My fingers got stuck while trying to open my friends' kitchen kabinets with no handles so many times that I totally don't want any of these in my house =). I'd rather opt for nice big handles.

Definitely with handles, however if you do not want them to be obvious, why not try flush cabinet handles?

I feel that no handles is the way to go, specially nowadays as most companies do push to open and along with soft close I feel this all adds to the longevity of a kitchen ..... No more wobbly drawer runners that have been twisted when opening .....No more hinges being pulled away from the carcass sides through heavy handedness..... No more catching clothing on a handle too specially when carrying hot item!..... and finally No handles means no handles handleless is a miss used term the top run integrated "U" channel is still a handle and along with some other handle types = lots of cleaning therefore No handles = equals less and easier cleaning. There is no reason why a kitchen should look bleak or uninteresting without them ,that is down to the designer to give it the wow factor. So long as manufactures provide a good range of colours [but that is for another poll].

I think it depends on the style of kitchen. The two kitchens in the pictures at the top both look right as they are. That long wall of units in the second one would look less good broken up by visible handles, but the one above it needs them.

I agree with Interior View Design that "push to open" is the way to go for the smooth minimalist look. We lived with integrated top channel handles for years and I vetoed having them in our new kitchen as they were annoying dirt traps.

In the right space, decorative handles can always be an interesting feature.

I would say no handles especially in a contemporary kitchen for several reasons but again, sometimes they can have a decorative purpose. However, handles always work well in a classic / traditional kitchen.

I prefer no handles, I think it gives a contemporary finish and streamlines the units. Also stops little ones from opening all the bottom cupboards, my 3 year old hasn't worked this out yet! :)

Shannon

It is a very interesting point made about shaker kitchen [or to be honest any non contemporary kitchen]..... my thought would be then to use something like ITFITZ showed this would then be a just purely decorative element to give the kitchen that softer more traditional feel ..... Also very easy then to keep clean and maintain without being intrusive on the use and overall look.

It all depends on the style of the kitchen, In my view both look great in their right place. I also think you can put the right handles on sleek modern kitchens and handleless with shaker doors, no rules, just design choices!

A holistic approach would be beneficial in terms of styling spaces based on the buildings character. Try to keep fixtures and fittings relatively similar throughout spaces to denote a sense of continuity.

www.pwjarchitects.com

I like the idea of no handles in a sleek ,modern, kitchen; however, push and pop open doors would be very vulnerable to my nosey spaniels.

Hard choice, both work well in different situations. We're seeing a lot of inbuilt handles in slab cabinets.

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