Guide

Once you decide if you’re using knobs, pulls, or a combo, you should consider the sizing of each piece.

Cabinet doors and drawers come in different heights and lengths, so the “standard” hardware size can vary in every space.

An industry rule of thumb to follow, especially for pulls, is using a length that is approximately ⅓ of the cabinet or drawer width. After determining the right hardware size for the width, you install your hardware within the center of that third.

We've shared our sizing recommendations below by cabinet type - door or drawer. 

Cabinet Doors

Knobs

Knobs on doors are pretty straightforward. Most knobs are between 1” - 1 ½” in diameter, and using anything in this range is a safe bet for a classic look.

For an understated, minimal look or for extra small cabinets, you could size down to less than 1” diameter. Naturally the bigger the knob, the more leverage you’ll have when you grab it to open your door, so keep both utility and design in mind.

Pulls

Pulls have many sizing options, but we recommend sticking to one consistent size throughout your space. At the end of the day, consistent pull lengths will help tie a space with varying cabinet sizes together, so try to keep them as close as possible as it makes sense.

Start by accounting for your tallest door and use the ⅓ rule of thumb to get your starting point. We suggest not going smaller than a 3 ¾” center to center length .

As always, it’s okay to break from same sizing approach depending on the design of your space. For example, if you’re mixing vertical and horizontal pulls, it could work for your vertical pulls to all be one length and your horizontal pulls another. If you have one really tall door, it’s okay if that pull is longer than the rest.

Cabinet Drawers

For cabinet drawers, your main consideration is the width of the drawer when it comes to choosing the size of your hardware. 

For drawers 24" wide or more, we like to switch up the look from one long pull to either two shorter pulls or two knobs. For this option, you place your hardware centered in the left and right thirds of the drawer when using the 1/3 rule.

Choosing which type of hardware to use in your space - knobs, pulls, or both - can be overwhelming. We're here to help!

Let's start with the basics - what's the difference between a knob and a pull?

Okay, now let's dig into how knobs and pulls are used in different types of spaces.

Traditional Spaces

In more traditional spaces, the general rule is knobs on cabinet doors and pulls on drawers.

That being said, keep in mind there are many use cases where this is not followed - baseboard cabinets (especially in kitchens and bathrooms) often use pulls, bigger drawers sometimes have two knobs on either end instead of a long pull, those small tiny drawers in your bathroom sometimes work better with a knob, etc etc etc. Don’t feel bound to anything!

Modern Spaces

In more modern or transitional spaces, you can use knobs and pulls interchangeably.

Many kitchens opt for a singular “all knobs” or “all pulls” look for visual simplicity and cohesion. You can also play with the orientation of pulls, placing them horizontally or vertically depending on the cabinet use.

For built-in appliances or tall pantry doors, we highly recommend using appliance pulls. Appliance pulls are designed to provide the right leverage needed to interact with heavier and bigger panel doors and will be proportionately sized.