• Drawer Spacing

What is the best size for cabinet handles? One seems a bit small on a wide drawer. Knobs don’t look good either.S.My first thought is, “Whatever handle is comfortable to use”, but I know you’re looking for a bit more than that.smile.

So let’s talk two priorities: grip and scale.Will your fingers fit around it?I’ve seen more than a few knock-offs lately that simply don’t fit. Oh, sure, they’re inexpensive, but you can’t fit your fingers around them because the shank or the height of the knob or pull simply isn’t high enough. For those of you with long nails, that means a gradual or intermediate wearing away and damage of the door surface at the handle area. Some of you have heard this before, but here’s my trick: I place the knob or handle on a flat surface.

Drawer Spacing

Then I invite my clients to pretend they’re grasping it as if it were attached to a drawer. If they’re unable to fit their fingers around it or I hear any clicking or scraping, then we start looking for another solution. Is the size in proportion to the drawers?A knob on a 12″ – 21″ wide drawer, like you see above, looks fine. A single knob on 24″-27″wide drawers tends to look a bit lost and out-of-scale. It’s a judgement call, depending on your tastes and the design.

I specify 2 knobs for 30″ drawers and wider. I might say the same for handles, but again, it depends on the size. If the drawer is 30″ wide or wider and the handle is 3″ – 5″ wide, then I specify 2 handles. When the handles are 6″ wide and beyond, now I start looking at the proportion. Buy the handles in a few sizes and hold them up to the drawers.

For me, I usually do line drawings. Knobs or handles? Or both?I know some of you are struggling with this, but here’s my answer: there is no Absolute Guide For Hardware Etiquette. Miss Manners will not rap your wrists with her fan if you plan on one or another.If you’re asking me, I like handles on drawers, especially large width drawers, as you see below and knobs on the doors.

(Still all depends on the style.) I will point out if you’re the type to only grab one of the handles, I might recommend a single large handle centered; the drawer glides don’t work as well over time when you only pull on one side.