Pick The Right Handles For Your Kitchen

with Interior Stylist Karen Wilson

Today we're talking to Karen of @beautifulhomesinthenorth about her recent kitchen redesign featuring our Knurl Pull Handles. Read on for interior design tips as we talk everything from colour scheme, mood boarding and the importance of hardware in the home.

Hi Karen! What was the initial spark of inspiration behind your space?

I love green so it was just a case of finding the right green tone for the kitchen doors, while the plum VP7 flowerpot pendants were on my moodboard from the start. After prevaricating between a more traditional shaker style or more contemporary (and easier to clean) flat slab doors, I went for the latter. They suit the Mid Century aesthetic I’m drawn towards, even though I live in a Victorian cottage! Walnut wood slats give it a Japandi twist and add some warmth, while the terrazzo effect porcelain floor tiles have an industrial look and hide dirt very well.

 

Kitchens are primarily functional spaces… did you come up against any challenges along the way? How did you overcome them?

We had a supporting wall knocked down between the kitchen and dining room to make it open-plan, so the key challenge was creating a new layout that flowed, was well balanced and fitted in everything we wanted.

After getting a few designs and quotes (as well as creating my own design on DIY Kitchens’ online planner) I chose an independent company called Alexandra Interiors in Ashington, Northumberland as their design was different to all the others. 

They made use of the dead space on one side of the room, previously a thoroughfare by the side door with a small radiator on the wall. Now it houses floor-to-ceiling half-depth cupboards that hold tonnes of storage including all our food, glassware and even a utility cupboard for taller items. 

Adding a recessed shelf at eye level, with LED strip back-lighting, has ensured it doesn’t overpower the space and gives me some display space. It works perfectly both on a practical and aesthetic level. The opposite wall features a sink beneath the window, a dishwasher, pull-out bins and washing machine, flanked by a floor-to-ceiling double oven unit and fridge freezer on either side. In the middle is a narrow but long Island, with deep drawers for all our crockery, cookware, pans, cutlery etc, and a Bora downdraft extractor hob. This meant we could have nice lighting above the island rather than an ugly extractor. 

Amazing, what do you love most about what you've designed?

A few things! They are...

• There are no corner cupboards. The designer really listened when I said I hated them!
• All appliances are integral so the design looks sleek and streamlined - an important consideration when it’s open-plan.
• The microwave is hidden away in the cupboard above the double oven - the height of the double oven was lowered slightly so both the microwave and ovens are easy to reach.
• The dishwasher is perfectly placed to unload crockery into the drawers opposite.
• The pull-out bins are deep so you’re not having to empty them every other day, and are perfectly positioned between the sink and dishwasher. 
• Strangely, even though there is more cabinetry than before, the space feels so much bigger.
• There was room under the Bora hob to have a spice drawer.
• We were able to have bespoke units to the ceiling - no dust gathering and it just looks so much neater.
• The end set of drawers on the island are shorter so we could have an overhang on two sides for a sociable breakfast bar.
• The dining area feels very open and spacious. In previous designs I had a tall cupboard on either side, but the designer said it would feel too busy and I think they were absolutely right!

 

Tell us about the importance of handles in a kitchen.

The handles were very important. I knew I wanted black, as it would look more contemporary and stand out well against the green to make a statement. The knurled finish adds a nice texture too. 

Although I did consider brass, I feel black is so much easier to match to other fittings such as the tap, sockets, switches and lighting. They also complimented my black window frames. For practical reasons, I wanted something sturdy and easy to grab, so the pull handles were ideal. I chose six 300mm handles for the 800mm wide island drawers, and 18 180mm handles for all the cupboards. 

While discreet handles can look very stylish, on a day-to-day basis I prefer something larger, especially for the fridge freezer and dishwasher, where ease of use is so important. The handles are beautiful and the kitchen fitter was very complementary about the quality. 

We absolutely love the colour scheme you landed on. How did you decide on bringing these tones together and what advice do you have for others?

Thank you! We spent a long time choosing the colour scheme. Making a physical mood board rather than a digital moodboard really helps - so collect as many samples as you can. We were able to take several different green door samples and wood slats home to see what worked best in the east facing light. Balance is really important - since we wanted wood slats on the island, shelf recess and dining wall, we knew we couldn’t have wood or LVT on the floor as it would be wood overkill! Instead we felt a large speckled taupe floor tile would pull everything together.

The quartz worktops also have a brown vein that works with the flooring. I’d fallen in love with the plum pendants right from the start and I nearly went for a plum coloured island but in the end I settled for more pops of plum in the artwork and accessories. I even painted a few existing vases and a chair with a sample pot of Farrow & Ball’s Preference Red, which is a close match for the pendant colour. I’d always suggest choosing the wall paint colour last rather than first - we went for Taupe 02 by Lick after getting about 8 different samples - as there’s always going to be a shade that will work.

As a stylist, bringing a vision of a space to life can be a long and challenging process - what motivates you to see it through? 

There’s always a point where you get decision fatigue but if you can plan as much as possible before any building work starts, you’ll be in a much better position. We probably spent around 4 years thinking about it on and off, while we saved up. A good kitchen designer is worth their weight in gold too, especially one who liaises with your builder and ensures everything runs smoothly. Once the plans were nailed and I could see the 3D renders, I knew it was going to look great and that really motivated me to keep going. 

And finally, what projects are you working on in 2026?

I’ve got a snag list for just about every room! But I’d also like to re-paint my living room as I feel like we haven’t quite nailed that space yet. It’s a fairly dark room with two exposed stone walls so I’m debating whether to lean into the darkness and go for Preference Red on the walls for a really cosy feel. I keep seeing plum colours everywhere - on Instagram, in clothes shops and even on the kitchen in The Traitors - so it’s seeped into my subconscious!

 

Buy our Knurl Pull Handles in Black.

Karen Wilson is a freelance features writer and stylist based in the North East. She writes for national homes and interiors magazines such as Ideal Home, House Beautiful, HomeStyle and Your Home, working as a team with photographer Katie Lee. Their Instagram page is @beautiflhomesinthenorth.