The Ultimate Guide To Handleless Kitchens
Sleek, modern and space-boosting, no wonder handleless kitchens are so popular. Get the lowdown on this increasingly popular look
lwkkitchens
26 June 2017
Houzz UK Contributor. LWK London are a design-led German Kitchen specialist based in London. We supply a very high standard of service based upon the principals of professionalism, honesty, diligence and intimate design knowledge. All of our specialist team of people are extremely committed to this ethos; allied with our extensive range of high quality kitchen products this means we can offer our clients a first rate experience.
Aside from German kitchen furniture we also specialise in Siemens, Neff and Miele appliances; we are currently one of the only Siemens approved IQ700 Design Studios in London.
Houzz UK Contributor. LWK London are a design-led German Kitchen specialist based... More
Once considered a niche design feature, handleless kitchens have soared in popularity over the past 10 years, fuelled by an increasing demand for contemporary styles, minimalist looks and the need to maximise space.
Versatile, accommodating and timeless, they make a beautiful addition to any home. However, with many different handleless options now available, where do you start? Here’s what you need to know about this style in order to make the best choice for you and your home.
Versatile, accommodating and timeless, they make a beautiful addition to any home. However, with many different handleless options now available, where do you start? Here’s what you need to know about this style in order to make the best choice for you and your home.
The handleless kitchen look
While contemporary in appearance, the handleless look is reminiscent of the early 20th century Bauhaus style: Simple yet functional, with designs characterised by a lack of decorative facades or ornamentation.
In the same way, cupboard and drawer handles today are a choice rather than a necessity. Opting for a handleless design creates a streamlined flow of kitchen units – beautiful as well as efficient. The resulting look is chic, clean and clutter-free.
Take a look at 5 popular kitchen layouts
While contemporary in appearance, the handleless look is reminiscent of the early 20th century Bauhaus style: Simple yet functional, with designs characterised by a lack of decorative facades or ornamentation.
In the same way, cupboard and drawer handles today are a choice rather than a necessity. Opting for a handleless design creates a streamlined flow of kitchen units – beautiful as well as efficient. The resulting look is chic, clean and clutter-free.
Take a look at 5 popular kitchen layouts
The true grip
As its name implies, this style lacks handles on all drawer and cupboard doors. Various options for handleless kitchen cabinets exist, but a ‘true handleless’ style is created through recessing a solid stainless steel channel into the top line of the cabinet. This creates a gap for your fingers between the top of the door (or drawer) and the underside of a worktop. Your fingers curl around the surface edge and onto the back of the door or drawer, pulling it forwards to open.
The benefit of grabbing the back of the door is you don’t need to touch the front, so there shouldn’t be any fingermarks.
On a run of base units containing sets of drawers one above the other (as pictured), a recessed channel is inserted into the mid-line of the carcass to allow full access to the bottom drawer. In all cases, the stainless steel channel is only inserted after the kitchen is fitted, ensuring it’s continuous throughout the entirety of a run of units and/or an island. This is best for a sleek and impressive kitchen look.
As its name implies, this style lacks handles on all drawer and cupboard doors. Various options for handleless kitchen cabinets exist, but a ‘true handleless’ style is created through recessing a solid stainless steel channel into the top line of the cabinet. This creates a gap for your fingers between the top of the door (or drawer) and the underside of a worktop. Your fingers curl around the surface edge and onto the back of the door or drawer, pulling it forwards to open.
The benefit of grabbing the back of the door is you don’t need to touch the front, so there shouldn’t be any fingermarks.
On a run of base units containing sets of drawers one above the other (as pictured), a recessed channel is inserted into the mid-line of the carcass to allow full access to the bottom drawer. In all cases, the stainless steel channel is only inserted after the kitchen is fitted, ensuring it’s continuous throughout the entirety of a run of units and/or an island. This is best for a sleek and impressive kitchen look.
Wall and tall units
Handleless wall units are similar to the base units just described, with an integrated groove in the cabinet’s bottom shelf to allow space for your fingers to open the door. With tall units, as seen here, a recessed C channel of stainless steel creates a gap (called a shadow gap channel). This is inserted between neighbouring tall units to allow room for your fingers. The gap between the doors and tall unit sections is typically 25mm. Some tall units can also have a horizontal channel fitted across them. The exception to this is if there are large appliances behind the door, such as a 70/30 fridge-freezer.
Standard colour choices for the channel are stainless steel, white and black, but you can customise them to any colour you want, including shades to match your kitchen cabinets. However, for this option, it’s worth noting that, because the channel is recessed into a shadow, it might look slightly darker than your furniture’s colour, even if it’s actually identical.
Wondering what’s the best material for kitchen cabinets?
Handleless wall units are similar to the base units just described, with an integrated groove in the cabinet’s bottom shelf to allow space for your fingers to open the door. With tall units, as seen here, a recessed C channel of stainless steel creates a gap (called a shadow gap channel). This is inserted between neighbouring tall units to allow room for your fingers. The gap between the doors and tall unit sections is typically 25mm. Some tall units can also have a horizontal channel fitted across them. The exception to this is if there are large appliances behind the door, such as a 70/30 fridge-freezer.
Standard colour choices for the channel are stainless steel, white and black, but you can customise them to any colour you want, including shades to match your kitchen cabinets. However, for this option, it’s worth noting that, because the channel is recessed into a shadow, it might look slightly darker than your furniture’s colour, even if it’s actually identical.
Wondering what’s the best material for kitchen cabinets?
Benefits of handleless kitchens
The handleless style can help to create a clutter-free look, making it the best choice for small kitchens where space is at a premium. This is not just a visual effect, it’s also a physical one, since the lack of handles frees up more of the kitchen compared with a handled design. While we’re not talking huge amounts of extra space, it’s enough for a more comfortable and efficient working environment, with maximum room for manoeuvre.
This style also means you can’t snag clothing or bang your hips or, worse, small children’s heads, on door handles. Another benefit for parents is there are no handles for children to grab hold of and hang from, plus handleless doors and drawers are much harder for young children to open – especially if you opt for child locks!
The handleless style can help to create a clutter-free look, making it the best choice for small kitchens where space is at a premium. This is not just a visual effect, it’s also a physical one, since the lack of handles frees up more of the kitchen compared with a handled design. While we’re not talking huge amounts of extra space, it’s enough for a more comfortable and efficient working environment, with maximum room for manoeuvre.
This style also means you can’t snag clothing or bang your hips or, worse, small children’s heads, on door handles. Another benefit for parents is there are no handles for children to grab hold of and hang from, plus handleless doors and drawers are much harder for young children to open – especially if you opt for child locks!
Handleless islands
The handleless option is also available for kitchen islands. As well as creating a sleek, modern feature, this style can be helpful in keeping the walkway around the island clear, with no handles on which to snag your clothing.
For islands and kitchen end-return panels – the visible ends on a run of units or on the sides of an island – you have the option to continue the channel handle all the way around the side of the island and onto the back face. The end panel doesn’t touch the floor or the worktop above, and as such is called a floating end panel. It creates the effect of the worktop floating above the island for a sleek and sophisticated finish, as seen here.
Browse through pictures of island kitchens
The handleless option is also available for kitchen islands. As well as creating a sleek, modern feature, this style can be helpful in keeping the walkway around the island clear, with no handles on which to snag your clothing.
For islands and kitchen end-return panels – the visible ends on a run of units or on the sides of an island – you have the option to continue the channel handle all the way around the side of the island and onto the back face. The end panel doesn’t touch the floor or the worktop above, and as such is called a floating end panel. It creates the effect of the worktop floating above the island for a sleek and sophisticated finish, as seen here.
Browse through pictures of island kitchens
Colours and finishes
If you’re concerned that handleless kitchens only come in a limited range of styles, don’t be: There’s a plethora of colours and finishes available. Not only do handleless designs come in a large range of colours, but available door and drawer finishes include gloss, glass, matt, curved and wood options, including rough-cut wood, as seen here.
As mentioned earlier, with a true handleless option, your fingers won’t touch the front of a door as you open it. However, if you’re still worried about fingermarks – especially if you have small children in the house – it’s worth noting that they will show less on lighter, matt or textured finishes as compared to glossy dark tones.
If you’re concerned that handleless kitchens only come in a limited range of styles, don’t be: There’s a plethora of colours and finishes available. Not only do handleless designs come in a large range of colours, but available door and drawer finishes include gloss, glass, matt, curved and wood options, including rough-cut wood, as seen here.
As mentioned earlier, with a true handleless option, your fingers won’t touch the front of a door as you open it. However, if you’re still worried about fingermarks – especially if you have small children in the house – it’s worth noting that they will show less on lighter, matt or textured finishes as compared to glossy dark tones.
Handleless appliances
As handleless styles have evolved, so have kitchen appliance options too. To complement the sleek look of handleless kitchens, many integrated ovens, microwaves and hobs now exude ‘cleaner’ exteriors; they have slimmer profiles and fewer controls – which also makes them easier to use!
Fridges, freezers, dishwashers and washing machines have all followed suit, and are now available with handleless doors. You can even get dishwashers with an ‘auto open’ function, which means the door pops open as soon as the cycle finishes, without you even touching it.
For the few appliances where the true handleless system isn’t compatible, such as a cupboard above an extractor, you can opt for a push-to-open door mechanism instead.
As handleless styles have evolved, so have kitchen appliance options too. To complement the sleek look of handleless kitchens, many integrated ovens, microwaves and hobs now exude ‘cleaner’ exteriors; they have slimmer profiles and fewer controls – which also makes them easier to use!
Fridges, freezers, dishwashers and washing machines have all followed suit, and are now available with handleless doors. You can even get dishwashers with an ‘auto open’ function, which means the door pops open as soon as the cycle finishes, without you even touching it.
For the few appliances where the true handleless system isn’t compatible, such as a cupboard above an extractor, you can opt for a push-to-open door mechanism instead.
Other types of handleless kitchen
There are also other the popular handleless kitchen doors, like the push-to-open doors. Some kitchen companies also offer a J-groove or J-pull system (pictured). On the plus side, these last options are generally less expensive than a true handleless design, but they can require more frequent cleaning, as the channel can collect dust, crumbs or splashes that spill over the front edge of the worktop. With a true handleless style, this simply cannot happen.
J-pulls are also quite shallow and not very forgiving for long nails or larger fingers. Depending on the quality of the door, the surface is also more susceptible to chipping or cracking.
There are also other the popular handleless kitchen doors, like the push-to-open doors. Some kitchen companies also offer a J-groove or J-pull system (pictured). On the plus side, these last options are generally less expensive than a true handleless design, but they can require more frequent cleaning, as the channel can collect dust, crumbs or splashes that spill over the front edge of the worktop. With a true handleless style, this simply cannot happen.
J-pulls are also quite shallow and not very forgiving for long nails or larger fingers. Depending on the quality of the door, the surface is also more susceptible to chipping or cracking.
Specialist handleless options:
Automatic handleless cupboards and doors
Many kitchen companies offer handleless kitchen doors and drawers that open automatically using an electrical drive. This is instigated when you press lightly anywhere on the front of the cabinetry, and the same to close again afterwards. Doors and drawers open and close smoothly, silently and with minimal effort.
Climber units
Electric-driven wall climber units (pictured) are even more beneficial, as you never have to touch the surface of the door. Operated at the touch of a button on the side of the unit, the handleless door will automatically retract upwards in a concertina motion to fully open and make all contents visible and easily accessible. However, while these will certainly impress your guests, they’re a lot more expensive than other handleless options.
Vertical handleless channel The vertical handleless channel option is something only a few kitchen companies can produce, but it enables side-opening tall larders and integrated fridge-freezers to be implemented without interruption of the kitchen’s seamless look.
Automatic handleless cupboards and doors
Many kitchen companies offer handleless kitchen doors and drawers that open automatically using an electrical drive. This is instigated when you press lightly anywhere on the front of the cabinetry, and the same to close again afterwards. Doors and drawers open and close smoothly, silently and with minimal effort.
Climber units
Electric-driven wall climber units (pictured) are even more beneficial, as you never have to touch the surface of the door. Operated at the touch of a button on the side of the unit, the handleless door will automatically retract upwards in a concertina motion to fully open and make all contents visible and easily accessible. However, while these will certainly impress your guests, they’re a lot more expensive than other handleless options.
Vertical handleless channel The vertical handleless channel option is something only a few kitchen companies can produce, but it enables side-opening tall larders and integrated fridge-freezers to be implemented without interruption of the kitchen’s seamless look.
A kitchen complement
While a handleless kitchen makes an impressive statement all by itself – the popularity of the style on Houzz is a testament to this! – another aesthetic plus point is that it can let other kitchen features shine beautifully. If, as in this kitchen, you choose a bold ‘wow factor’ splashback, for example, a clean, handleless door will complement it without competing for attention.
In true Bauhaus style, it’s the purity of the handleless design and function that achieves maximum kitchen results.
Read more:
5 Things to Know Before Installing a Modular Kitchen
Kitchens: 5 Biggest Problems Solved
Tell us:
Would you choose a handleless kitchen and why?
While a handleless kitchen makes an impressive statement all by itself – the popularity of the style on Houzz is a testament to this! – another aesthetic plus point is that it can let other kitchen features shine beautifully. If, as in this kitchen, you choose a bold ‘wow factor’ splashback, for example, a clean, handleless door will complement it without competing for attention.
In true Bauhaus style, it’s the purity of the handleless design and function that achieves maximum kitchen results.
Read more:
5 Things to Know Before Installing a Modular Kitchen
Kitchens: 5 Biggest Problems Solved
Tell us:
Would you choose a handleless kitchen and why?
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I have just had a handleless kitchen installed and I am a little gutted. My top narrow drawers which were intended for cups and glasses do not have enough height for a standard height glass and just fits my short stubby coffee mugs! I drew on the plan what I wanted to place in each drawer/cupboard but I never stated sizes.
Does anyone know how I can change this down the track? I am thinking I might want to changed this to drawers with handles in the hope it might deepen my drawers (mainly the top ones).
Kezzalenko
we are currently in the building process and i am looking for a cabinet company that does push to open cabinets. we do not want to use pulls. pauline pensacola florida