Pros and Cons on handle-less cabinets/cupboards please

Could I please get some feedback on handle-less cabinets/cupboards ?
We had a look at some of the photos posted in this forum (they all look great !!) and noticed some of you dont use handles (mostly) for the overhead cabinets/cupboards. They look really nice and sleek to me and my daughter but DH is not convinced.
To those who have handle-less, could I ask (I realize this might sound a bit stupid ) do you open by pushing the cupboard door (springy thing) or there's a small cavity (am not sure if this is the correct word to use ?) at the bottom of the door to pull the doors ?? Do handle-less cabinets get 'loose' over the years or this has nothing to do with durability ?
Would like to hear pros and cons of the handle-less cabinets please. Thank you.

Handless cupboard doors for overhead cupboards is a good idea. Nice and sleek looking. The doors overhang down a bit and that's the part that you grab to open them.

For doors that cannot have a "underhang handle" I would get handles. Otherwise opening and closing is a two step operation. I originally was going to get push to open and close doors for my full height cupboards, but moved away from this when I thought of the inconvenience (actually, was highlighted the inconvenience by the kitchen builder). In my case what made the handles acceptable was that I matched the handles (stlye, size and height) to those of the fridge. Very nice look.

I will still get handles for the drawers and underbench cupboards. It's the overhead cupboards I am considering going handle-less.
so for overhead cupboards, the doors overhang down a bit ?

The doors can hang down a bit but it's apparently hardly noticeable (if at all) because it's only a few milimetres below the bottom of the cupboard. I was worried how it would look and whether it would be noticeable so I didn't go that option. The kitchen place for my builder would only do that option or the push open cupboards. I didn't want the push open cupboards because I thought they may get fingerprints as I've chosen glossy doors.

The option I wanted was what I saw in a display home. There seems to be two bottoms to this cupboard. The glossy lower one was slightly set back from the bottom of the door creating a nice comfortable nook to open the door with. That's another option.



I'd suggest going to display homes and looking at kitchens with no handles there and having a play to see what suits you.

I saw a display in Bunnings at Nerang last week where they have these beautiful imitation wood chocolate cupboards that you push on to open. They have some kind of mechanism inside that allows you not to have to have handles or even the overhang. Here's some pics

Overhead cabinets are easy as has already been shown.

There are a few options for the base cabinets.

Sharknose - the back of the door or drawer is cut on 45degrees and this is what you use to open the door. Each door or drawer is set down 20mm to allow for a finger gap. This can look good but can allow water into your cabinets if you dont allow enough bench top over hang.

Tip On - A blum product like touch catches but alot better. Only available for doors. You do end up with finger prints on the face of the doors.

Servo drive - A blum product that is electronic. I is a system that sits behind the drawers and is connect up to 240volts. You push on the face of the drawer and the mechanism opens the drawer for you. Great idea but isnt cheap.

This is what we have on our overhead cabintes. Looks great.

Im on the shorter side, so even if they had handles they would be opened from the bottom anyway.
I have cheap push buttons where we couldnt extend the door, im not a fan, they keep opening on me. That may be because they are cheap.

I had the option of handleless overhead cupboards and chose to go with handles. The fingerprint and staining issue were important factors, but for me, I realised that I don't like to second guess where to correctly push the cupboard to open it. Each to their own I suppose.

Ive got push ones, I couldn't have overhang for some reason. I don't mind the push, I get prints but handles, pull or push I wipe down where hands go anyway. You can't slam them either which is good

We used unsprung hinges and touch catches, then most of the time put it back to normal hinges and handles, yep that's right, most of the customers felt it looked unfinished, I thought it looked crap myself. But each to his/her own

Personally handless cupboards arent a nice look but each to their own. We chose handles

I think this handless kitchen looks good, but then I did make it!

CuttingEdgeKitchen, the kitchen you made is really wow ! is that 2-pack ??

I think it's just a thing where im so use to handles it throws you out a bit cos they don't look like cupboards that kitchen does look fantastic

Thanks, I am hopeing to get it into a few magazines.

The white is 2pac Polyurethane as is the colour between drawer fronts.

The brown colour is a laminate timber grain.

All the top doors open upwards and the oven and panty are in the room to the left.

We used the Aluminum section between drawers, it looks great too.

That is a nice kitchen, think you get away with it because there is no base doors

Wow....like that kitchen CEK!! and imho, what makes it really appealing is the undermount rangehood...then again that's what I've got so suppose I'm biased. In saying that I do have handles on the underbench drawers.

I also like the symmetry between the overheads and the drawers...hate things not lining up!! LOL

Amazing looking kitchen, especially like the floating bulkhead over. Are your overhead cupboards full height and pull up or swing doors and do you have magnetic catches on them.

Like these?


A kitchen I built for Amanda Taberra

They are acutally two cabinets one ontop of the other.
The bottom timber grain cabinets are 330mm deep with lift up doors.
The top white cabinets are 450mm deep also with lift up handles.

There are lights in the bottom of the top cabinets that overhang the timber grain cabinets. (there not on in the photo)

No magnetic catches.