Do a trial run. We thought we wanted the long, sleek pulls until we did a mock-up. We went with 9" instead of 13" and found a great price at Going Knobs.com.

Anyway, to do a mock-up, roll up a sheet of paper to the approx diameter. Tape it so it stays rolled up. Cut it to the various lengths. Use double-stick tape to tape it in place. You can try out different lengths, orientations and placements. Also, both of you can stand back and look at it, instead of imagining what it would look like.

There is a recent thread about pulls on slab doors, that might be a good starting place. Good luck! I hope nobody goes under a bus, the poor bus driver would feel terrible about that. :)

I used Hickory Hardware's Greenwich pulls in my kitchen. They come in sizes from approximately 6 inches to 19 inches wide. For my drawers I varied the length based on the drawer's width. My upper pulls are all 10 inches long.
I got the pulls from a local cabinet and hardware speciality store at a 30% discount so they were less expensive than the online websites. I thought they were reasonably priced. I paid less than $500 for 54 pulls and they are a nice quality.
I have posted pictures too many times but since you probably didnt see those post here are a couple photos.
Here's how the longer pulls look on my drawers:

And a close up of the 10 inch ones on a door:

8" bar pulls for $2.21 here. Their appliance pulls are cheap also.

Here is a link that might be useful: 8

I feel your pain! I was one of the recent posters who expressed angst over a pull decision. For me, it was mixing of types.

Over $2K for 15 cabinets is pretty amazing. I looked up your appliance pulls and I see they go for $75 each. I could not believe that the 3" versions are like $4 each. What a huge spread! The pricing structure on these types of handles clearly follows some sort of industry precedent. Clearly it is not material costs that are driving a 15 to 20X difference in price. My choices are at 1X for the 4" model, 2X for 8" model and 4x for the 12".

I see your pulls are running 25 to 30% off online. Unless your designer requires you to purchase through her (depending on his/her contract structure), online is an option. Or, investigate other lines with less of a "spread" for wider "spreads". I think you will find similar styles in the exact size for less money, at greater or higher quality.

You can certainly mix shapes, just not too many and you should try to stay within the same line or at least the same manufacturer.

Yes, appliance pulls are incredibly expensive, thick, and beefy. No, I didn't just tell my DH to shut up and write the check when I needed many more pulls than you and didn't pick a particularly cheap one.

Are you trying for a really contemporary look? If so, your two pull choices don't read contemporary to me. I think that long, sleek bar pulls belong in a contemporary kitchen. There are other long and contemporary pulls on the market that cost a lot less. Have you seen the Top Knobs Princetonian? I'll link it below at a random website. The 12" pull is close to $12. The 15" pulls about $13.59 and the 18" pull is less than $16. You'll save $$$.

Here is a link that might be useful: Top Knobs Princetonian pulls

I forgot to post a kitchen with the pulls I suggested. Theanimala's gorgeous kitchen is linked below.

Also, don't be pushed into expensive hardware from a designer if its not the style that you really want.

Here is a link that might be useful: Theanimala's kitchen with Top Knobs Princetonian

Badger- so glad you posted as I thought of your kitchen for the OP
Whit - we have all been there- I was all ready to return all of my Baldwin brass pulls and switch to Badger's pulls - but she knocked some sense into me! I stayed the course with BB - 2 different sizes and quite happy. (But still love Badgers). I knew I did not want extensions to catch on my clothing as I move around the kitchen quickly)

Whit, no, you do not have to spend $2000 for 15 pieces of cabinet hardware. That is seriously crazy. And you also paid the designer for 2-3 hours of her time to help pick it out. You could have gotten something nice for less than that! There are a gazillion of beautiful kitchens that do not have $150 door pulls. I think you are being taken for a ride in her new Mercedes. Put on your seatbelt.

bump

Thanks, all. This is why I love this site. Helpful. Opinionated. Backed with facts, ideas, and support.

Badger, I have lurked here for a while, seen some other posts from you, but not your kitchen. I'll have to search. Just beautiful!

Breezy, always, you may have given me the keys and opened my closed eyes. Theanimala's kitchen is pretty close to the look I perceive DW and designer are wanting, and at far less cost. Honestly, I lean more toward the pulls you used, or Littlefishes. DW has a vision, it is different from mine, but I get it.

Wth other elements going on in the space, we are looking for a modern direction for the pulls, but for them not to be the show.

Great idea from Karin, and advice from scrappy, booster, and a2gemini. Williams, I'll post better pics later, but right now back to coffee, then bike ride, then egg hunt, then sit with wife and show her Theanimalas kitchen...

So, your question about....do you just tell your so to shut up and write the check?.....

Great question. My answer, sometimes.

Although, I would never say shut up and write a check, since lord knows I write the checks...instead I use the loving and kind...suck it up and don't complain!

DH has a great eye for individual things he likes and doesn't like. He does not always see how it will come together and how sometimes a less favored element may matter to the big picture or be necessary from a functional perspective..

Just recently I said...ok hon, on the design, you're gonna see a sink you don't really like. Here is why it's important to the whole,and on this one, I'm gonna need you to suck it up.

All of that said, if he loved an expensive element that was out of budget...I'd ask him to find that element cheaper.... On my last kitchen, I found awesome pulls online that stunned my designer. She loved them and was floored that I paid about 25% of the price of her recommended pulls - further, she liked mine better.

My bottom line is I pay myself to research and source, I find great things cheaper (I'm a thrifty girl, and like nice things) . If you don't want to take that time, then...shut up and write the check ;-)