Cabinet Hardware Australia: The Complete Buying Guide

Cabinet hardware — handles, knobs, pulls and hinges — is one of the most impactful and most overlooked elements of furniture and kitchen design. The right hardware can elevate a painted piece from good to exceptional. The wrong hardware can undermine even the most beautiful paint job.

This guide covers everything you need to know about buying cabinet hardware in Australia — from understanding the different types and materials, to choosing the right size and finish, to matching hardware to your interior style.

Types of Cabinet Hardware

Bar Handles (Pulls)

Bar handles span the width of a drawer or door and attach with two screws. They're the most popular hardware choice for modern, Hamptons and contemporary interiors. Available in a wide range of lengths, profiles and finishes.

Best for: Drawers, cabinet doors, kitchen cabinets, modern and Hamptons interiors.

Knobs

Knobs attach with a single screw and are a single point of contact. They suit smaller drawers, decorative pieces and vintage or French provincial styles. Easier to install than handles (one hole per fitting).

Best for: Small drawers, decorative furniture, French provincial and vintage styles.

Cup Pulls (Bin Pulls)

A curved, cup-shaped pull that attaches with two screws. Popular in Hamptons and coastal kitchens. Gives a relaxed, casual feel.

Best for: Coastal and Hamptons kitchens, drawers, casual interiors.

Half Moon Handles

A distinctive curved handle that creates a clean, architectural look. Popular in contemporary and coastal Australian interiors. How to match half moon handles with Australian home decor →

Cabinet Hardware Materials and Finishes

Brass

Warm, luxurious and timeless. Available in polished brass, antique brass, brushed brass and satin brass. Solid brass is the premium choice — extremely durable and develops a beautiful natural patina over time.

Best paired with: Navy, white, cream, sage green, charcoal paint colours. Suits Hamptons, French provincial and contemporary interiors.

Shop Brass Handles & Knobs →

Matte Black

Bold, graphic and very on-trend. Powder-coated matte black is durable and suits a wide range of interior styles.

Best paired with: White, cream, grey, charcoal paint colours. Suits Scandi, contemporary and industrial interiors. See our guide to painting furniture black for the best colour and hardware combinations.

Shop Metal Handles & Knobs →

Timber

Natural, warm and organic. Timber handles add warmth and texture to painted furniture without competing with the paint colour.

Best paired with: Whites, creams, sage greens, warm neutrals. Suits coastal, Japandi and organic interiors.

Shop Timber Handles & Knobs →

Rattan and Jute

Natural, textural and distinctly coastal. Rattan and jute handles add a relaxed, artisan quality to painted furniture. Best for decorative pieces and lower-use furniture rather than high-traffic kitchen cabinets.

Best paired with: Whites, creams, sage greens, coastal blues. Suits coastal, Hamptons and boho interiors.

Shop Rattan & Jute Handles →

Marble

Luxurious, striking and unique. Each marble piece has natural variation that makes it one of a kind. Heavier than metal options — ensure the fixing is secure.

Best paired with: Dark painted pieces, soft whites, warm neutrals. Suits luxe and statement interiors.

Shop Marble Handles & Knobs →

Getting the Size Right

Centre-to-Centre Measurement

This is the distance between the two screw holes on a bar handle. Standard spacings in Australia are 96mm, 128mm, 160mm and 192mm. Always measure your existing holes before ordering if you're replacing hardware — so you don't need to fill and re-drill.

How to measure cabinet handles: a simple guide →

Handle Length

For drawers, the handle should be roughly one-third to one-half the width of the drawer front. A handle that's too small looks lost; one that's too large looks clunky.

How Many Handles Do You Need?

Bedside table (2 drawers): 2 handles or knobs
Chest of drawers (6 drawers): 6 handles or knobs
Kitchen refresh (10 doors, 6 drawers): 10 door handles + 6 drawer handles
Bathroom vanity (2 doors, 1 drawer): 2 door knobs or handles + 1 drawer handle

Always order 1–2 extras. Hardware can be damaged during installation and having a spare saves a reorder delay.

Matching Hardware to Your Interior Style

Coastal / Hamptons

Rattan, jute, brushed nickel, soft brass, cup pulls. Natural materials and relaxed finishes. See our full Hamptons style guide for the complete palette.

French Provincial / Vintage

Antique brass, aged gold, ornate knobs with decorative backplates. See our French provincial style guide for colour and hardware combinations.

Modern / Scandi / Minimalist

Matte black, brushed nickel, simple bar handles. Clean lines, no ornamentation.

Organic / Japandi

Timber handles and knobs. Natural materials that add warmth without competing with the paint colour. See our Japandi style guide.

Luxe / Statement

Marble knobs and handles, polished brass, statement pulls. Hardware as the hero.

Hardware for Specific Furniture Types

The right hardware varies by piece. Here are our guides for the most common projects:

Mixing Metals

Mixing hardware finishes is perfectly acceptable — but do it intentionally. Mix no more than two metals, and repeat each one across the space so it looks deliberate. Brass and matte black is the most popular combination in Australian interiors right now.

Hardware for Painted Furniture

If you're painting a piece of furniture, choose your hardware before you start — or at least before you seal. The hardware should inform the colour choice, not the other way around. A navy dresser with brass handles is a very different piece from the same dresser with matte black handles.

For colour and hardware pairing ideas: Best Paint Colours for Australian Homes 2026

Shop Cabinet Hardware at Sweet Pea Interiors

We've curated our hardware range specifically for furniture painters and renovators. Every handle and knob in our collection has been chosen to work beautifully with chalk finish and mineral paint.