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How do turn of the century latches work on inset doors without stiles?

Jo Gielow
9 years ago

I had my heart set on doing latches of a similar type to the ones shown in this photograph. My new cabinets, which are currently being built, will have similar doors. They will be stacked with a small solid door cabinets around the top. I wanted to do latches on all the upper small cabinets. My cabinet maker tells me that these will not work on this type of door ........They will only work on a few of the bigger cabinets which will have stiles.....but I have seen latches in many, many pictures with inset doors with no stiles. Is there something that both my cabinetmaker and I are overlooking? Are the latches on the cabinets in the photograph shown below fully functional or are they just for show, as my cabinetmaker says? Thanks for any advice.

Duane Park Residence · More Info


Comments (10)

  • sooz001
    9 years ago

    I am going to guess they are just for show, especially as on the third cabinet at right, they seem to have been installed where one would reasonably expect a hinge...


    Jo Gielow thanked sooz001
  • Barbara Almandarz
    9 years ago

    They should work, but don't expect your cabinet maker to install something he is unfamiliar with.

    Jo Gielow thanked Barbara Almandarz
  • John Sullivan
    9 years ago
    That cabinet on the far right is the one that my cabinetmaker says is installed correctly. The receiver part of the latch is on an unmoving stile.....
  • sandradclark
    9 years ago

    Your cabinet maker should know what will fit & what won't. Maybe your idea of the cabinet style is different than what his is building. Talk to him about this more & make sure he understands exactly what you want. Do not wait until it is too late to handle this with him.

    Jo Gielow thanked sandradclark
  • John Sullivan
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    They are exactly the same as those pictured. I'm sure about the doors. Thank you all for your comments and advice. If anyone is actually using one latch on a pair of inset doors, I would love to hear from you. I would be interested in your experience with the functionality.

  • PRO
    Ellsworth Design Build
    9 years ago
    They will work fine as pictured. One door will open first, traditionally the 'fixed' door is held shut by a hidden catch or magnet. This makes it 'fixed' so the first door can latch to it.

    Are you really sure you want these? I've had them, they are cumbersome to use on a daily basis in a kitchen. I only had them in a butlers pantry...
    Jo Gielow thanked Ellsworth Design Build
  • Judy Mishkin
    9 years ago

    oh that makes sense, that one door has to be "fixed".

    i love the look and considered them when we redid, but along with an apron sink i decided they were too "theme park". i went with oval knobs though, which give the illusion of the old latches. i dont know a specific order to opening the doors.


  • Jo Gielow
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you! That's why I wanted to hear from people who actually used them............and why I was only considering them for the upper stack of cabinets, which I will rarely need to access because I will use them for long-term storage. I agree that knobs are the way to go for the ones we use regularly!


  • Jo Gielow
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Love your kitchen nnigrt! Love the color combinations......................may I ask about your cabinet color.............That is also one of my current dilemmas!