Kitchen Cabinet Drawer Pull Location

[Bob Deroeck]

Hi,

I'm about to install drawer pulls on new kitchen cabinets and I'm trying to determine where to locate the pulls, vertically on the drawer front panels. I know I want the pulls installed near the center of the panel, not near the top or the bottom. Tom Silva of This Old House recommends locating the pull on the top drawer in the center of the drawer front panel, but then locating the pulls on the lower drawers slightly higher than the center. He recommends that second drawer from the top have the pull 1/4" higher than the center and the third drawer from the top have the pull 1/2" higher than the center. He claims it give a better look. I suspect he means that since you are standing up and looking down at these drawer pulls, then it appears that the pulls are all located in the center with this slightly "off center" orientation. That interpretation is just a guess on my part.

What do you guys think? Does Tom's suggestion have merit? Or, would you recommend locating all the drawer pulls in the center of the drawer front panels?

Thanks.

Bob DeRoeck

[George Bokros]

I vote and would center all pulls in the height of the drawer.

[Sam Murdoch]

I'm also a vote for center - with the exception of very tall drawers fronts (more like file cabinet drawers). If I have a 11" or taller bottom drawer relative to 4" to 8" drawers above I will usually place the pull on that bottom drawer centered in the top half. Doesn't always look right in a panel drawer front (in contrast to slabs) and I would not do this is a stack of tall front drawers. In that case they would all be centered or equal from the top of the drawer faces on all those in the stack.

The Tom Silva theory is all well and good if everyone in the house is the same height - otherwise the perspective placement is just a gimmick.

[Wayne Lomman]

Centre. Fiddling with the location may improve the look from one angle but it will look very ordinary from other perspectives. Centring is a principle that doesn't need fixing. Simple is best. The only exception is hanging drawer pulls which require setting out so that the pull is in the centre at rest rather than the holes being centre. Cheers

[Jerry Miner]

Here is another option to consider. This is what we typically do in the kitchens we install:

Top drawer--- center the pull.
Other drawers: set the pull at the same distance from the top as the top drawer.

Here is a pic showing 1. All pulls centered and 2. Pulls set as above.

It's really an "eye of the beholder" issue so do what looks right to you.

373334

[scott vroom]

I do exactly as Jerry describes. I prefer the look, and in addition it's less bending to open lower drawers where the pulls are placed higher. Here's a pic of my most recent project

[George Bokros]

Here is another option to consider. This is what we typically do in the kitchens we install:

Top drawer--- center the pull.
Other drawers: set the pull at the same distance from the top as the top drawer.

Here is a pic showing 1. All pulls centered and 2. Pulls set as above.

It's really an "eye of the beholder" issue so do what looks right to you.

373334

I really like this look.

[Sam Murdoch]

Jerry's treatment works and looks great with slab drawers but with a 5 piece drawer head you would likely need a different method.

Some people place all the pulls in the top rail. Usually - to my eye - this looks like crap AND it creates a leverage issue on tall drawer fronts that are attached to low roll-outs behind.

And eye of the beholder issue indeed. Centerline is the best compromise but for slab drawers of increasing height in a bank of drawers, I prefer the Miner.

[Bill Fitch]

I just did a small kitchenette in my basement, and I followed Tom Silva’s placement guidelines. It looks great! The slight offset from true Center is not noticed at all, but rather it looks like it is centered. I figured he does a lot more cabinets than I do and must know something I don’t.

[Edwin Santos]

I'd say what Tom Silva recommends and what Jerry has illustrated are similar in concept. My vote is to go this direction rather than centering all the pulls. Not only is it a great look, but eases the need to bend as low, like Scott pointed out.

Optically, because you're looking down on the drawers, when you center all the pulls, the lower ones will look lower than they really are. You can see it in the left side of Jerry's diagram. It's an illusion, and the other method suggested counteracts this illusion.

Tom Silva knows what he's doing. I always learn things watching him. I'll bet he could host a fantastic woodworking show rivaling Norm's NYWS.