I'm in the same dilemma. I love the looks of them, but my husband thinks they will be a right pain to use. I am thinking that I will do a mixture, maybe do a couple in the two wall cabinets that will hold dishes etc not used daily, and use knobs for cabinets that will be used more often.
I'm just not sure how this will look and may end up doing all wall ones with latches and base ones with knobs. I've had them in my bathroom built ins for years and the springs tend to go and they don't work that well, but it's all about the looks, isnt it?

Are your doors self closing? If they are, you should be able to disable the latch itself and have the look without the inconvenience.

I suppose it goes without saying that these are only compatible with inset doors...

Yes, we will have inset doors, but they will not be self-closing. Can you have self-closing inset doors? Seems like you'd need a very specific hinge to be self-closing...

Anyway, I'm afraid of the knob/spring mechanism stopping working, too. The last thing I need is these suckers to break-- and they're like 10 times more expensive than knobs, too!

Anyone else want to weigh in? Anyone that has them already?

K

We used hand forged butterfly hinges on our inset cabs and I really debated the latches LOVE the look but function won over fashion. I decided they really would be an inconvenience. I finally decided on very small black iron knobs. They look very nice, though without doubt the latches would have had more character.

Have you looked at mini icebox latches (also used on ships)?

Right now I cannot find a single clear picture (online): these are the best I can do.

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They're an ergonomic version of the turn latch (which my husband absolutely vetoed due to its arthritis-inducing design!) and which I'd planned on doing until we decided to do overlay instead. Our source is Lynette at The Knobbery in Chicago. (I live in Boulder, CO, so she's happy and so easy to work with from a distance.)

They're still expensive but gorgeous!

We had them in our first kitchen--the genuine article, original to the 1920s house. Of course back then I didn't appreciate what I had...they worked fine and were never a problem. I actually had a combination of old cabs with them and new cabs without and I don't remember ever thinking I wanted to change them. They just click with a little twist. I would go for it!

I would do them again myself except our new house has full overlay cab doors.

If you're still nervous, do a combination of latches and knobs.

I think those icebox latches above are really pretty but might be a PITA-- not to open, but to close.

HTH

Actually, they just click closed (you push the cupboard door and the mechanism automatically slides in, similar to real door, separating rooms). Easy peasy!

rmkitchen-- wow! those look beautiful. I went to the The Knobbery's website and didn't see these latches. I can't get a good sense from the picture how they work. I tried googling it and no luck there either. Do you have information about how the mechanics work?

Fausonk--Good picture of latch at the link.

Good picture here & much better price (different mfg, though).

http://www.vandykes.com/product/02001739/

Here is a link that might be useful: Marine Cupboard Latch

What hollylh said, but in a 1930's house with the original kitchen. It's not a problem. You might have a period of adjustment, but its really short - like a couple of days. By then the little twist becomes second nature.

I have latches on all my cupboards in the kitchen and MBR. The are from Robinson's . The originals are in the drawer and I replaced them as I wanted really pretty old ones. They are no problem to open and close and I don't even think about it. The house is an 1890 and I wanted to be true to the design. I can take a closer pic later but check out Robinson's they are not cheap but they are beautiful.

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Bee-Utiful home, Trailrunner! Care to divuluge the name of the green paint? I love it!

I have them throughout my vintage 1929 kitchen. Not a problem as long as your hands are healthy (non arthritic).

I have both originals, and new ones. The originals are a bit harder to turn, but they are very unique, and I wouldn't give them up for anything. For new ones, as long as you get well made latches, you shouldn't have a problem. Horton Brasses makes very good hardware, and would probably exchange a latch if it ever gave you trouble. I was in a hurry for mine, so just grabbed some from Restoration Hardware. Some of them began to stick after about 9 months, but WD40 fixed it.

Do you have kids? They are great for childproofing!

Basically, after a teeny adjustment, you won't ever think about them. They will become normal for you. I had regular knobs in my old house, and I never thought about the functional difference when we moved into this house. (Except now I am having some hand and wrist problems, and so sometimes I do have a bit of trouble with them.)

ci_lantro -- you are a genius! For the life of me I could not remember "marine" when searching ....

Thank you so much for finding better pictures to share. I did the best I could but still couldn't get a clear-enough picture.

You're great!

ci_lantro: you are very kind , thank you. The paint is Thyme. It is an Olympic Paint color from Lowes. We had it made up in BM Matte. I love it. It is completely scrubbable. We don't have a backsplash ( my choice) and I love being able to wipe it down after cooking with the wok.

rmkitchen: everytime I see your kitchen it takes my breath away...simply stunning. c

Oh, thank you, Trailrunner.

Rmkitchen--if you hadn't said something about those latches being used on ships, I'd never have figured it out.

I just happened to remember that some of the old Hoosier cabinets had a similar type latch.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hoosier latches

I mixed them up - I put the latches on the smaller, glass-front uppers near the ceiling and regular round knobs on the 'lower' uppers that we'll open all the time. I got mine from Restoration Hardware. They aren't completely installed yet, so I can't comment on durability.

I, too, am going to use latches on my cabs. I decided to put knobs on the four cabs I use the most (glassware and dishes). Using the knobs will actually help make the cab look more like a furniture piece since it will have corbels as well. I cannot begin to tell you how PAINFUL it has been to find a GOOD latch in a decent ORB finish. Horton's Brasses makes a great latch, probably the best, but the ORB finish is really gun metal grey. After ordering from probably a half a dozen diffent companies I am going with the ORB latch from Rejuvination. It turns the easiest, has a nice ORB finish, and looks like it will last. I am ordering a couple of spares just in case. If you are going with a silver/nickel finish then I would recommend Horton's Brasses. (IMHO) Also, I am going with the larger size. Good luck!

Thanks, everyone. I'm still a little nervous about them. We have Restoration Hardware latches on our medicine cabinets, and while they turn fine, I do have to "make an effort" to open them. Not an arthritic effort or anything, it's just not a simple pull as you know. My husband is so dead set on them, and you guys are really making his case for him!

I really like the marine latches, too, but boy are they expensive! How exactly do they work? Do you have to flip the lever up to get the cabinet to open, and then close the cabinet and push the lever back down? I really think those are neat and distinctive looking but I'm not sure that even if they're easy to use that I could stomach the price tag on them at this point.

And we do have kids-- but all but one of our base cabinets are drawers (the one door is actually for vertical tray storage, so not a big deal if they get in there). And they're too little to reach the uppers (they're only 3.5, 2, and a new one due in two days). So childproofing isn't really an issue at this point.

I'll check out the Horton Brass site a little more. How do you know which size to get? I noticed they tend to run in the 1'' + side, and a 2''+ size.

K