Get a handle on handleless kitchens

What makes a handleless kitchen?

Elegant and minimalist, the handleless kitchen is the perfect choice when aiming for the modern look. There are ultimately two main types of handleless kitchen styles. The first of this is known as the ‘J-trim’ style, in which the handleless detailing is built into the top of the door in a ‘J’ type shape. The second is known as ‘true handleless’. This is more of a germanic style and has a metal ‘channel’ mounted around the tops of the units, with shorter doors to create the handleless gap. Although the two looks are quite different, both achieve the clean, contemporary appearance of the handleless kitchen.

What are the benefits and restrictions of a handleless kitchen?

Although the handless kitchen ticks the box in terms of the aesthetic look, there are practicalities to consider as ultimately, most clients aim for an equal split between the practicality and the look of the kitchen. Some of the benefits and restrictions to bear in mind are described below;

Positives of a handleless kitchen

• Cleaning- surfaces are easy to wipe, hygienic with no handles, grooves, gaps or ridges meaning that keeping the doors clean is an easy job.
• Safe and child friendly- there are no handles or points for your kids (or you!) to bang your head on, catch your clothes on or walk into.
• Handle direction- the symmetry of handle direction and worrying over horizontal vs vertical placement of these becomes a negligible point and the design always looks balanced.

Challenges of a handleless kitchen

• Useability- it can be difficult to naturally use the kitchen as it is not clear which direction the doors open, or which unit is which (this can usually be identified by the handle direction, such as the horizontal handle on a dishwasher)
• Suction- the method to open a handleless door is to use the finger tips, as opposed to the fingers on a normal handled door. This can be difficult on appliances with suction, such as freezers or dishwashers and in some cases, two hands are required to open the door. Anyone with long nails or arthritis/joint issues should consider this very carefully and ideally test this before making the choice to opt for handleless.
• Worktops- certain flat edged worktops can make it more difficult to guide fingertips into the groove and a different edging option, such as sharks nose can make access more practical.

How do you get a handleless kitchen?

Call or visit us.

Ream are experts at taking the stress out of kitchen design and working with you to create the perfect kitchen for your needs. Get in touch with our design team today to talk about creating the ideal handleless kitchen for you!