If you like the way pull-less cabinets look, at least get tiny or discreet pulls. If you don't have pulls you will eventually scratch the cabinets as you try to open them.

We didn't have pulls on our old cabinets, which were probably 30 years old by the time we replaced them. There were grooves in the bottom of the doors and drawers - no scratches! Obviously, these were framed cupboards though- not frameless, so there was room to grab.

Our upper cab doors were made extra long--unbeknownst to us, to allow us to forgo handles and light rails. We had always planned on having both. Handles; because we like the look and to protect the wood, light rails; to hide the U/C lighting when doors are opened.

My experience was very similar to maydl's. The lower cabs had grooves in the top -- style called finger pull or fingerless pull? -- that were horrendous crumb catchers. I would wipe down the cabs (upper and lower) every so often but as the years went on found myself needing to scrub them harder and harder to remove the accumulated grime, which of course destroyed the finish, which then made it easier for more grime to accumulate. Yuck. A low profile bar pull will save you lots of aggravation.

My preference is for pulls or knobs--something besides grabbing the door itself. In our pre-remodel kitchen I broke many nails trying to quickly open a pull-less drawer, admittedly the drawer glides were terrible. The bathroom had an updated vanity w/drawers on better glides but still no pulls. Annoyed the heck out of me so we added pulls to the cabinet and drawers in the bathroom; later we gutted the kitchen :-)

I think you can still achieve a clean, contemporary look and have knobs/pulls. If your cabinets are full overlay as well, they might be awkward to open w/o any sort of handle.

DS has a dresser w/grooves cut into the drawer fronts (for handles) instead of pulls. Those work well too, but it's not a modern look.

We had cabinets without pulls in our old kitchen. The style of door we had were easy to open and close and we liked the clean look. They stayed in great shape for the 11 years we had them - however we had only one kid and she's always been pretty easy on things.

We opted for full overlay in the new kitchen so we needed pulls. Based on a great tip from this forum, we were able to pick up really nice pulls from Ikea that were not expensive. HTH - Best wishes in your decision.

Our current kitchen, which we're about to demolish, has cabs without pulls.

To open them, one simply pushes the cabinet door inward/further closed, and it pops open. The cabs were custom built 61 yrs ago, and have some kind of a spring system, whose name escapes me.

The lack of pulls adds to the mid-century modern look.

I'm staying w/ my DB and DSIL in their rented home on Oahu, and there are no pulls on any of the cabinets.

The wood of the cabinet frame (framed cabinets) AND the doors is rubbed bare by fingers. The finish has been worn through, and the damage isnow reaching the wood.

They've only lived there a year, and there are only 2 of themm, so this damage isn't something they did in such a short time, but it's only going to get worse.

It's made me believe I wouldn't want no pulls or no knobs.

I'd want SOMETHING on the top. Maybe if you have frameless, you wouldn't have to worry about the cabinet itself, but you would have to deal w/ the doors.

Quality and type of finish is obviously an important factor. If you're interested, those push-to-open catches are readily available and installed. Do a google and you'll turn some up. I thought a corner door might not have clearance for a pull and the backup plan was for one of those.

I also like a clean seamless minimalist look for a kitchen.
It looks so modern and spacious.

We've had cabinets without pulls in our last 4 homes and never had a wear issue, although the longest we've ever lived with them before moving was 7 yrs. I much prefer the seamless contemporary look but my suggestion is to go with a manufacturer that sells this type of cabinet and not to simply leave off handles on a system designed for handles. In 1 home, we had the pop-open latch, but I don't prefer them as a knee pressed accidentally or a dog's stretch can easily pop open the drawer or door -- definitely not child-proof.

When we renovate the kitchen in our new home, I'd definitely try first for handleless cabinetry.

Agree that you need cabinets designed to have no pulls if you're going to do it. We stayed at a vacation rental with no pulls and it was completely annoying. Hard to slip fingers in to get drawers open. Cabinets a bit better. Dishwasher without a pull a total disaster! We had to pry it open with a knife or spatula.

The look is clean--agree there. But you really need to have some sort of cup/groove built into the edge at a minimum.

Wow I have white cabinets with no pulls and I was wanting to add pulls (lol) just to update the look. The drawers are a bit hard to open, but we have been here 12 years and I have seen no "wear" on the cabinets at all. For some reason, I thought adding the pulls would be an update; am I wrong on this one?

Our oak builder's grade cabinets had the groove placed either on the top or bottom of the door since they had no knobs. There was absolutely no wear on these cabs after 12yrs of use (I use Murphy's Oil Soap on them). It took the kids awhile to get used to the pulls/knobs on our new ones. Either way is OK with me.

Great advice! Very good points! Thank You!
Unfortunately, the cabinets are not made to open with a slight push, and I am very concerned about the wear and tear if I do not get the pulls. Oh, well, I suppose that I will start my cabinet pull search now, and of course I will start with this forum!

Thanks again!
D.

Like others here, our old cabinets had no pulls on ANYTHING - uppers, lowers, or drawers. There were recesses for your fingers. But honestly, the grime, the grit, and the grease - well, YUCK! The bottom cabs also had a LOT of scratches.

We opted for pulls on everything. In some cases I think my DH (who was home when the CG wanted to install the pulls) had them mounted too high for short-little-ol'-me (he's about 8" taller than me!). But the glint of the metal catches my eye and MAKES me reach for the handle/pull instead of pulling from the bottom or top (cabs) as I used to with the old cabs.

DonnaR/CA