Choosing cupboard handles for your kitchen

The kitchen has now become the heart of the home for many people. In the modern era, it is a focal point in many homes.  With more and more money being spent on the kitchen, it has also adopted more of a living room feel in the UK too.

With this in mind, there is now a huge focus on features within modern designer kitchens and attention to detail is vital.  It is important that all aspects of our kitchen fit the theme we wish to portray and this is no different when we think about kitchen cupboard handles.  In this article, I intend on giving you an overview on choosing cupboard handles for your kitchen.

We want to set a theme within our kitchen, giving off a homely feel that fits with the rest of our decor.  Within kitchens there are three main types of kitchen cupboard handles and I will explain in detail what these are.

Traditional Kitchens

The first style of kitchen cupboard handle I will look at is the more traditional type of handle, ones that would have been standard in older, possibly handmade, solid wood kitchens – often found in country houses. This is a style and theme that many people now try to create within their kitchen.

The traditional kitchen is something that is popular in today’s world and so many people still try to emphasise this style in newer kitchens.

The look of this style of kitchen would usually be wooden cupboards – usually solid oak or pine – for a gorgeous but natural look to your home. Accessories such as ornaments and vases would be seen in this style.

The traditional kitchen handle that you often find in kitchens throughout the UK are known as ‘D shaped’.  These are fairly simple designed cupboard handles that are often associated with the ‘shaker style’ kitchen furniture and are a simple fitting solution for all styles of cupboards.

The way this handle is connected to the cupboard is through a simple screw fixing style, which basically means it is screwed at both ends of the cupboard and is easily adjustable and removable.

The handles are often finished in antique pewter or brushed nickel effect, and their durability is one of the reasons they are one of the more expensive options – working great with solid wood kitchens.

Modern and Contemporary Kitchens

The modern day kitchen is very different to the traditional kind in that it has cupboards finished in a high gloss and can even be in bright colours.

Products such as kitchen islands are seen in many rooms and all sorts of different pieces of technology are noticeable with things such as the television being introduced.

Tiled and laminate flooring are also popular choice and the modern kitchen seems to have developed into the largest room in many homes – often combining with a dining room for a full open plan living area.

The type of kitchen cupboard handle that I am going to talk about is probably the higher end product and is usually finished in a stainless steel.  These handles are usually a ‘T handle’ or ‘bar handle’ style and are seen particularly in modernised kitchens.

This kitchen cupboard handle is usually associated with bigger kitchen cupboards that are sometimes known as ‘slab style doors’. Therefore, they are a much larger, heavier and also more expensive option for your kitchen.

T handles are multi-purpose and suitable for all sizes of doors, as well drawers – making them ideal for use right across the kitchen.

Budget Kitchen Styles

One thing that is very noticeable within the budget kitchen is the use of paint to decorate cheaper MDF style cupboards.  Lower end gloss is also something very popular within the budget kitchen with concrete or budget laminate flooring is the usual choice within.

When it comes to handles and if you don’t want to spend much money on these items in your kitchen, then I would advise selecting ‘bow handles’ for your kitchen cupboards.  These style handles are usually found in the lower end of the market and less expensive kitchens.

They are very simple products and also found on a lot of MFC doors.  If you are looking for a quick fix that is timeless and also durable these handles are a good option.  You will notice most of these handles are provided in a brass or nickel finish, but they can also be found in chrome or matt finishes, making them a suitable option for many styles of cupboard doors.

Handles are in every kitchen

Although people may not always appreciate cupboard handles fully, they are in fact a huge part of any kitchen and the look that it gives off; if you are looking to revamp your kitchen on a small budget without too much work changing your kitchen handles can work very well.

When replacing handles it is important to measure the hole centres – this is the distance between the fixing holes – as this is a measurement you can’t change without making new holes in your cupboard doors.

Thank for this guest post from Ryan Hirst, who writes home related blogs at Eurofit Direct.