Home designs, much like runway fashion, sees new trends emerging every few years, but the former is more enduring than the latter. Home design trends that last for long are generally those that find favour with people owing to their high utility, good looks and high performance.

One such trend is the handleless kitchen one.

What are handleless kitchens?

As the name suggests, it is a kitchen that does not feature handles on its drawers or cabinet shutters. In the absence of handles, the furniture is crafted with either option:

1 A spring mechanism for touch open shelves, where the lightest touch opens the drawer or cabinet

2 A channel mechanism where a recess or gap is provided on the sides, top or bottom of the drawers so the fingers can grip them to open

But why are these kitchens in vogue in India and all over the world?

• They offer a minimalist, chic aesthetic.

Think of sleek, contemporary kitchens of the type you see in design magazines or foreign TV shows. They often feature handleless drawers and cabinets, and their appearance is plain and minimalist. So much so, that at first glance, you might be confused about where the cabinets are and which are the drawers! Available in a number of colours and finishes, handleless kitchens are making waves among those who want a chic and elegant kitchen whose design allows the eye to rove freely without visual encumbrances like knobs and handles. It’s a look that fits in well with fast and hectic city lifestyles. If you want an eye-catching design, a handleless kitchen is the way to go. However, the kitchen furniture must employ the best in class drawer slides and channels, as also soft close hinges and other superior hardware to offer optimum performance.

• The kitchen becomes a safer space for use, especially for children.

Any designer or architect will vouch for the high safety quotient of handleless kitchens. The space is already quite dangerous for young children, senior citizens, those with compromised vision and hearing, etc. with its potential to injure. You could have a pan handle sticking out of a drawer, an ajar cabinet door that bangs into the knee, sharp knives kept on the counter that a child may come upon, and so on. The biggest hazard lies in drawer handles and knobs – these are often at toddler head height level and may cause bumps and scrapes. They also catch your clothing and may injure you when you bump into them. None of these problems occur with handleless kitchens. This type of kitchen in fact, eliminates the temptation that many a child may have to open a drawer or cabinet using its handle.

• The kitchen becomes easier to clean.

Have you ever scrubbed a kitchen drawer handle or knob? Whether it is plastic or metal, the handle attracts a lot of dirt that becomes tough grime in a few days, mostly because handles tend to be touched with wet or greasy hands in the kitchen while cooking. Nobody scrubs the drawer handles every day, and when they do, it’s quite a laborious task. This effort is saved with a handleless kitchen, though you might have to spend some time regularly cleaning up the grip ledges or any recessed areas for fingerprints and other debris. However, premium modular kitchen brands offer one push openable kitchen cabinets and storage drawers that glide open with the lightest finger push, so there is no need to jab the furniture frequently to open or shut it.

Please ensure that you install a handleless kitchen from a premium modular kitchen brand that uses the best furniture fittings.