Cup Pulls

Cup pulls for the bottom of the drawer

Cup pulls (sometimes called bin pulls) are recessed cabinet pulls shaped like a half-cup or partial bowl, mounted upside down on a drawer front. The user lifts the drawer by sliding fingers up into the cup from below. The shape evolved from antique apothecary and Hoosier-cabinet pulls and reads instantly as traditional, farmhouse, or English country. The same form has stayed on the market for over a hundred years because it solves a specific drawer-opening problem cleanly.

Where cup pulls work

Drawers, especially mid-height and lower base drawers, are the canonical install. Cup pulls suit Shaker, farmhouse, English country, and traditional kitchens by definition. They read clean against painted cabinets in cream, dove gray, sage, or navy. They generally don't suit cabinet doors. The upside-down grip orientation only makes sense on a drawer that slides horizontally, and a door swing doesn't use the lift action the cup is designed for.

Sizing and proportion

Cup pull centers most commonly run 2-1/2 inches, 3 inches, 3-3/4 inches (96mm), or 4 inches. Overall length runs about half an inch longer than the centers in most brands. The pull should look comfortably scaled to the drawer width; a 3-inch cup pull on a 36-inch drawer reads under-scaled, while a 4-inch cup or a pair of 3-inch pulls handles wider drawers more confidently. Carpe Diem builds its cup pulls with a deeper finger recess specifically to prevent fingernail damage on cabinets used daily.

Pairing across a kitchen

Cup pulls work best in a mixed-hardware kitchen: cup pulls on drawers, round knobs on doors. The visual combination reads traditional and grounds Shaker or farmhouse styling. Finish the kitchen in the same finish family; a brushed nickel cup with a polished nickel knob looks accidental. For a similar drawer-pull shape with a different feel, look at bow pulls.