kitchen cabinet design

How to Estimate Kitchen Storage Needs

March 20, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

Many homeowners believe there never can be too much storage space in a kitchen. Others might say extra storage space is simply an incentive to fill the space with unnecessary items. The decision to install new kitchen cabinets or to remodel a kitchen should begin with an honest assessment of how the kitchen space will be used by your family.

kitchen cabinet storage, kitchen cabinet value

One of many kitchen storage solutions

The challenge for many people is how to estimate kitchen storage needs.

The first step in the estimation of storage needs is to determine how you will use the space. For many families, the kitchen is no longer a discrete room or space. Today, in many homes, the kitchen is combined with a family room, a breakfast room, or a work area. In other homes, the kitchen is the place where guests and extended family are entertained. For the most part, the kitchen has become the center of a family’s activities (whatever they enjoy).

The second step in estimating kitchen storage needs is to determine what kind of storage space in needed or desired. If the family will eat most meals in the extended kitchen, it might make sense to store dishes and flatware, near the table. It might also make sense to put a dishwasher in that area. If there will be a work area (perhaps a place for children to do homework or for bill paying, etc.), there might be a need for a desk or bookshelves or computer connections.

The third step is to determine the types of storage required in the kitchen. Do you want glass door cabinets to display china, glassware, or food containers? Where will you keep small appliances when not in use? Do you want to organize your kitchen around the type of cooking or other food preparation most commonly used? For example, if you have children, you might want a snack area that is readily accessible to them with storage for cold water or other drinks, storage for microwaveable snack items (popcorn, for example).

Fourth, determine how much cabinet and surface area you have now. There is a simple formula for this. Measure the width and depth of your existing cabinets or other storage areas and counters, as well as the number of shelves in each cabinet: cabinet/shelf/drawer width x number of shelves/drawers x cabinet/shelf/drawer depth = storage space.

Fifth, estimate the additional space needed and the amount of space you would prefer to use differently. For example, if you plan to create a snack area or zone, you might want a refrigerated drawer for drinks or a small under-counter refrigerator. If you do a lot of baking and you want to create a baking area separate from the usual cooking zone, you might want a second oven, and dedicated storage spaces for ingredients, bake ware, etc. Decide where it is most convenient to store each type of item you use frequently.

On the other hand, if you do not do much cooking, you might want to save the trouble of calculating the storage needs of a kitchen, you can follow the guidelines available from the National Kitchen and Bath Association. http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/kitchen/planning/kitchen-planning-guidelines/?page=1

A final note: When you estimate kitchen storage needs it is wise to tailor your remodel less to personal tastes and more to recommendations if you are planning to sell your home in the next few years. You might do only minimal cooking and need minimal storage, but the next owner might have different needs.

Country Kitchen Cabinets

April 8, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Country kitchen cabinets determine design in creating the distinctive character of each kitchen. Everyone loves the warmth of a country kitchen. Whether this feeling comes from memories of a grandmother’s (or great-grandmother’s) kitchen or the style itself, the single design element that defines any kitchen will be the combination of cabinets.

The primary characteristic of a country kitchen is flexibility, uniqueness, ease of use and comfort. Cabinets are selected for character, usefulness and personal taste. Within the country kitchen style, however, there are several types, including

English country
Victorian
French
Cottage
Arts and crafts
Rustic cabin
American farmhouse
Old World style

The country kitchen style is eclectic in many ways. This offers the freedom to express personal style and taste, to design something truly unique and to ensure the greatest functionality. Cabinets are chosen to reflect these characteristics and to express individuality.

Country style cabinets are typically built with warm natural wood, sometimes with a “pickled” or “bleached” finish, or they are painted in cheerful colors. Cabinets are typically mismatched in color/wood tone and in style and often include an accent piece that might be a free-standing cabinet or a large table that functions as a work island.

Selecting country kitchen cabinets can be great fun because you can truly express the character of your family or the nature of family life in your home. The goal will usually be to create a kitchen that is warm, inviting and accessible. Kitchens are typically the place where the family gathers and where friends and family are entertained.

Cabinets are sometimes selected for elegance, in which cases, all of the cabinets will match in color. More commonly there will be at least one major piece of cabinetry made of a different wood or painted a different color. Open shelves, glass panel cabinet doors, storage bins, wood range/cooktop hoods and the like combine with exposed apron sinks, antique-style faucets and fixtures, and rustic floor coverings combine to create a lived-in look and feel.

The freedom in selecting country kitchen cabinets permits your unique personality to find expression and an opportunity to explore variations in door styles, knobs and drawer pulls and other touches that will make every kitchen unique. Beadboard panel, square raised panel, beaded frame and panel, reveal overlay-panel and frame, and panel are very popular cabinet door style choices. These styles can all be combined freely.

When designing the layout of the room, a country kitchen generally includes many different specialty cabinets, drawers and cupboards to maximize space and function for the cook and for the entire family. Glass panel vegetable bins combine very nicely with specially fitted pull out spice shelves, refrigerated drawers, warming ovens, wine coolers and storage units.

The great freedom and flexibility presents the greatest opportunity and the greatest challenge in kitchen design, especially if the remodeling budget is limited. The first thought about country kitchen cabinets is often “custom cabinets.” For many families, however, the cost of custom cabinetry is prohibitive.

Kitchen Cabinet Value works with high quality stock and semi-custom cabinets and customizes them to your specifications. We can often create the country kitchen you want at about the cost of some semi-custom cabinetry. At an affordable price, you can have the high-quality cabinet styles you want and have them customized to serve specific purposes and make a specific contribution to the total design of your kitchen.

Country kitchen cabinets can be easier to combine and select that you might think. Kitchen Cabinet Value can save you time, money and provide exactly what you want in your kitchen.

Filed Under: Kitchen Cabinets Tagged With: country kitchen cabinets, custom kitchen cabinets, kitchen cabinet design, kitchen cabinets, kitchen cabinets design, kitchen remodeling

October 19, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Kitchen cabinet design offers abundant options for every remodeler to find the perfect cabinets for their new kitchen. Understanding the basic elements of kitchen cabinet design will help you narrow the array of options and simplify the decision. Some of these basics of kitchen cabinet design relate to the quality of construction and others are a matter of kitchen style and personal taste.

Let’s consider each in turn. Two of the basics of kitchen cabinet design are quality issues. The other two are about style and taste.

1. Material. What material will be used to build your cabinets? Material is one of the most important decisions you will make because the design and style of your cabinets are the major factor determining style and design of the entire kitchen. You have several choices:

Metal (stainless steel, aluminum). Metal can be both expensive and heavy to hang. Some metals – especially those used in the past – were subject to rust. Metal can be available in colors or it can be painted. These cabinets also show any dings or dents if they are accidentally hit with a pan, and they will show scratches. For these reasons it is not a popular choice in kitchen cabinet design.
Wood combinations. Some cabinet makers use less expensive wood, such as plywood or pine, to build the cabinet case and then use doors and exterior panels of better or more expensive wood. Some also use particle board or other composite materials. Any wood cabinets can be painted in the color of your choice. You can use a glossy finish or a matte finish for your perfect kitchen cabinet design.
Solid wood. These cabinets are built entirely of finished, high-quality wood, such as hickory, oak, maple or more expensive woods like cherry or walnut. Traditional kitchens and some country style kitchens might use a dark wood, such as cherry, mahogany, walnut or ebony. Contemporary kitchens tend to use lighter color woods such as birch or maple. You will want to consider the color, the grain of the wood and the finish applied to the wood. Better cabinets are finished with several coats of polyurethane to protect the wood. Solid wood is currently the most popular kitchen cabinet design.

2. Construction. Low quality cabinets are often put together with glue or with nails or staples. This is not a good idea (if you have the choice) because under the heavy use of kitchen cabinets and drawers, they will not last. High quality cabinets will be joined with dove tail construction. This is the most important aspect of kitchen cabinet design.

3. Door Style. There are many types and designs in cabinet doors. The door style is the primary determiner of kitchen cabinet design. For example, a contemporary kitchen would almost demand a flat panel door design. Raised panel design, on the other hand, is the preferred door style for a traditional style kitchen. Other kitchen cabinet designs include these door styles: reveal-overlay panel, frame and panel, beaded frame and panel, square raised panel, curved raised panel, bead board panel and cathedral panel.

4. Accessories are the final basic element of kitchen cabinet design. Accessories in kitchen cabinet design include knobs and handles, organization customizations, accessibility options and specialty modifications. Knobs and handles should match both the style of the kitchen (rustic, worn, sleek) and the other metals used in visible places in the kitchen. For example, brushed metals work very nicely with stainless steel appliances. There are many devices and gadgets that can be installed in drawers and cabinets to organize the contents. Many custom or customized units have these items built in. Accessibility items include things like sliding trays or spinning units (lazy Susan, for example) to make things in the cabinets easier to reach. Specialty modifications are changes made to any cabinets to make them function over refrigerated drawers or bar refrigerators, etc.

By understanding these basics of kitchen cabinet design, you will be better informed, better informed to ask questions, and better able to limit the number of cabinet styles you need to consider in order to choose the cabinets you will use in your kitchen remodel.

Filed Under: Kitchen Cabinets Tagged With: kitchen cabinet design, kitchen cabinet designs, kitchen cabinets design, kitchen design layout, kitchen island design, small kitchen design