My cabinets were all installed but hte doors hadn't been hung yet, when the hardware I ordered arrived. So I laid out all the doors and drawer fronts on the living room floor, and positioned the handles all sorts of different ways. We did all handles for the lowers, and though considered knobs on uppers, went with handles in the end. For reference, I have shaker frame cabinets similar panel-shapes to yours. We don't have any 4-drawer stacks, it's all 3-drawer, so one narrow top drawer (7") and two deep bottom drawers (11"). Anyway, I tried three different layouts, took photos, and showed my friends. 1. each bar goes close to the top edge, in the center of the smooth frame. (2.25" frame, so ~1.125" from top of drawer) 2. each bar goes in the center of the drawer panel (~3.5" for top drawer, 5.5" for bottoms) 3. Look at the top drawer to get 3.5" from top edge, same placement on each drawer. So the top handle is centered, the bottom handles are offset toward the top but still on the panel, not the frame. Option 3 was the universal favorite. The high handles of 1. looked crowded and awkward to me. Someone commented on #2 that it "looks like a dresser instead of kitchen drawers", which I found really illuminating, a good articulation of why I didn't like it, even though that was the one I wanted to like. Although the logic of choice 3 felt kind of silly when we were measuring it out, it turned out looking really nice. The door handles were turned vertical, and placed on the frame, not the panel, so not at all lined up with the heights of hte horizontal handles. Does it sound like it doesn't match at all? I was surprised at how natural it looks. And the trash pullout with the horizontal handle doesn't bug me at all. In short, pick the hardware you like, and don't sweat the placement until you can test it all out in person and take some photos. Also, different cabinet door size/shape may want the handle in a different place, so don't get bogged down doing it by the numbers.

And how bout if I add the teeny tiny little fact that my GC ordered the handle **by mistake** without my final approval, and they are already at my house! They will exchange for egg if I can ever decide. Adrienne- how amazing is your sink...you must be psyched!!!! I got that feeling when the delivery came to my door with THE most amazing, perfect pendant for over my sink!! Now if only I can tally up these posts and decide...

Not really. Look through the finished kitchens blog (FKB) and see what you like. The only kind of standardish thing is for doors with frames, especially Shaker style. Then you draw a diagonal from the inside corner of the frame to the outside, and draw the perpendicular line. The point where they cross is the center of the corner square of the frame. That's a good place for a knob. You don't want the hardware so close to the edge that it could cause problems for the wood. The hardware should be at least halfway from the hinge to the opening. The closer to the opening side it is, the easier it will be to open the door. For hundreds of years it was standard to center a lovely knob in the middle of the door panel. It works. At the side is easier. Toward the hinges is difficult and needlessly clever. Modern extra long bar pulls are often centered. In that case, one can grasp the pull as near the opening as one wants, and if it's difficult to open, figure that's the hinge side and slide over. Generally, if you have the hardware on the side that opens, and at a height closest to the hand (top for lowers, bottom for uppers). That's the easiest. For drawers, hardware is usually in the absolute center, or top center (on the frame). It's hard to get at hardware on the top edge of the top drawer if there's any kind of overhang of the counter, so people often center that one, even if they're going to put the ones on the lower drawers toward the top of the drawer. If you have slab fronts you can choose any height, though again, at least halfway toward the opening is easier to use than toward the bottom. Sometimes a little higher than center looks better. If you have different height drawers and don't want to use the exact center, you should have a formula. A formula could be 4.5" under the top edge, or 1/3 down from the top edge. For wide drawers, two pulls or knobs can look better, and may be easier to use. You can base the locations on just what looks good, or a formula based on your other drawers, or you can just do a quarter of the way in from each side.

I would not want to stand at the sink with the handle pull going into my belly when I lean over or catching my pocket when I move. Go with the finger pull. It's hardly noticeable and more functional.