Kitchen Cabinet Design: The Right Way Can Be Affordable
The number of people using the kitchen cabinet determines the kind of set you should choose. It is important to analyze how often and how many use it. If you have many kitchen buddies cooking at the same time then you might want to have more space for movement and counter usage. The cabinet design has to conform to your users as well as the events you typically set. You should be able to confirm the frequency of gatherings you launch and any other activities you perform. Some want wet bars or desks for their laptops or paper works. All these things must be considered for one to gain convenience.
You must also consider any special design and needs of the family members. You also have to consider kitchen cabinet designs according to the people who’ll be accessing the area. Children, the disabled, and the elderly may need to have lower cabinets for ease of usage. Do you have big guys at home who may have problems docking just to wash their hands? Before you lay your cabinet design plans, think of all the probabilities you may face and everyone else. In this manner, you are avoiding repetitive revisions and lessening the total cost of the renovation. The list is endless for consideration, but what you can do is to list them and start picking the important details.
List the Features You Want and Need
- You must also consider other features like a kitchen island (that is, if you have available room for it) or a peninsula and other more.
- Do you prefer specific material in completing these features?
- Do you want cast iron sinks or regular stainless?
- Would you need a cooktop with a wall oven or an oven-range combo?
- Would you be using small appliances and sooner need extra space to store them?
The better you plan, the lesser cost it would be for you and your team. If you need complete restorations or renovation but have a lot of things to consider, then you may need to get additional help from pros and see abo0ut how much you can save if you go with their plan.
- You may want to ask if you will encounter changes and construction involving a load-bearing wall. Because having to touch these areas will be a critical move, thus, requiring more support and plan.
- You may also consider the rooms surrounding the kitchen or heading to the area. In this manner, you will not have problems when it comes to pipes, wires and, duct connections.
- Would you need to move windows or doors with this new plan you have? Since this could affect a load-bearing wall, except that the job would be more difficult.
Cabinet Design Style
The most enticing part is when you come up with the style. You can always find different kitchen cabinet designs from the website or possibly from magazines and books. But you must also consider the design of your house. Would this one fit it? Is it somehow related? You wouldn’t want to miss the connection between your European-styled home and your planned country-styled kitchen. Maybe you want to have a distinctive cabinet design as they state a whole lot of your kitchen place. You may either do the kitchen cabinets design by yourself or get a professional but they may come expensive.
If you do not wish to ask assistance from a professional then you can simply look for kitchen cabinet design software. Getting one would speed up the process and possibly speed up the calculation for more intricate details. If you do not want to spend anything on the software, then be patient in looking for free cabinet design software. There sure is a lot online that you can choose from.
And last but not the least; make sure you stick within the budget. You don’t want to be overspending just to make it all look good. What you need to make sure is you find all possible alternatives for the betterment of your overall kitchen cabinet design.
Working Corners of the Cabinet Design
There are four main parts of the kitchen where you usually a workaround. We have listed them below.
- COOKING CENTER is the area, just like what the name says, where all the cooking happens. Some measurements suit best for the cooking center but of course, not all households can accommodate them. Ideally, the range has 12” on one side and 15” to 24” on the other. Also, an ideal 15” to 18” space for built-in ovens and microwaves on the opposite side of where the hinge is located.
- PREPARATION CENTER is where most of the utensils have to be located. The space should be right around 42” to 84” for the counter.
- STORAGE CENTER is located around the refrigerator and should ideally consume 15” to 18” from the side of it.
- CLEANUP CENTER includes the sink are and should roughly be about 18” to 30” and 48” to 54” on the other. This is the room for dishes, utensils, and pans.
It is optional if you want to have a serving center which is about an extra 36” to 84” space for bowls and pans.
Prioritizing Clearances for More Space
- The front edge of the counter has to have a 42” clearance from the island or any table nearby.
- When you open the dishwasher door, provide a 20” clearance at the least from any items or possible obstruction.
- Traffic path should have at least 26” from the kitchen work.
- To be able to pull the chairs from the table freely, make sure you have a 36” clearance or allowance from any obstruction.
The best thing to consider for any kitchen layouts, cabinets, and designs are all connected to a concept called work triangle. This is a connection through an imaginary triangular line including the sink, refrigerator, and the range. The ideal space per leg of the triangle should be around 23 – 26 feet. There are several layouts available for kitchen designs like the corridor, galley, the L, and U-shaped kitchens.
Stock Kitchen Cabinets
If you prefer to have stock kitchen cabinets rather than customizing them, then you have to know a couple of details as a reference. The usual width of pre-manufactured cabinets runs from increments of 3” from 9” to 36”. The usual depth of these cabinets is about 24” while the height is about 34 ½”.
Excluding specialty cabinets installed over refrigerators, the wall cabinets are expected to be around 12” deep and can have increments of about 3”. You can choose from several cabinet heights, from 12”, 15”, 18”, 30” and the most 36”. If you are to place wall cabinets, ideally you have to give about 54” distance from the floor or at least 18” from your countertop. This is again the standard and it is still dependent on the users’ height and your preferred space for work and movement. Again, always consider users because there is no point in buying big kitchen cabinets when no one can reach them or have too much action in simply reaching out to open them.
Base Cabinet Design Types
- Usual base cabinet has a door, one drawer, and has shelves below.
- There are about 3 to 4 stacked drawers on a regular drawer base.
- You can find sink bases that have drawer fronts that tilt for more storage like cleaning products, soaps, and sponges while most sink bases have a single false drawer right on the door below.
- Shelves or lazy susan may fit inside a corner base if you want to.
These four basic styles are bases for a wider variety of kitchen ideas
Inside the wall cabinets are doors, shelves, and even a lazy susan. Kitchen cabinets may come available as appliance garages, stemware holders, and more. If you have a microwave, you may also place them on a special wall kitchen cabinet.