The “Gorgeous” Kitchen Cabinet Upgrade I Regret Every Single Day (It Makes Cooking and Cleaning More Stressful!)
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After seven years of cooking and working in a small, poorly designed space, I renovated my dream kitchen in my forever home — or, at least, it was my forever home until (surprise!) we packed up for my husband’s new job in a new state earlier this year. High on our list of priorities was a move-in ready kitchen, because as a recipe developer, mom of two, and all-around food lover, the kitchen is the most important room of our home.
The kitchen in our new home is shockingly similar to the one we left, with the same navy cabinets, quartz countertops, and large center island. There is one feature of this kitchen, however, that I cannot wait to replace: the “T-shaped” drawer pulls.
Kitchens are filled with hundreds of design choices — large and small — that impact the functionality and aesthetic of the space. The T-shaped pulls on all of the doors and drawers of the kitchen cabinetry seem fine upon first glance. They’re sleek with a minimalist design and are easy to clean. And one thing that is of utmost importance to me as I work in the space (for long hours), is that the handles are easy to grasp and pull to open. These pulls check each of these boxes, so what is the problem?
The Problem with “T-Shaped” Drawer Pulls
The “T-shape” quite literally holds me back from cooking and moving freely about the space. The shape that makes these handles so easy to grab constantly snags on any loose clothing, like shirts and pants pockets. It genuinely stops me in my tracks. It’s even worse when I’m listening to music with headphones in my ears and my phone tucked in the pocket. The headphone wires get wrapped around the knobs and I’m pulled back to reality once the music is ripped from my ears. (I know wireless earbuds could prevent this from happening, but wired headphones remain my personal preference.)
Ultimately, the T-shaped hardware looks gorgeous, especially in gold against the dark blue cabinets — it’s no wonder they’re so on-trend in kitchens right now. But if you spend a lot of time in your space, consider where they’re placed, the size of the “T,” and if snagging will become an issue for you. Luckily, cabinet hardware is incredibly easy and relatively affordable to replace, and these are on the top of my list.
I would have never imagined that such a small design choice could cause such a major annoyance, so I’ll be even more vigilant when choosing new knobs. Shape and practicality are major factors I’ll make sure to take into account when I do replace the cabinet hardware — and, of course, which ones are on their way out, according to designers.
How have you solved your most annoying kitchen design choices? Let us know in the comments below!