Posts

NEKL

Handles VS. No Handles

Are you in the middle of planning your next project and just can’t quite decide on whether handles would be the icing on the cake? Read on for some interesting pros and cons of each and my take on what is best for different styles, hopefully we can help you stop scratching and start the ball rolling.

As we know, Handles are becoming a very head-scratching decision to make now-days as there is so many different design ideas out there and lots of different styles to dash for. Some may not know, but the handle-less style was a reasonably popular choice for homeowners in the 1970s too; and now it’s gained popularity again, particularly over the last few years.

The main reason a lot of renovators decide to go for the push-touch drawers/cabinets with no handles is because of the seamless, elegant and TIDY look it gives off. It also enhances the use of the push-touch feature making it 100x more convenient for opening and closing in a quick, effortless manner. Renovators also love, love, LOVE the look of the flat, smooth surface.

Pros that I have been researching and can confirm is as follows:

  • Timeless style – The no handle look will never out-date, I mean look at the 1970’s statement I made before, it was such a popular choice back then and fast forwarded to now – they still are! It’s a win-win situation.
  • Safety – Have you ever had your children/grandchildren/siblings etc, come over and knock themselves on the handle protruding off your cabinet/drawers or have you ever walked past and its hooked onto a bit of clothing? Well – not anymore, with the push touch option, there is no obstacles in your way.

With pros comes cons, I have carefully researched and gathered some information from out knowledge (which is very little to no complaints):

  • Cost – you may think having no handles may be slightly cheaper because you aren’t adding the additional object to your kitchen, well not to be a buzz kill but depending on the option you choose, they usually cost 20-50 percent more than having handles. Reason being is the magical system the push-touch requires to function does come at a price, but don’t be scared away from the idea as it is still an affordable option and definitely worth investing in.

This isn’t to say that handles have gone completely off the cards because there are some very eye-catching handles out there that compliment the renovators project just perfect, handles are very beneficial in the aspects of having something to hook your fingers on in high places and those corner cabinets etc.

The pros for having handles is definitely the advantages it has for keeping your cleaning to a minimum – as you may already have guessed, having handles aims for having that one dedicated space to grab for when opening/closing the unit whereas, having a handle less, push-touch system it is more likely to get grubby finger marks all over the face of the unit as there is not one dedicated spot to press and open, it is free for all some may say and you can virtually push anywhere for the system to open/close which means, grubby finger marks EVERYWHERE!

  • Cost – As stated above, having handles can be cheaper, not always as some different handles of course come with a different price but there are so many good bargains on some exquisite handles out there just screaming that it’s the icing on the top of your project.
  • Styles – There are many different styles and colors of handles out to literally suit everyone’s style/taste. In my opinion this is a great advantage as they will always be in trend its just the style that will vary but they are easy to replace and again, can be quite the bargain while keeping the illusion of elegance or even quirkiness!

Cons:

  • Trends – this isn’t really a big deal if you aren’t too worried about trends going in and out but for those who love to keep up with the trends then handles may not be complimentary on that aspect with styles continuously changing, if you do happen to love your trends and styles then this method of having handles can be costly with replacing etc but do again keep in mind there are plenty of bargains about! A lot of handle styles tend to stay in trend for awhile – i’m talking years and given the era we live in, they are all pretty similar to what new designs come out in some way.

I hope we have helped minimize the head scratching decision in some ways with detailed information on each option, we know it’s a tough choice to make but we can guarantee that either option, your project will be looking exquisite – if you are still hum-ing and harr-ing go down to your local joinery place, we will take in all aspects like your personal style, what look you’re going for and of course, your budget.