Kitchen without handles: characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, types and example images.

Recommendations for choosing

The first and most important thing to know about kitchens without handles is that the options are suitable for ultra-modern styles. In a modern, high-tech or minimalist interior, such kitchen units will look best. In a classic or country kitchen, they are strange and inappropriate.

3 tips will help you avoid mistakes:

• Opt for light and matte facades. They are more practical and get dirty less than dark and glossy ones.
• Do not refuse grips throughout the kitchen – a built-in refrigerator or dishwasher is more conveniently opened using a familiar bracket or railing.
• Combine systems to create the most functional kitchen. Upper hinged cabinets are conveniently opened by pressing, and lower drawers with the help of profiles or built-in handles.

Pros and cons

Most owners are interested in the question – is a kitchen without handles convenient? Everyone has a different idea of convenience, so we suggest evaluating the solution objectively.

• Minimalistic, stylish appearance.
• In a small kitchen without handles, there is additional space for action.
• A corner kitchen without handles eliminates damage to the facades against each other.
• It is comfortable to move around in narrow passages.
• Ease and speed of cleaning – no need to wash hard-to-reach places and fittings.
• Bruises and injuries on handles for the little ones are excluded.

• The facades quickly become dirty due to frequent touching, fingerprints are especially noticeable on a glossy dark coating.
• Does not suit every interior style.
• Doors may open due to accidental touches.
• High-quality fittings are expensive and require care.

6 kitchen options and their features

A kitchen without handles can be created using various fittings: from mortise hidden profiles to technological push-buttons. Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of the systems.

Kitchen facades without handles with the Gola system

A kitchen without handles with a profile is the most popular option. The system is designed so that a horizontal aluminum Gola profile with a recess is attached to the MDF module body, and the facade rests against it. Accordingly, to open the drawer, simply pull the upper or lower part of the kitchen front.

The photo shows an example of a built-in Gola profile

Thanks to the grip from the inside, the front part remains clean and you will have to clean less often. But pulling on the facade is not convenient, especially for girls with long nails.

Another disadvantage is that the Gola profile takes up 3-4 cm of useful space in cabinets and drawers, which is impractical in a small kitchen, where every millimeter counts.

The disadvantages of the system also include the profiles themselves: most often they are aluminum, you can rarely find white or black ones. Accordingly, it is problematic to make them in the color of the kitchen and the Gola profile will be clearly visible.

Some models have built-in LED lighting – which allows you to give the kitchen space an even more futuristic look.

The photo shows the opening of the drawer from the facade

Facades with a Push-open opening mechanism

A kitchen set without handles, but with buttons is a technological solution for any kitchen. All you need is to press the door and it will literally bounce off the body.

The design of the push-to-open mechanism depends on the brand, often the pushers are equipped with closers and an electric drive. Such doors open and close automatically. Push-to-open is used for hinged doors, modules with drawers or lifts.

The photo shows the minimum distance between the facades due to the push to open system

The main advantage of this solution is the ability to reduce the gaps between the facades to 1 mm or even less.

But the gap between the facade itself and the body is 2-3 mm, because the technology requires a small amount of play.

The disadvantages include the operation of the system: the door is pushed back by 2-3 cm, but you will have to open it completely manually. And it’s inconvenient to do double work in the kitchen.

Another plus is that you can open a cabinet without handles with any part of your body. This is convenient when your hands are dirty or busy. But the system requires constant touching of the facades and this is impractical – get ready to wash the furniture frequently.

The photo shows a minimalist interior without fittings

Integrated handles of the UKW or C type

This option is somewhat reminiscent of the Gola system – a profile is also used here, but it is cut into the end of the facade, not the body. It is installed horizontally on lower cabinets and drawers, and vertically on upper ones.

The photo shows a mortise aluminum UWD profile

Using the profile allows you to avoid touching the facades when opening, which means keeping them clean for a long time. Thanks to this, UKW or C are suitable for dark kitchens, including gray and black.

Speaking of colors: the profiles are mainly available in metallic aluminum color. Simple white or black ones are much less common.

Another disadvantage is cleaning the profiles themselves. Because of the recesses inside them, various debris accumulates, and the shapes complicate cleaning.

The photo shows a stylish kitchen with wooden doors

Kitchens with milled handles

There is only one way to eliminate the need for installation and maintenance of fittings in a kitchen without handles: cut slots in the facade itself. Integrated handles can look like rounded recesses or an angled cut of the end.

From the outside, the door looks normal, and due to the absence of profiles, there is no effect of fragmentation of the facades.

The photo shows milling of the drawer door at an angle

This solution has practically no disadvantages, except for the high price. A kitchen with milled handles will cost 10-15% more than a regular one.

Furniture with mini-handles

Furniture with almost invisible miniature handles looks no worse than fronts without handles. Their main difference from regular brackets and buttons is in the installation method. They are fixed on the back side of the facade and do not require through holes.

The photo shows small kitchen handles

Even tiny fittings solve the problem of dirty facades – now there is no need to touch them. In addition, they win over other methods in price and help save money. And anyone can install them themselves.

Some models have an uncomfortable grip, so check them on the stands in the store before buying.

The photo shows black and white glossy furniture

Kitchens with hidden invisible handles

The best way to hide the handle is to paint it to match the facade. Any miniature or profile handles, as well as standard rails, brackets and buttons will do for this.

The photo shows a monochrome yellow set

To implement this idea, order the service of painting the fittings in the same place where you order the kitchen itself. Large furniture workshops will easily cope with the task and you will receive your monochrome set.

When buying a modular kitchen, check this possibility in advance – perhaps the factory will agree to fulfill your individual order.

You can give the necessary shade to wooden, metal and plastic products.

Photo in the kitchen interior

A white kitchen without handles is a classic of modern style. It looks great in both small and spacious rooms. If you also paint the walls behind the kitchen unit white, the overall picture will look light and airy, visually expanding the tiny spaces.

The combination of white and wood will fit perfectly into the Scandinavian style. Such a kitchen will be warm and cozy even on a cold winter day. Adding metal to pure white creates the opposite effect: the kitchen becomes colder, but it gains a special charm.

The photo shows a marble-like kitchen set in a studio

Choosing facades without handles, with Be careful with other design elements. It is impossible to imagine a harmonious interior with an ultra-modern set and an old dining group with soft stools. Appliances, furniture and decor should not compete with the kitchen set. Complement the kitchen with modern appliances and minimalist decorations.