In my opinion... 1. Overhead Cupboards: - no handles gives more of a clean/streamline contemporary look - no push/pull mechanism either (I personally think the click-clack noise is annoying) I would suggest making the cupboard doors slightly longer (approx. 20mm) than the frame base for ease of pull-open, then you could also add soft-close mechanisms so you can just push-close without the door slamming (little round rubber pads on the frame would also work just as well) 2. Base Cabinets (btw you didn't specify doors and/or drawers??): - no push/pull mechanism (for the same reason stated above) - with handles, but in stainless steel is a must (not the cheap coated metal ones) Pros: easy to open, no dirty finger marks on doors (particularly harder to clean if matt surface) Cons: can't think of any, other than the look of the handles (but get nice ones... see the Block's Josh & Charlotte's kitchen handles... just wow, imo) - without handles, but would highly recommend gloss surface Pros: again clean/streamline contemporary look Cons: dirty finger marks and food/liquid spillage into the gap Either way your base cabinets, whether that be doors or drawers, should definitely be soft close... an extra cost, but one you certainly won't regret... And if you do decide to go with no handles and if you can afford it (very $$) then check out: http://www.blum.com/au/en/01/60/20/ Good luck! :)

bigreader I'm okie..thanks for caring ..just need time to readjust kind of walked out on my job..so looking for stuff to fill in my time ..I hate being bored and sitting sround fiddling my thumb been looking for courses to do and taking my camera out.. these I took yesterday in Warrandyte..

Hi Rachel,a plain slab melamine door is hardly a profile. To me it reads as just a material selection. So yes, I think mixing the two door styles of shaker and slab is perfectly fine, it's a bit like thinking of the slab doors as background and shaker doors as feature. Especially if you select a matt finish. You could think of it in fashion terms as the shaker doors are your wow factor jacket or top, handles jewellery and the matt black slab a classic pair of denim jeans. Can look a lot more interesting than a full on pant suit:)

Another thing to consider when choosing handles, especially when they are mounted at hip height - is the end shape - square final edge or stems hurt when you bump into them when naturally moving around the space. For positioning, working to a 1/3 2/3 principle is the most visually appealing; take the depth/height measurement, divide into thirds and mount handle at the first third. (150mm drawers however, place centred but anything deeper, go for the 1/3 rule).