You can fill in the holes with wood putty but you'll really have to paint to cover them up. Even the best woodworker would have trouble making all those holes invisible in a stained wood finish. Horizontal handles are sort of making a comeback...it CAN look good. Not very often, but it's possible.... :)

Congratulations on your home and post some pictures. You might be surprised at the ideas people come up with here.

Thank you very much Fori! I will give it a shot on one of them first....fingers crossed.

I will post pics soon, going to be a lot of work over the next months or years :)

I just finished changing my cabinet hardware from 2 holes to 1 hole on the doors and from 1 hole to 2 holes on the drawers. Ideally, you'll want to put more than just wood filler in the holes. Wood filler on it's own isn't intended for really deep holes, and generally recommends multiple thin layers if needed. I used pieces of dowels glued in the hole with plastic wood on top and then sanded after a few hours. Some holes are more easily spotted than others, but they're pretty well hidden under all the layers of primer and paint. You might want to invest in a cabinet hardware template for re-drilling, too. Good luck...it's probably the worst part of painting cabinets, but worth it in the end!