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The #1 Best Cabinet Hardware Placement for Handles and Knobs

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cabinet hardware placement - featured image

If you’re installing new cabinet hardware, “Where should I drill the new holes?” will most likely be your first question.

Well, maybe your first question will be “Is installing your own cabinet hardware easy?”, and to that, I say YES! I have an entire post dedicated to installing cabinet hardware.

But before you’re able to install hardware, it’s ridiculously important to know the best cabinet hardware placement for both handles and knobs. I have installed a lot of cabinet hardware, and have tried different placements with each project.

In this post, you’ll learn the best cabinet hardware placement for doors and drawers, what looks good, and what doesn’t.

Cabinet Door Anatomy 101

Really quick, it’s super useful to understand the three components of a cabinet door before diving in. This simple bit of info will make this process a breeze!

Cabinet Door Anatomy 101 - Rail, Stile, Panel

Parts of a cabinet door:

  • Rail = Horizontal trim on a cabinet door
  • Stile = Vertical trim on a cabinet door
  • Panel = The space between the rails and stiles

And just like that, you’re a cabinet door expert! 😉 Now we can confidently move forward.

So where do you position cabinet handles and knobs on doors?

Classic vs Contemporary handles - cabinet hardware placement
Classic vs Contemporary knobs - cabinet hardware placement

There are two popular placements for handles and knobs on cabinet doors:

1. Classic: For upper cabinets, the knob or bottom screw of the handle is an inch or two above the inside corner of the door. The same concept applies to bottom cabinets, just flip it.

Classic Handles - cabinet hardware placement
Classic Knobs - cabinet hardware placement

2. Contemporary: For upper cabinets, the knob or bottom screw of the handle is aligned with the inside corner of the door. The same concept applies to bottom cabinets, just flip it.

Contemporary Handle - cabinet hardware placement
Contemporary Knob - cabinet hardware placement

In either case, the knob or handle should be centered on the stile.

Regardless of the look you go for, generally, you’ll want your knob or bottom screw of the handle at least 2″-3″ from the bottom of the door. For bottom cabinets, your knob or top screw of the handle should follow the same guidance but from the top of the door.

place knobs two inches up

Cabinet knobs

RELATED POST: 28 Best Cabinet Knobs and Handles on Amazon That Will Immediately Elevate Your Cabinets

While these placement styles can be used as a general rule of thumb, you can experiment with different placements. There are no strict rules to follow – do what looks good to you!

Everyone has different cabinets, so what might work for one person, might not work for the next.

My kitchen cabinets follow the classic method. Why? Because that’s how they were when I bought the house! But I like the classic look on my cabinet doors because I don’t have thicker stiles and rails, so this placement helps keep the corner less crowded.

Cabinet knobs | Vase | Daisy mug | Teaspoons

The most important point when getting cabinet door hardware placement right is something I’ll be repeating throughout the post. Where you position your cabinet door handles is completely up to YOU. If you love it, that’s all that matters! 😊

Try something different

It’s okay to stray from the general rule of thumb. For example, I installed the handles centered on both the upper and lower cabinets for my DIY dining room built-in. It just felt “right”.

dining room handle example

Cabinet handles | Wine glasses | Branch vase

Commonly in kitchens, cabinet hardware placement follows the guidance we just talked about. But for built-in cabinets, bathroom cabinets, or any other type of styled cabinetry, handles are spread out from the other “eye-catching” features.

This allows countertops, accent walls, or other gorgeous design aspects to shine individually instead of being too crowded together.

The most important thing is to make sure you keep it functional. If you have cabinets you have to reach to the sky for, installing hardware in the middle of the door that you’ll never be able to reach just won’t make sense!

Where do you place cabinet handles and knobs on drawers?

Cabinet Drawer Handle Placement

Cabinet handles | Cabinet knobs

Now let’s talk about drawer hardware placement. And it doesn’t get much easier than this!

Simply find the center of the drawer both vertically and horizontally. Measure the width of the drawer and divide by 2 – make a mark. Now measure the height of the drawer and divide by 2 – make another mark.

Cabinet Drawer Handle Measurement
Cabinet Drawer Knob Measurement

You should have a “+” sign in the center of your drawer.

Handles should be centered over the vertical line and on the horizontal line.

Knobs should be installed perfectly centered on the “+” sign.

When glancing at the beautiful kitchens of Pinterest, you may notice that with taller drawers, sometimes the handle is installed higher than the center. So do drawer handles go in the middle or top of the drawer?

It’s solely personal preference here. There is no rule to it as it’s simply an aesthetic thing! You won’t get a better drawer-pulling experience than the next person. 😂

I personally like hardware perfectly centered on all drawers, but that’s just me.

Should my drawer have one or two handles/knobs?

What size of drawer needs two handles or knobs? Again, it’s totally your personal preference!

There is no functional advantage to having two handles or knobs vs one. The widest drawer in my kitchen is 28” and I have a single knob installed – it’s my junk drawer. I have no issues whatsoever! It’s really all about the aesthetic you’re going for here.

I’m not exposing my junk drawer for no reason lol. I’m calling this out because it has quite a bit of weight to it. And one knob works perfectly fine.

single knob on cabinet drawer

Small lamp | Coffee table book | Cabinet knobs | Brass measuring spoons

If you have a wide drawer (roughly 28” or wider) and you would like to install a handle, I recommend sticking with a single handle at least 7.5” or longer. This will look better than two small handles!

Check out this handle for example – one of my favorite handles that Amazon has to offer because it’s stunning! It’s 9” center hole to center hole, with a total length of 10”. Now that’s a pretty cabinet handle. 😍

Here is the 5″ option in action for reference. A long version of this on a drawer would look beautiful!

best amazon hardware

Cabinet handles

Two Handle/Knob drawer placement

If you’re set on two handles or knobs for your cabinet drawers, it’s still going to look beautiful and it’s important you love the look! But how do you figure out where to place them?

There are two popular options:

1. Find the center of the drawer – this center line should divide your drawer into two halves. Now, find the center of each side of the drawer and install your handles centered on that line! For knobs, install them on those lines.

Two knob drawer placement - option 1

2. Divide the width of your drawer into thirds. Then install one handle centered over the one-third line, and your second handle centered on the two-thirds line. Again, for knobs, install them on these lines. This will help you achieve the perfect cabinet hardware placement for your drawers!

Two pull drawer placement - option 2
Two knob drawer placement - option 2

These are just popular cabinet hardware placements – you can install two handles or knobs spaced out however you like them!

Check out my post on installing cabinet hardware once you’re set on your cabinet hardware placement for more details.

The Best Cabinet Handle and Knob Size for You

Now that you’re an expert on all things cabinet hardware placement, it’s equally as important to get the right-sized handle and knob for your cabinets!

A large cabinet handle on a small door is going to look not proportional. A small handle on a large door is going to look like you accidentally bought the wrong size.

Regardless of the size, you always want to stay with the same size handle across all doors. For drawers, it’s just going to depend on the drawer size.

Let’s ensure you get the right size cabinet hardware in your space!

Best cabinet handle size

The best handle size for kitchen cabinet doors are handles that range from 3.75” to 5” center hole to center hole. Or 5”-7” in overall length. This is going to look good on the majority of cabinets out there.

Center hole measurement is going to be very important to keep in mind for cabinet handle size.

how to add handles to cabinets (2)

For example, let’s look at my favorite handle on Amazon. The 5” center hole option is 6.5” in total length but is 5″ from center hole to center hole.

For kitchen cabinet drawers, the rule of thumb is to stick to a pull that is roughly one-third the overall length of your drawer (plus or minus an inch or so). For my kitchen drawer that is 28” wide, I would look at a pull that is 10” in overall length.

The size of your cabinet handles for your doors does not have to be the same size as your cabinet handles for your drawers. In fact, I recommend they aren’t the same size to create a little bit of variation in your space.

When it comes to cabinet handles for something like built-in cabinets, your door handles can be a little bit longer if desired. A built-in is more of a visual interest piece, and longer cabinet handles will accent the cabinets well.

dining room handle example

But I stayed with 5” center hole to center hole handles for my dining room built-in cabinet doors and I think they are the perfect size!

Just like our recurring theme, it’s what you love the most for your space!

Best cabinet knob size

This one is easy.

The best cabinet knob size is 1.25” diameter. This is the standard size for cabinet knobs!

Cabinet knobs

While almost everything in this post is pretty flexible, knobs are the only place that I wouldn’t stray too much from the rule of thumb. And when I say stray, I mean a quarter of an inch or so.

Why? Because if you go much smaller, the knob is going to become less functional and get lost on your cabinet door. If you go any larger, they’re going to start looking like larger dresser knobs.

The diameter is always important to pay attention to when buying knobs! This is general guidance just for round knobs, not T-styled knobs/pulls.

Cabinet Handles vs. Cabinet Knobs – Which One to Use?

Cabinet handles and cabinet knobs do the same exact thing. They allow you to open cabinet doors and drawers with ease.

But is there one that’s better than the other? The quick answer is nope! And the slightly longer answer is, you guessed it, it’s what you like best.

You can:

  • Use cabinet handles on all cabinet doors and drawers.
  • Use cabinet knobs on all cabinet doors and drawers.
  • Use a combination of mixing knobs and handles on kitchen cabinets (usually knobs on doors and handles on drawers).

In my kitchen, I have knobs on everything – doors and drawers alike. And I absolutely love it! I have a smaller kitchen and didn’t feel the need to draw a bunch of extra attention to my cabinets with long handles.

Cabinet knobs in the entire kitchen

Vase | Runner | Small lamp | Kitchen towel

But the knobs have a little accent with an adorable pattern once you’re up close.

I especially love the brass finish on these knobs, which is a subtle pop of color that helps my classic white kitchen look a bit more exciting.

accent cabinet knobs

Cabinet knobs

I’ve seen a lot of kitchens that beautifully pull off mixing knobs and handles on cabinets. This look is best pulled off when you use the handles on the drawers and knobs on the cabinet doors.

There is NO right answer here. And I’ll say it for the very last time…😉

Whether you choose cabinet handles, knobs, or a mix of the two, it’s what looks best to you! You are going to be spending more time with your cabinets than anyone else, so do something that you LOVE.

Positioning your handles and knobs perfectly will elevate your cabinets!

placing your handles and knobs - cabinet hardware placement

The best part about cabinet hardware placement is that there are no firm standards. This allows you to have a bit of room to figure out what looks best in your space.

You’re most likely going to have a different cabinet style from the next person, so what works for them might not work for you. Or you simply might just gravitate towards a certain look.

And that’s what cabinet hardware placement is all about!

Other Posts You Might Like:

  • How to Install Cabinet Handles & Knobs PERFECTLY Every Time
  • 11 Tips for Styling Kitchen Countertops Without The Clutter
  • Backsplash for Beginners: How to Install Tile Backsplash Easily

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