Sharp knives point down. Anything with a handle that fits through the holes in the bottom of the silverware holder goes handle up. (We have, unfortunately, quite a lot of spoons that fall through if they go handle-down, and then they get caught and bent when you pull out the rack.) If you have visually impaired people in the house, forks and table knives go points down. Otherwise, anything goes. (Or, if you like to follow the rules, do whatever the owner's manual tells you to do. I'm sure it has directions.)