Cabinet Handles

Bathroom vanity cabinet handles come in bar pulls, knob handles, T-bar pulls, cup pulls, and edge pulls (for handleless drawer looks). Bar pulls in lengths of 96mm, 160mm, and 256mm are among the most popular in Australian bathrooms for their clean, contemporary appearance. Knobs are a classic choice for traditional or Hamptons-style bathrooms. The Blue Space stocks handles from brands including Momo Handles and Zanda in finishes to suit every style.

Australian handles are generally measured by "hole centres", the distance between the two screw holes, measured centre to centre. Common sizes include 96mm and 128mm for kitchens, and 160mm becoming increasingly popular in modern builds. As a general guide, the 1/3 rule works well: your handle length should be roughly one-third the width of the door or drawer. So a 600mm-wide drawer suits a handle around 160–200mm, while smaller drawers under 300mm work best with a shorter 70–100mm pull or a knob.

Both have their place, and many homes use a mix of the two. Handles offer a larger, more comfortable grip, making them ideal for drawers and heavier daily use. Knobs are simple to install, easy to clean, and suit cabinet doors or lower-traffic areas where a subtler look is preferred. A common approach is to use handles on drawers and knobs on doors, giving your kitchen, bathroom or laundry a considered, tailored finish.

Yes, and many homeowners do this to create a seamless, considered flow throughout the house. That said, it's important to factor in environment: bathrooms and laundries are exposed to higher humidity and moisture, so finishes like solid brass with a PVD coating, stainless steel, or quality powder-coated options will hold up better than raw or untreated materials over time.

Measure your existing hole centres by checking the distance between the centre of each screw hole, then choose a new handle with matching hole centres. If you'd like to switch to a different style or size, options like backplates, edge pulls, or handles designed to cover old holes make it possible to update your look without redrilling your cabinetry.

For a cohesive, well-designed home, cabinet handles are best chosen to complement your tapware, sink and appliance finishes. Matte black handles pair beautifully with matte black tapware for a contemporary look, while brushed nickel or brushed brass options suit warmer, Hamptons-style spaces. If your appliances are stainless steel, brushed nickel or stainless handles will tie the room together. It's worth considering your whole space, kitchen, bathroom and laundry, for a consistent finish throughout the home.

It's a rough sizing guide, not a strict standard: a handle's length should sit at roughly a third of the width of the door or drawer front it's mounted on. A 450mm drawer front suits a handle in the 150-160mm range, a 600mm drawer suits something closer to 180-200mm, and anything under 300mm generally looks better with a short 70-100mm pull or a knob instead. Handles are sized by hole centres, the distance between the two fixing screws measured centre to centre, so check that figure against your existing holes if you're replacing rather than starting from scratch.

Slim, linear bar pulls and flush edge pulls (which sit recessed into the top edge of a drawer for a near-handleless look) have both held steady for a few years now, and mixing metals within one kitchen or bathroom, say a matte black tap with brushed brass handles, has become more common rather than staying an outlier choice. Beyond that, trend detail tends to be finish-specific: see the brushed brass, brushed nickel, gunmetal grey and bronze ranges for what's moving in each finish.

Look for a retailer that stocks handles across multiple finishes and hole-centre sizes side by side, since matching an existing drill pattern (or deliberately changing it) is the main practical constraint when buying. Being able to compare finish and profile in one place also makes it easier to keep hardware consistent across a kitchen, bathroom and laundry that were fitted out at different times.

Price is driven mainly by base material, finish process and profile complexity rather than brand alone. A simple bar pull in a standard plated finish will generally cost less than the same profile in a heavier solid-brass build or a PVD-coated finish designed to resist wear, and a straightforward knob is usually the cheapest option per opening. Comparing like-for-like profiles across finishes is a more useful way to manage cost than assuming one finish family is always cheaper than another.

Start from whichever room has the most fixed finishes already, usually tapware or appliances, and work outward from there rather than choosing handles first. Warmer finishes like brushed brass or bronze suit spaces with warm-toned tapware or timber, while brushed nickel and gunmetal grey sit closer to a cooler, more contemporary palette. It doesn't need to be identical hardware in every room, consistent finish family across the home reads as considered even when profiles differ slightly between spaces.