A Guide to Shaker Cabinet Hardware Placement
Admiring your new Shaker cabinets, you hesitate as you realise the next crucial step: deciding where to place the hardware. While it may seem like a small detail, it has the power to completely transform the look and feel of your kitchen.
The right placement for kitchen pulls and knobs not only complements the clean, timeless lines of Shaker-style cabinets but also ensures your cabinets and drawers are as functional as they are stylish.
Discover the best Shaker cabinet hardware placement tips to create a space that feels polished and practical.
Are knobs or pulls best for Shaker cabinets?
Before you start thinking about the placement of your cabinet hardware, it’s important to first decide whether you’re going to use knobs, pulls, or a combination of the two.
Image courtesy of @hushkitchens
There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to which option is best, but there are two things you ought to consider to help make your decision: practicality and style. Knobs are often used for doors, especially upper cabinets. Pull handles are used with both doors and drawers, especially wider or heavier ones as they provide better grip.
Stylistically, knobs will give your kitchen a more traditional look and complement the simple, classic appearance of Shaker cabinets. Long, sleek pulls are great for a more modern look, although you can opt for pulls with a more classic aesthetic if you wish.
“When mixing knobs and pulls, consistency is key. I always recommend selecting hardware that shares a common design thread—whether that’s a finish, shape, or style influence. For example, pairing a rounded pull with a classic dome knob in the same antique brass finish keeps everything feeling deliberate. It’s those subtle, intentional choices that tie a room together and make it feel professionally styled.”
Ally Dowsing-Reynolds, Interiors Expert and Co-Founder
Many homeowners choose to use a combination of knobs and pulls for their Shaker cabinets, but there’s a knack to getting it right – you want to make sure the space still feels cohesive and polished. To do this, choose knobs and pulls in matching finishes (e.g. all gold or all matt black) or stick to a specific design theme (such as modern or vintage).
Where should handles be positioned on your Shaker cabinets?
There’s no hard and fast rule about where handles should be positioned on your Shaker cabinets, but if you need some guidance:
- For upper cabinets, handles should generally be placed in the lower corner on the side opposite the hinges. Position them around 1” from the edge and ensure pull handles are vertical.
- For lower cabinets, handles should generally be placed in the upper corner on the side opposite the hinges. Position them around 2” to 3” from the top edge to ensure they don’t catch on the worktop above.
- For drawers, place the knob or pull either in the very centre of the drawer or top centre (above the inset panel). For particularly wide drawers, make sure you choose a longer pull handle or multiple drawer knobs for ease of opening.
Tip: Experiment with different positions for your Shaker cabinet knobs and pulls before committing by attaching them with masking tape. Don’t overthink it – if you feel like the knobs and pulls look good where you’ve placed them, it probably works!
How to accurately measure Shaker cabinet hardware placement
The easiest way to ensure accuracy when installing your Shaker cabinet hardware is to use a cabinet jig or other hardware-aligning template. Simply adjust to the desired measurements based on the guidance above and mark the placement for your holes with a pencil.
Always double-check your measurements before drilling your pulls or handles into place to avoid any wonky placements.
Image courtesy of @our_greenhouse_reno @studio.maple
Common cabinet hardware placement mistakes to avoid
It can be easy to make mistakes when installing your Shaker cabinet handles and pulls. Take care to avoid the following common slip-ups:
- Placing knobs and handles too close to the edge of the door: This can cause wear and tear over time and make the cabinets difficult to open.
- Drilling straight into the cabinet without pre-drilling pilot holes: This can cause the door to crack and the handles to be misaligned.
- Inconsistent placement across cabinets and drawers: This will result in an uneven, mismatched appearance.
- Rushing and skipping measurements: This will always lead to uneven results, so take your time when measuring and always double-check the position before drilling.
Tips for creating a cohesive look
As with every aspect of your kitchen design, care must be taken to create a sophisticated, cohesive look. Mismatched or incorrectly sized cabinet hardware can look out of place and disrupt the harmony of your kitchen, but following these tips can help you avoid that.
Image courtesy of Amazing Productions
1. Prioritise symmetry
The most important thing to get right for a cohesive look is ensuring your cabinet pulls and knobs are symmetrically aligned with each other. Misaligned hardware can be a huge eyesore, not to mention a hindrance to the functionality of your kitchen.
You can ensure your Shaker cabinet handles are symmetrical by:
- Always measuring and marking the exact position where the handles or knobs will be placed before drilling your holes, using a cabinet jig for accuracy.
- Using masking tape to temporarily attach the handles before drilling to check their placement looks right.
- Checking that your pulls and knobs align horizontally with the handles on neighbouring cabinets or drawers.
2. Think about size
The size of your pulls and knobs is also important. Generally speaking, they should be proportional to the size of your cabinets for a cohesive look. Small handles will look out of place on large cabinet doors, while large handles on small cabinets may dwarf them.
This is about functionality as much as it is aesthetics – using small knobs or pulls on large, heavy cabinets will make them difficult to open.
3. Choose a unifying colour
As previously mentioned, if you’re using a combination of knobs and pulls in your kitchen, the best way to ensure they look good together is to choose a unifying colour. Gold kitchen handles are great for a luxurious or even vintage look, while black handles are ideal if you want to opt for a sleek, modern look.
“The finish of your hardware can completely shift the mood of your kitchen. Antique brass adds warmth and pairs beautifully with deep blues, forest greens, and off-whites—it brings a richness that makes everything feel more considered.”
Lyz Igwe, Colour Expert at Dowsing & Reynolds
You might want to consider texture as well, for example opting for all knurled cabinet handles instead of a smooth finish.
4. Match with other kitchen hardware
Don’t forget to consider your wider kitchen décor when choosing handles for your Shaker cabinets. For a cohesive look, you should opt for a finish that matches other details like your light switches and sockets or lighting fixtures.
All your kitchen hardware should be stylistically similar, too – modern handles might look out of place with vintage lights and lamps, for example.
Image courtesy of @madebyhusk
Show us your stylish kitchen designs
We’d love to see how you’ve used this guide to Shaker cabinet hardware placement to breathe new life into your kitchen. Tag us on Instagram @dowsingandreynolds – we can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with!
Feature image courtesy of @pipuuk
