...because home doesn't happen overnight.

Ever since I came across this crazy good kitchen remodel a few years ago, I’ve been thinking about horizontal pulls on upper cabinetry. They definitely make for a streamlined look as opposed to a bunch of knobs. There’s something about the vertical lines of the cabinetry mixed with the horizontal lines of the hardware that provide an aesthetically appealing contrast. They seem pretty practical, too. But maybe that’s because I’m on the shorter side {5’4″ on a good day}, so reaching up and opening a cabinet via a horizontal pull feels more natural than the same action via a vertical pull.

Whatever the reason for my obsession over the placement of cabinet hardware, I saved the two images above in my kitchen inspiration folder noting ‘horizontal hardware?’ It should come as no surprise that when it came time to install hardware onto our own kitchen cabinets I suggested to Handy Hubby the idea of placing pulls horizontally on the upper cabinets. After seeing the simplicity of them {HH has a more modern aesthetic than me}, he was game.

We went with the VÄRDE handles from IKEA and chose not to use the rosettes.

Using a drill template that we had leftover from hardware installation in our previous home, HH added the handles to the cabinets. {Never mind the photo styling. It’s what I like to call ‘we just moved in 5 days ago and are still emptying box contents wherever.’ And the bar stool goes to the island. I haven’t found one for the desk area yet.}

Like my inspiration pics, we installed them horizontally on the upper cabinetry centered at the bottom of each door.

They have a good weight to them and feel nice in your hand when you open and close the doors.

Leaving the rosettes off gives a cleaner look.

More of the same on the other side of the kitchen. Unlike my inspiration pics, we didn’t do only horizontal placement on the lower cabinets. We kind of just went one-by-one pretend opening the drawers and cabinets and placing the handles the way that felt most natural to us. Basically, all the lower cabinet doors {except for the dishwasher panel and trash pull-out} got vertical handles and the drawers got horizontal ones.

It’s nice opening the drawers and doors via actual hardware instead of strips of masking tape…which is what we were doing. Little by little, it’s coming together.

images: 1) Cottage Living  2) flickr  3) IKEA  4-8 ) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

37 Comments

05.June.2012

Love it! Very modern!

05.June.2012

I’m loving watching you renovate the Underdog! Fabulous so far and I’m looking forward to you unpacking and styling your home. We remodeled our kitchen 2 years ago (used Ikea cabinetry, still love it) and also mounted all the hardware horizontally. I’ve never regretted it. Great job!

05.June.2012

So chic. I adore them!

05.June.2012

How very cool! I never would have thought of this but it looks so great! I also love how delicate those upper cabinets are with their glass shelves!

05.June.2012

Very cool! I really like the way they look on the upper cabinetry, especially. And I loved the last shot with a bit of a peak at the walnut countertop with the floors. They compliment each other beautifully!

05.June.2012

See? This is the kind of thing that makes you a great designer. My poor analytical brain would never think of this (in spite of seeing inspiration pics) and I would have used the rosettes because they came with the pull just because.

LOVING the tweaks to your home. :)

05.June.2012

i just noticed that you didnt do a side panel on the right side of your fridge. We’re in the midst of a kitchen reno with ikea cabs and that was one thing they recommended for support of the large cab above the fridge. What made you decide not to do it? Im curious because i REALLY dont want one..so a reason would be great!

LOVING the house by the way! :)

05.June.2012

I really like them! I wasn’t feeling them at first, but leaving off the rosettes made a world of difference.

05.June.2012

cool, the cabinets actually look clean with the horizontal pulls…i would never thought of that…

if nobody would point it out, i would have not noticed that it was there! lol!

on the side note, your kitchen looks awesome already!

05.June.2012

The reason we didn’t do one was because we thought whichever color we did {white or black} would look strange from the side since our lower cabinets are black and upper cabinets are white. We’re forgoing a side panel for now but still need to come up with a way to disguise the side of the fridge from the living room. Another reader commented on here about doing the side panel but painting it with chalkboard paint. I think that could work well.

05.June.2012

the chalkboard paint is a great idea. My main concern was support for the big cab–but it looks like yours is holding up just just fine! thanks for the input :)

05.June.2012

really pretty! I like my horizontal pulls, too. This house is just beautiful Dana! Congratulations! And to think there’s so many more updates to look forward to!

05.June.2012

I like the pulls done that way and like the idea of the panel with chalkboard paint. Your house is looking fab. I check constantly for updates. LOL I am living vicariously through your blog wishing I had a home I could “tweak”. Great job!!

05.June.2012

They look amazing! And so does your kitchen!!

05.June.2012

your kitchen seriously looks amazing. totally in love with your house already!

05.June.2012

I love it! Now I want to replace all my knobs.
I was never a fan of the two toned cabinets but your kitchen has me considering it for my own kitchen. Part of the draw is that we have some black appliances which we can’t replace right now. I feel like that would help ease the contrast of the cabinets and the appliances.

05.June.2012

Oh, so many, many more…

05.June.2012

We spoke with two different IKEA specialists at two different IKEA locations {Florida and Ohio} and neither of them mentioned the side panel being required for support. I have big plans for that cabinet – one of them being vertical slats to store baking sheets, cupcake pans, cookie sheets and other flat kitchen misc.

Looks so great! I love the look of the horizontal pull. And we moved into our house almost 3 years ago and the spare bedroom closet still has boxes in it from moving day. If I haven’t missed it by now, I probably should just toss it, huh.

It looks really great. I never would have thought of this myself. I just love your two-toned cabinets and I’m dying to see the finished kitchen (as I’m sure you are, too!)

05.June.2012

Wow, what a great look… and oh dear I guess this means when I someday get around to painting my builder grade cabinets white I will have to change out the hardware to horizontal. I rearrange furniture all the time, why not hardware! Good luck!

06.June.2012

I love this. I happen to have a “few” dream kitchens saved on ikeas kitchen planner and i almost always end u with horizontal pulls not knobs. The also mostly end up centered. :) so cool to see what it looks like in not one but two beautiful kitchens! This is going to make my trip to ikea this thursday even harder! I want a new kitchen! ….excuse me…that happens sometimes. Just know im a fan who has been living vicareously through you for a year. I cant wait to see you tweak this house into a home!

(please excuse any typos im on my smart phone and dont know how to use spell check on it yet!)

Guess this is why you are great at home design. They look great. Very substantial too… they don’t look flimsy at all. Nice.

06.June.2012

Dana- We did our cabinet handles horizontal too! I love it that way! It almost as if they are a little less noticeable or something! The house is looking amazing! So happy for you!

06.June.2012

The kitchen looks so good! I am dying for you to do a post about installing the cabinets/lessons learned. Our Ikea cabinets are being delivered on the 18th, so we could use some pointers!

06.June.2012

Great minds and beautiful girls think alike!

07.June.2012

I used the same picture (the first one) for my kitchen remodel inspiration! I like how your kitchen is coming together. A word of caution: I used similar pulls for my lower cabinet drawers and the kids have tried to use them like a ladder to get up to the counter! Who’d have thought of that?!

07.June.2012

I love how everything is coming together! We did horizontal pulls on our upper cabinetry and lower drawers, too (I’m 5’1″ and didn’t even realize how much easier it would be for me).
Mabrey is an absolute doll.

07.June.2012

Oh! I just caught Everett trying to do that today! I had a firm talk with him ;)

Love these! You’re right – they look really nice and streamlined, and add something a bit unique to the space.

Hardware can make such a difference!!

11.March.2013

I have a VÄRDE question, how close are the handles without the rosettes to the edge of the upper cabinet doors. I have some custom cabinet constraints and edge of my VÄRDE handles placed horizontally will end only up only 7mm from the edge of the upper cabinet doors (if I drill holes on a 20mm horizontal center line. Do you think 7mm is enough room?

11.March.2013

The bottom of the handles without the rosettes are 7/8″ from the true bottom of the cabinet door and 1/2″ from the bottom of the raised panel of the door. The cabinet doors have a tapered/decorative edge. Does that make sense?

11.March.2013

Yes, that make sense. I could hazard a good guess from the stunning pictures, but having the measurements priceless (I will adjust my closest to your specs). One more question on the cabinet draws i n black (the last photo) did you position the VÄRDE handles 7/8″ from the top of the draw or in the center of the small draws?

09.November.2013

I love horizontal pulls all the way! But my skeptical hubby is sure that if they’re centered on a cabinet door (uppers like yours, but also all lowers) that you won’t be able to easily pull the cabinets open. How has this worked for you?

11.November.2013

Maybe if it was a standing, floor-to-ceiling cabinet horizontal pulls would pose a problem {and be completely impractical} but we have never had an issue with the upper cabinets not opening easily or properly due to the placement of the hardware. It’s a little detail that’s unique and not at all dysfunctional.

14.May.2019

Is it awkward at all to pull the cabinet doors open with a horizontal pull?

22.December.2019

I love the look of the horizontal pulls on upper cabinets. Do they feel awkward when you use them?