A popular Kitchen Craft cabinet door style is Yuro, available in Maple, Cherry, Oak, Rustic Alder and MDF.
If you’re considering this or other “narrow rail” door styles, you might be wondering “Where should the knobs and pulls go?” Good question!
First, let’s answer “what is a rail”? And when we do that, we’ll also answer “what is a stile”? We’ve illustrated both below. While you will hear industry insiders call doors like Yuro “narrow rail”, both the rails and the stiles are narrow, not just the rails.
Whether you have selected knobs, pulls or finger pulls, we have recommendations for where to install decorative hardware on narrow rail doors, drawers and pull outs for the best possible look and function.
Here are some examples showing ideal placement as you install decorative hardware on your cabinet doors:
Even though Yuro’s rails and stiles are narrow, larger decorative hardware still work wonderfully with Yuro. That’s because, while the rails and stiles that you see on the front of the door are narrow, on the other side of the cabinet door the rails and stiles are a generous 2.25 inches wide to accommodate hardware. (Not all cabinet manufacturers provide this extra width on the door’s back—it’s worth checking if your heart is set on a similar cabinet door style.)
RIGHT: Kitchen Craft’s Yuro “narrow rail” shaker door, seen from the back. Stile is 2.25 inches wide.
For drawers, the ideal location for you to install decorative hardware (knobs or pulls) is the very centre of the drawer facing, both vertically and horizontally as shown below. This will allow for even weight distribution as you open the drawer, whether it is filled to capacity or nearly empty.
Install Decorative Hardware — Read This First!
- If you have removed the cabinet doors to install hardware, make sure you keep track of the hinge locations. It will save you from installing hardware on the wrong edge and/or side of the door. Many DIYers have made this preventable error.
- If your cabinet design includes cabinets with “butt doors” (illustrated below—doors that abut each other) it’s important not to install decorative hardware such as knobs and pulls right on the narrow rails themselves. The knobs will collide with each other, and the pulls will be too close for you to grasp and operate individually.
Now that you know the best way to install decorative hardware on your “narrow rail” Yuro cabinet doors, drawers and pull outs, it’s time to visit one of our Kitchen Craft Showrooms in Winnipeg or Regina and speak with an experienced Kitchen Craft Designer. With their help and guidance, you can start your new kitchen project today!