulls don't have to all be the same length as long as the pull design is the same.
For extra-long drawers (over 2 feet) that will have heavy contents, it can be both visually pleasing and practical to have two knobs or pulls. If you do, the common rule of thumb for placement is to divide the drawer into thirds, and install the hardware in the left and right thirds.
Small Drawers that are 12” or less typically work best with a pull that is 3” to 4” long or a knob that is 1” in diameter. Large Drawers that are 30” to 48"will require a pull that is longer than 8" or a knob that is 1" in diameter or greater. Using two pulls or knobs for a large drawer also works great.
Pulls 3-7 inches in length will sit the most comfortably on doors less than 24 inches tall. Cabinet doors 24-36 inches tall are best adorned with pulls 7-12 inches long, while cabinets taller than 36 inches such as pantries, built-in appliances and pullouts should be accompanied by pulls longer than 12 inches.
There is no right or wrong size to choose, but we do recommend choosing pulls that have at least a 3-3/4" center to center (the distance between the screw holes). This size looks pleasing on most cabinets, while still being large enough to grip comfortably. 5" - 6.5" pulls are also an excellent choice.
We find that cabinet pulls with an overall length of 4-5 inches are a good choice for standard-sized cabinets doors. Depending on the pull style, the pulls in this size range tend to have hole spacing from 3 inches to 5 inches.
1. Stainless Steel Bar Pulls. This is our most popular cabinet hardware right now. It is this sleek pull that benefits modern kitchens and minimalist designs.
A simple, subtle arch or bend in a cabinet pull provides some interest to the overall design without being too bold. The extra space created by the arch pull also allows for easier gripping. The Cosmas 2363 series of cabinet pullsperfectly blend modern and traditional.
Cabinet pulls give a sleek visually appealing look to cabinet doors and drawers. What usually looks best is a pull length that is about 1/3 the height of the cabinet door and 1/3 the width of the cabinet drawer. Your eyes follow the length of the pull up the height of the door or across the width of the drawer.
Cabinet Pulls Placement
When placing your pulls, remember that the 1'' to 4'' range (based on your personal preference) from the top or bottom edge of the drawer is the ideal placement. The thing to keep in mind with cabinet pulls has to do with placing them vertically or horizontally.
On wall cabinets, knobs are usually placed 2-1/2” to 3” from the bottom corner of the door. On base cabinets, they are placed 2-1/2” to 3” from the upper corner of the door. On drawers and pull-out cabinets, drawer pulls and knobs are typically centered on the drawer front.
For standard size cabinetry (dimensions of 12″ – 36″) the most common pull sizes are 3”, 4”, 96mm, and 128mm center to center (from one screw hole to another).
For really wide drawers, we always recommend using two cup pulls, and then evenly space them. As a general rule of thumb, if your drawer is 30″ or wider, I like to use two cup pulls.
Yes, metals like brass are classic, and lucite pulls are glamorous, but a pop of color is where it's at in 2023. Introduce a touch of whimsy into your kitchen with turquoise pulls that pop against white slab cabinets, as seen here in Parisian flat designed by Fabrizio Casiraghi.
Pulls tend to be pieces of cabinet hardware that are mounted on the cabinetry at two points. Pulls are much wider than knobs and are designed more with form in mind, allowing the user to wrap their fingers comfortably around the piece of hardware. Most modern pulls are cylinders or rectangular prisms.
If you will have knobs on doors and drawers, stick to the same size or larger on drawers. Wood knobs can go slightly larger than metal knobs, as they are intended to be more robust and are visually lighter than shiny metal. Drawers wider than 18″ need two knobs/pulls, whereas drawer narrower need only one.
If you're looking for an affordable option that is easy to install and use, cabinet knobs might be the way to go. However, if you want hardware that is easier to clean and less likely to get in the way, cabinet pulls might be a better choice. Ultimately, the decision is up to you and what will work best for your space.
One Large Pull: As we mentioned above, for cabinet drawers 30 inches wide or more we would recommend a pull 5 inches or longer, OR two pulls 3 inches to 5 inches long each. This is necessary because the longer a drawer gets the more weight it can hold and the harder it may be to open.
A kitchen / bedroom door or drawer handle is easy to replace - Standard popular sizes include 96mm, 128mm, 160mm, 192mm etc - although there are lots of other hole centre sizes too.
When choosing a base cabinet width, keep the cabinet function in mind. For storing your pots, pans, baking sheets, or pull-out spice racks, cabinets between a width of 9 and 24 inches work well. You also need to keep the sink in mind. For a single basin sink, 30 inches will work.