Help me size and place cabinet pulls on my IKEA Adel cabinets!

April 22, 2014 9:51 AM

My most pressing question: Do I need 8-inch pulls for the larger, 36-inch drawers? 7 inch? 12 inch? What fits that size best? What about the 30 & 24-inch drawers? Can I just grab one size and buy 40 of them and they'll all look good?

Also, I've seen placement in the middle of the Adel drawers and at top. Middle seems prettier to me and more balanced. Top seems more user-friendly, and the cab is thicker there on the Adel. Would there be stability issues in the middle, screwing through thinner fronts?

- I don't like the IKEA hardware.
- I do like Restoration Hardware's pulls (Lugarno, etc), but would prefer not to spend $24 for an 8-inch pull
- I'd prefer no spindles on the end so I don't stab myself, the kids, or yank clothing
- I only have a couple of upper cabinets in a butler-pantry-ish area, so I'll just use knobs for those.

(I have searched all through Houzz for my cabs and potential hardware, but it's hard to visualize sizes when they aren't explicitly stated.)

posted by mdiskin to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

I don't have Adel fronts, but I do have somewhat similar shaker-style doors/drawers, including two banks of 36" drawers, and I used 4" pulls on all my drawers, at the top. You certainly don't need 8" or larger pulls for any functional reason. If you like the look of vertically centered pulls, that should be fine. I do think it's more common to place more modern-style pulls offset to the top and more period-style pulls centered (cup-style or wrought-iron style, e.g.), but I'd just do what looks best to you. IMHO, would look more harmonious to pick one size and stick with it.
posted by drlith at 10:26 AM on April 22, 2014

Have you checked to see what others have done with Adel cabinets over at IKEA Hackers? You might be able to rule some options in or out.
posted by Room 641-A at 10:47 AM on April 22, 2014 [1 favorite]

There are cabinet knob templates, either buy or make one to insure that placement is consistent. They're $1.99 at Ikea.

All Big Box hardware stores have cabinet pulls and knobs. Start there to see if there are any you like. Target will have some nice ones too.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:28 AM on April 22, 2014

I have Adel cabinets with non-Ikea hardware. I have the same size cup-style handles on all drawers regardless of drawer size and they are centered on the drawer. I have a few deeper drawers, and for those, the handle is centered in the top panel. But honestly, you need to try it a few different ways and see which look you like better. I'm happy with how mine look but your aesthetics may vary.
posted by gingerbeer at 2:09 PM on April 22, 2014 [1 favorite]