I like the look of knobs and bin pulls; knobs on doors and shallow drawers, bin pulls on deep drawers. This is what I'm leaning toward for our kitchen.

I've read recently on this forum that bar pulls help keep the fronts cleaner, though.

You can see an example of what I'm thinking about here:

Fresh Colour in the Country · More Info

I have all three and can confirm that the area around the knobs are the worst for keeping clean. I notice it gets shiny around the knobs if I am not vigilant about wiping, and it's also around the knobs that I see the most wear presumably because of the extra wiping.

Sherri- Is the least wear with the bar pulls or the cup pulls?

I have cup pulls on drawers, knobs on cabinets. The cup pulls and cabinets around them stay very clean. The most-often used cabinets get dirty around the knobs, but clean up easily. I don't like bar pulls because I'm klutzy and catch my clothing on them or bruise myself on the corners.

I love my bin pulls and knobs from Top Knob. We've been in for 10 months and I'm not yet seeing any shining areas around the knobs--which I'm not deligient about wiping.

This is a photo of my islands work side. Not white, but you can see all the hardware. Those who have seen my kitchen in person always comment that they love the bin pulls.

nhbaskets kitchen reveal · More Info

Has anyone put bin pulls on the top drawer and then regular pulls below it? I'm trying to picture what that might look like...

Nhbaskets,

All of your pulls and knobs are lovely! You say that you got them from Top Knobs? Were they from the same collection? That is another concern is that if I do use three different elements I want to make sure the finish coordinates.

I have found a lot of websites with hardware but not a lot that are extremely user friendly. I want to be able to pull up the collections to see all the pieces instead of just 3,000 knobs/pulls at a time. Any website recommendations that have collections? Lee Valley did have them but I didn't find exactly what I wanted there. I think that is one thing that makes RH so appealing. There are just a few choices and the pieces can be quite interchangeable.

Any other ideas anyone? You are all giving such valuable insight and I am so tired of thinking about all these details. If you all could continue to loan me some brainpower maybe it will eventually get finished. :)

In my current kitchen I have cup pulls on all the lower drawers and knobs on uppers and lower pull outs. This time around we are using bar pulls everywhere for ease of use and because I think it will look streamlined.

Mom2sulu, looking at the Top Knobs website, I think mine came from the Somerset and Somerset II collections. I actually picked them out from display boards at our KDs shop. I also went with latches from their Additions collection. Top Knobs has cup pulls with exposed screws similar to the RH Gilmore.

Mom2sulu, I don't find there is much, if any difference between the bins and pulls. I also have pulls that won't catch on only thing - but that was pure luck on my part. I find I like the bins and pulls better than knobs. Something about being to open the drawer/door with just a pinkie.

So now I am really leaning toward the bin pulls and bar pulls for sure. Nhbaskets shared hers-- anyone else have any that they love and want to share? Show me your pics. :)

There are a lot of examples here using the bin pulls. Here's a similar setup using bar pulls. Simple, unobtrusive, easy handling, etc.

Whatever you do decide; take the time to order a sample (usually returnable) to be sure size and projection is what you want. Also this is not an item to cheap out on. Yes it can really add up fast, but it is the finishing touch, and you use them every single day. Make sure you love love love your knobs and pulls.
FWIW I have a combo of knobs and handles. Go with what you love. And be sure to sample the feel in person.

Mags and Sumac,

Thank you both! Great advice! I will definitely pass on to DH not to cheap out. Lol. :)

Yes, I think I need to go out looking for them in person--get my hands on them. Hopefully, I will find something I can't live without.

Since many people on this board are building a "forever house" and care about aging-in-place, I vote against knobs. As you age, they'll be the most problematic to pull open.

The easiest thing for aging would probably be a wiiiiiiide staple-type pull or similar. These have the added benefit of doubling as a towel holder. However, I do agree that I'd hit my hip or catch my clothes on them. And they're more modern-looking than I want.

Between cup pulls and handles, I don't see a great deal of difference in functionality. I vote for a combination of them: cup pulls on the lower drawers, handles on the upper cabinets.

Another question worth mentioning: What type of material ages well?

In my kitchen, I have antique brass, which has been in place probably a decade. It still looks great. No visible wear, and they weren't expensive items in the first place.

In my bathroom I have builder-grade junk: I don't know what material it is, but it's a goldish tone painted white on the front (okay, perhaps it was white all over when it was new around 1970?). It's 100% functional, not a single handle is in bad shape. The look is quite outdated, but no complaints about the function.