{"id":2365,"date":"2025-09-09T04:10:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T20:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/2025\/09\/09\/remodeling-101-cutout-cabinet-pulls\/"},"modified":"2025-09-09T04:10:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T20:10:03","slug":"remodeling-101-cutout-cabinet-pulls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/th\/remodeling-101-cutout-cabinet-pulls\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e31\u0e1a\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e38\u0e07\u0e1a\u0e49\u0e32\u0e19 101: \u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e15\u0e31\u0e14\u0e21\u0e37\u0e2d\u0e08\u0e31\u0e1a\u0e15\u0e39\u0e49"},"content":{"rendered":"

As obsessed as we are with hardware, one of our favorite types of cabinet pull isn\u2019t technically a pull at all\u2014rather, it\u2019s an open hole or handle cut out of a flat-front cabinet door. To get the details on the technique, we turned to Remodelista Architect\/Designer Directory members Medium Plenty of Oakland, California. Here\u2019s what principals Ian Read and Gretchen Krebs had to say.<\/p>\n

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Above: A showroom kitchen by UK furniture brand deVOL has cabinet doors of rough-sawn beechwood with circular cutout cabinet holes lined in copper. (See the rest in Kitchen of the Week: Sebastian Cox for deVOL in the UK.)<\/p>\n

What are cutout cabinet pulls?<\/h3>\n

A cutout cabinet pull is a simple hole or notch in the cabinet face that functions as a cabinet pull and is most often part of a fully custom cabinet design. On budget installations, Read of Medium Plenty gets a woodworker to cut a pull out of an off-the-shelf or otherwise preexisting door.<\/p>\n

The two most common shapes of cutout cabinet pulls are circular cutouts (or \u201cmouse holes\u201d), and U-shape (or \u201cextended U-shape\u201d) handles. When deciding on style, size, and technique, Read works closely with the cabinetmaker: \u201cEach cabinetmaker has a slightly different way of doing it,\u201d he says. \u201cSo we work with them to get the best solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Above: In a Melbourne kitchen by architect and stylist Sarah Trotter, black-stained birch ply cabinets open via circle cutout pulls. (See more in Kitchen of the Week: A Seventies Overhaul by Hearth Studio.) Photograph by Christo Crocker, courtesy of Hearth Studio.<\/p>\n

What are the ideal dimensions of cutout pulls?<\/h3>\n

As a rule of thumb, Read recommends a 1 1\/4-inch diameter for a circular cutout pull. \u201cThat would be big enough to use, but not so large that you\u2019ll have a view of the inside your cabinet,\u201d he said. For U-shape cutouts, three to six inches is right.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ergonomics matter,\u201d said Read\u2014you should be able to open cabinet doors easily and intuitively, especially in the kitchen. \u201cAvoid any design you can\u2019t easily access with two fingers.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Above: In the London kitchen of Brit culinary star Anna Jones, plywood cabinets have U-shape cutout pulls that join to form ovals. \u201cI love the cutout handles,\u201d said Jones. \u201cThey\u2019re such a simple and clean little design tweak.\u201d (See more in Kitchen of the Week: Cookbook Author Anna Jones at Home in London.) Photograph by Jonathan Gooch for Remodelista.<\/p>\n

Are there any cost savings associated with cutout pulls?<\/h3>\n

Unless you\u2019re eyeing especially pricey cabinet hardware, cutout pulls will be more expensive than hardware. Whether making something entirely custom or modifying an existing cabinet door, the extra labor required to cut and finish the cutouts will usually exceed what you\u2019d spend on hardware pulls.<\/p>\n

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Above: U-shape cutouts combine to create vertically oriented ovals in this oak kitchen by Danish company KBH K\u00f8benhavns M\u00f8belsnedkeri.<\/p>\n

What are the best materials for cutout cabinet pulls?<\/h3>\n

This technique works best on MDF, says Read. Since it\u2019s solid core, once the pull is cut, sanded, and sealed, the door looks like one solid surface. Plywood doors require edge treatment and are more susceptible to warping. One exception: In a Berkeley, California, houseboat remodel, Medium Plenty cut circular pulls out of 1 1\/2-inch red oak plywood. Though the interior of the ply was visible, the owner liked the look. (See more in More Boat for the Buck: A Cost-Conscious California Houseboat Remodel by Medium Plenty.)<\/p>\n

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Above: Stained wood cabinets with elongated U-shape cutout pulls in the Dutch office kitchen of Jan de Jong Interieur. (See more in Kitchen of the Week: The Curtained Kitchen, Dutch Modern Edition.) Photograph by Anna de Leeuw, courtesy of Jan de Jong Interieur.<\/p>\n

What about cutout pulls on sliding cabinet doors?<\/h3>\n

This can be tricky. Sometimes cabinet doors can warp, making them almost impossible to slide in a tight channel. And asking wood to slide against wood is not the most efficient approach. Medium Plenty uses wider channels with neoprene sliders or hard plastic strips to keep wooden doors moving easily.<\/p>\n

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Above: In an all-white Bay Area kitchen, Medium Plenty designed a wall-mounted, white oak cabinet with sliding MDF doors and circular cutouts\u2014a midcentury design reference to the credenzas of George Nelson. (See the rest in Kitchen of the Week: Oakland Family Kitchen by Medium Plenty.) Photograph by Melissa Kaseman, courtesy of Medium Plenty.<\/p>\n

Do I have any flexibility with cutout pulls?<\/h3>\n

If you opt for cutout cabinet pulls and want to change them later (without swapping out the cabinet doors), a designer could find any number of solutions\u2014like adding a piece of hardware that could serve as a \u201cplug\u201d to fill in the cutout. Read suggests using a contrasting material, \u201cto avoid making it look like a scab,\u201d he said. \u201cIt would be a chance to get a little inventive.\u201d<\/p>\n



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Above: A variation on the theme: In this kitchen by Swedish firm Bedow Design Studio, U-shape gaps are cut out of a pine plywood frame\u2014not the door fronts\u2014to create a \u201cpull\u201d via the gap. The colorful cabinet doors are meant to be rotated seasonally. (See more in Kitchen of the Week: A Modular Kitchen in Stockholm with a Seasonal (and Swappable) Palette.) Photograph by Erik Undehn.<\/p>\n

The Pros<\/h3>\n