In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the basics on hardware options and pull formats for shaker style cabinets. Shaker cabinets are available in a huge range of design options and are very versatile, including in the kinds of hardware you can choose for them – and the different placement styles you might consider.
At AWA Kitchen Cabinets, our wide selection of kitchen cabinets includes numerous shaker style options for you to consider if this is the style you prefer. In today’s part two of our series, we’ll dig a little further into the placement realm when it comes to the hardware you’re thinking about for your shaker cabinets – what are your options for shaker doors, drawers and unique insert handles?
Placement on Shaker Cabinet Doors
When it comes to shaker cabinet doors and the location of your knob and pull handles, there aren’t many practical differences between your common options. Put another way: This decision comes down almost exclusively to your own aesthetic desires, and if you like how it looks you’re in good shape pretty much no matter what.
That said, there are a few common options chosen by those who purchase shaker cabinets:
- Lower corner: Likely the most common location for shaker cabinet knobs and pulls is the lower corner on the side of the cabinet that opens. These will usually be around an inch from the edge of the door, with both horizontal and vertical pull options depending on your style.
- Above or below corners: Others choose a bit more of an indentation here, placing knobs or pulls two or three inches from either a lower or upper corner.
- Center stile: For shaker cabinets with stiles, another common choice is to place the knob or pull halfway up the door in the center of such a stile on the side where the door opens.
Placement on Shaker Cabinet Drawers
You also have a few options when it comes to shaker cabinet drawer hardware placement:
- Center insert panel: For recessed drawer panels, the knob or pull will go in the center of this section.
- Center top rail: In other cases, you may choose to use the center of the top rail part of the drawer for your knob or pull.
- Larger base drawers: For larger and heavier shaker base drawers that will hold heavy items, you can either use double knobs or pulls or use a single oversized pull handle – in the latter case, the handle should make up at least 33% of the cabinet width, if not more.
- Slab option: For slab style base cabinets, knobs or pulls can go in a variety of areas based on personal desire. There are also mixes of slab and shaker styles, in which case we recommend placing knobs or pulls on the top part of the slab or top rail.
For more on hardware placement for shaker cabinets, or to learn about any of our base cabinets, utility cabinets or other kitchen cabinet materials, speak to the staff at AWA Kitchen Cabinets today.