Sculptural handles: the design detail that elevates doors and furniture
She’s always cast in supporting roles. Chosen last, just to fill a spot. An accessory—and that’s exactly what she’s called. But what if we took a step aside and imagined the handle differently, beyond its mere function? Forget the discreet knobs—welcome sculptural handles! In natural or coloured wood, curved or linear, slender or monumental, they become the centerpiece of any arrangement, transforming plain fronts into a singular design. Five examples prove it.
To replace dividers
It's the paradox of basics: impossible to do without them, but better to know how to twist them. Take our straight fronts. From the kitchen to the dressing room, including small fittings, they are both essential… and consensual. Make them your playground! Simply highlighted with honey oak Bar handles stretching across the door’s length, they reveal a graphic, minimalist side. A simple and affordable alternative to spacers.
To accentuate a sideboard
Small doors, maximum impact! Placed along the entire height of the front, sculptural handles create a play of textures that gives a new dimension to a neutral shade—like the Beige 05 - Ivoire shown here. Chosen in natural oak, they extend the lines of the shelves and the finishing panel that tops the cabinets, creating a cohesive look full of personality.
To give a wardrobe a monumental look
Pauline Borgia has made the handle her signature. Designed as a totem, her Pilule XL produced by Plum Living is an object in its own right. Crafted from solid wood, it screws directly onto a straight front to create its own design language and give a wardrobe a monumental look. To be adopted tone on tone, or in a wood version on a lacquered door to embrace a two-tone effect.
To create a graphic kitchen
Worktop, mixer tap, appliances… The list of kitchen elements is so long to tick off that handles are often reduced to their function. Tanja Demmerath took the opposite approach by imagining a space in which the handle takes centre stage. Here, the front fades away to let it shine, whilst simultaneously erasing the utilitarian side of the kitchen.
For a harmonious design
The common thread between the small desk, the handles, and the open cabinet in this wardrobe? Natural wood. Like the missing pieces of a puzzle, the oversized handles create a link between the lacquer and the oak elements. A way of combining the useful with the aesthetic, and working on the overall harmony of the layout.
