Choose The Right Size Kitchen Cabinet Hardware With These Tips

Cabinet hardware is one of the most impactful kitchen details in a renovation to give your space personality, or it can be an easy way to update the look of an existing kitchen without any remodeling required. However, with so many different types and sizes of cabinet hardware, choosing which one is right for you can be challenging. However, there is an easy formula that suggests you select hardware that is approximately ⅓ the width of the drawer or the height of the door. This approach is a great starting point to kick off your cabinetry hardware selection process with options that feel proportionate to the cabinetry.

Do a bit of research during the planning period to understand the latest trends in kitchen hardware so you can fine-tune your design style and taste. For cabinets like shaker-style cabinets with vertical stiles, take measurements of your existing cabinets to ensure that your hardware selections will fit comfortably within the stile, or consult an expert. If you are refreshing your existing cabinets, be sure to measure the distance between all existing hardware holes if you are not planning to patch and paint old holes. Once you know the limitations of your cabinet hardware options, it is time to decide which size is best for your kitchen layout.

In order to determine the right size of hardware for your space, begin with the drawers. Generally, a drawer pull should be about ⅓ the width of the drawer overall. This means that small drawers under 12 inches would usually call for a 3- to 4-inch pull or knob. Drawers between 12 and 30 inches should have a 4- to 8-inch pull or a larger knob. Drawers over 30 inches should use a pull over 8 inches, split the measurement between two pulls, or use two knobs. Depending on the drawer pull style you chose and the sizes available, make adjustments as needed to have all drawers feel cohesive.

Once you have your drawer hardware selected, it's time to move on to complementary door hardware. While you can use the same size and type of pull on cabinet doors as you used on the drawers for a uniform look, mixing and matching types and sizes can create visual interest in your kitchen. Upper cabinets could showcase a shorter pull or a knob, while lower cabinet doors could utilize a pull that is about a third of the size of the cabinet or a knob. If you use knobs on upper cabinet doors, feel free to mix things up for the lower doors and vice versa – they do not need to match. Long pulls should be reserved for lower cabinets or larger doors on full-height pantry cabinets to ensure the kitchen does not feel too top-heavy.