The trend for handleless kitchens seems to grow every year. Theres no denying that the uninterrupted smooth finish of a sleek new kitchen without handles provides a real ‘Wow’ factor but not all handleless ranges are made the same!
There are generally 2 different types of handleless kitchens. The true handleless look which is achieved with an aluminium rail recessed into the cabinet between the worktop and the drawer units allowing your fingers to be placed ‘behind’ the cabinet door to open it. This design requires the rails to be part of the kitchen carcass and therefore provides a fully integrated finish.
Secondly the cheaper ‘J’ shaped design has a groove carved out of the top of the door allowing your fingers to be placed in front of the door in order to open it. This design is slightly cheaper because it does not require modification to the cabinet carcass but it is outdated and awkward for many people, especially anyone without short fingernails as the door can be difficult to grip.
Apart from the sleek looks of our handleless ranges, the additional benefits include:
- They take up less room
As you don’t need to make allowances for handles, corners can be tighter and the spacing between end cabinets and island can be measured door to door. - Flush Worktop
Generally with handled kitchen, the worktop would overhang the cabinet doors by 20-40mm but with handleless kitchens, the worktop can be installed flush with the door or a 5-10mm overhang depending on preference. Either way, the small space saving makes for a visually larger space between cabinets. - Recessed LED Lighting
The recess provided by the handleless rail, provides a perfect route for undermount LED lighting which can provide an ambient background light throughout your kitchen. - No more Catching your clothes
A relatively minor point but everyone at some point has caught their clothing or worse hit there arm or leg on a kitchen handle! The true handleless design offers the clean uncluttered look and makes it easier to navigate around the kitchen without looking out for handles!
(At EK, all of our Handleless ranges are True Handleless)