The kitchen, from the inside · Accessories
Mechanisms & drawers
What makes a drawer come all the way out, carry weight and close quietly — and which mechanisms go into base units, tall units and wall units. With the details the houses themselves state in their price lists.
In short
Kitchen mechanisms fall into two groups: drawers, which are part of the unit itself, and pull-out baskets, which sit behind a door.
- In drawers, the runner makes the difference: it sets the extension, the load and the closing. Gentili Cucine and Febal Casa specify the same systems, with the same loads.
- In baskets, every position has its own mechanism: base unit, tall unit, wall unit. The width and height of the cabinet decide what fits.
- Load is stated differently from one mechanism to the next: per basket, per shelf or per pair of runners. Two numbers do not compare unless they measure the same thing.
- Loads are as the manufacturer states them. How a full basket feels when you pull it out, you can only judge by hand.
01
The drawer: box and runner
Three houses, and the systems each one specifies.
A drawer is made of its box and the runners it glides on. The runners decide how far it comes out, how much weight it carries and how it closes. Here the houses are more alike than you might expect.
For the cabinet carcase itself — thicknesses, back panel, plinth and hinges — see Carcase & dimensions.
| Gentili Cucine | Febal Casa | GF Interiors | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main system | Blum Antaro on Tandembox runners | “Antaro” on Tandembox runners | Merivobox |
| Load, main system | 30 kg · 65 kg in base units 105 and 120 wide | 30 kg · 65 kg in deep drawers 120 wide | — |
| Alternative system | Legrabox: 40 kg · 70 kg in base units 105 and 120 wide | Legrabox: 40 kg · 70 kg in deep drawers 120 wide | — |
| Extension and closing | Full extension, Blumotion soft close | Full extension, soft close | — |
| Glass sides | Smoked glass on Antaro deep drawers, on request | Smoked glass as an option on deep drawers | — |
| Also stated | Push-pull on request · Servodrive electric opening | Tested for 100,000 cycles · stop against pulling out | L-shaped runner for stability at full load · standard equipment |
A dash means the price list does not state it at the point we examined — not that it does not exist.
02
Base-unit pull-outs
Behind the door of a base unit. Names and details are Gentili Cucine's.
“Standard” base pull-out
A chromed-wire mechanism with full extension, for base units 72 and 75 cm high and 15, 30 or 45 cm wide. Maximum load 30 kg per basket.
Gentili Cucine · Standard pull-out with basket
“Hyper” base pull-out
Pressed and painted sheet metal instead of wire, with full extension and soft close. Also made for taller 84 and 87 cm base units, with three baskets. Maximum load 30 kg per basket.
Gentili Cucine · Hyper pull-out with basket
“Hyper” bread pull-out
The same “Hyper” mechanism, in a 30 cm base unit, with a built-in bread holder. Maximum load 30 kg per basket.
Gentili Cucine · Hyper bread pull-out
“Hyper” detergent pull-out
For a 45 cm base unit with a hinged door, usually next to or under the sink. Full extension, soft close, maximum load 40 kg.
Gentili Cucine · Hyper detergent pull-out
“Hyper” dish rack pull-out
A dish rack in a base unit instead of a wall unit, 45, 60 and 90 cm wide, with full extension and soft close. In 72 and 75 cm base units it comes in 45 and 60 cm only.
Gentili Cucine · Hyper dish rack pull-out
03
Tall units
Tall cabinets that come out in one piece or hide baskets behind a door.
“Hyper” tall-unit pull-out basket
A painted sheet-metal basket, 45, 60 and 90 cm wide, pulled out by hand. Load 40 kg per pair of runners.
Gentili Cucine · Pull-out Hyper basket
“Hyper” bottle pull-out tall unit
A narrow 15 cm tall unit, 204, 216 and 228 cm high, that comes out in one piece with five baskets. Load 40 kg.
Gentili Cucine · Hyper Bottle pull-out tall unit
“Hyper” broom pull-out tall unit
Also 15 cm wide and in the same three heights, for brooms and cleaning products, with five baskets. Load 60 kg.
Gentili Cucine · Hyper Broom pull-out tall unit
Tall unit with 4 “Hyper” baskets
For tall units 132 and 144 cm high, 30, 45 and 60 cm wide. Four independent baskets, 10 kg each, with soft close as standard.
Gentili Cucine · Tall unit with 4 pull-out Hyper baskets
Tall unit with 5 “Hyper” baskets
The tall version, for units 204 to 240 cm high. Five independent baskets, 10 kg each, with soft close as standard.
Gentili Cucine · Tall unit with 5 pull-out Hyper baskets
04
Wall units
A narrow wall unit that brings its contents down in front of you.
“Standard” wall-unit pull-out
A chromed-wire mechanism for a 15 cm wall unit, with full extension. Maximum load 30 kg per basket.
Gentili Cucine · Standard pull-out with basket
“Hyper” wall-unit pull-out
The same position, in pressed and painted sheet metal instead of wire, with full extension. Maximum load 30 kg per basket.
Gentili Cucine · Pull-out Hyper with basket
05
The same names, at other houses too
Why a trade name is not proof of uniqueness.
The name “Hyper” is not used by Gentili Cucine alone. Febal Casa's price list describes its own “Hyper” baskets in painted metal with a non-slip mat, on runners rated 40 kg in base and wall units and 80 kg in tall units, with integrated soft close. Febal Casa also has aluminium “Urban” baskets, on runners rated 30 kg in base and wall units and 120 kg in tall units.
Febal Casa also offers an upper drawer for the sink base unit, specially shaped to fit around the sink bowls, with removable trays for small items.
In some classic designs the front decides the interior too: the Optima kitchen by Scandola Mobili has no visible drawers, only deep drawers behind the door, with internal drawers where needed. Callesella, in its Ninfea larder units, combines a door with deep drawers and drawers in several arrangements.
06
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between “Standard” and “Hyper”?
In Gentili Cucine's price list, “Standard” is chromed wire and “Hyper” is pressed, painted sheet metal, with soft close in base units. Both have full extension and a maximum load of 30 kg per basket in base units.
Tandembox or Legrabox?
Both are Blum runners with full extension and soft close. In the price lists of Gentili Cucine and Febal Casa, Legrabox carries more weight: 40 kg instead of 30, and 70 kg instead of 65 in wide drawers.
How much weight does a larder unit carry?
It depends on the mechanism. In Gentili Cucine's tall unit with independent “Hyper” baskets the load is 10 kg per basket. The narrow bottle unit carries 40 kg and the broom unit 60 kg.
Can I try the mechanisms before I decide?
Yes. At our showroom in Neo Psychiko you can open drawers and pull-out baskets and pull them out full before you choose.
Pull them out full
A mechanism is judged loaded. At the showroom you can try drawers, baskets and tall units, and we can see together which position needs what in your own floor plan.
267 Mesogeion Avenue, Neo Psychiko · Curated brands, Italian craftsmanship.