Choosing Kitchen Cabinets

It’s fair to say that along with your kitchen countertops, cabinets comprise the very foundation of your kitchen. That means it’s very important that you install cabinetry which optimizes the floor plan of your kitchen, as well as the available space. You should consider a number of different layouts and looks before settling on any specific plan for your kitchen cabinets.

Cabinets which hang on the wall often must compete with windows and other features which help to create a kind of living-room appeal in the kitchen itself. For that reason, base cabinets are probably more popular these days, and in recent years more base cabinets have featured drawers rather than doors because they provide for easier storage and greater accessibility. The accessibility aspect can be important for people who prefer not to bend over and dig through contents to find what they need.

When you’re considering new kitchen cabinets, you should also give some thought to various hardware accessories which help to organize all the items you typically use in your kitchen, such as pots, pans, plastic ware, and plates. Below, you’ll find a discussion of some of the main aspects you should take into consideration when you’re planning to install new kitchen cabinets.

Custom or Pre-fabricated

Probably the first thing you have to decide is whether you’re going to purchase pre-fabricated cabinets or custom cabinets which are exactly what you want. If you’ve got the money, custom cabinets are obviously the better choice, because you’ll end up with something you’re happy with for many years, and which are completely in line with your vision of what the kitchen should be.

You can also have corner cabinets installed, which are shaped to fit into your walls, pullout drawers which can be slotted into all kinds of convenient areas, and appliance areas wherever they make sense. When you’re customizing your kitchen cabinets, you can literally redesign your entire kitchen, placing things where you want them for convenience and accessibility. The benefits of custom cabinetry are endless.  However, there is no doubt that custom cabinets are far more expensive than stock cabinets would be, and if you don’t have the resources to do custom cabinets, you can still find some extremely appealing pre-fabricated models.

Overall Trends

Some kitchen cabinets today extend all the way up your wall to make use of spaces higher up, where you might store infrequently used cookware or other kitchen materials. As mentioned above, base cabinets are getting the most attention these days, as opposed to wall hanging cabinets which have to be worked in around other kitchen features on the wall.

In terms of materials which can be used, it’s best to avoid particleboard or melamine, which is no more than particle board which has a coating applied to it. One of the preferred materials most in use today is plywood, because it’s extremely durable and long-lasting, and it will even add resale value to your home. Natural wood kitchen cabinets can be really beautiful, but they are extremely expensive as well, and if you are remodeling on a budget, you might not want to go this route.

Cabinet Function

The frameless cabinets which are prevalent throughout Europe provide considerably more storage area than the rail-style cabinets which are commonly installed in American kitchens. Any cabinets you consider should have a soft close on their drawers and doors, so that you don’t run into problems with opening and closing in the future. Some cabinet hinges already include this feature, but other models offer it as an add-on cost which can run up the total cost of your kitchen cabinets as much as $500. Touchless cabinets are becoming more popular, and may even become a mainstream option before long. They are especially useful for waste drawers or recycling drawers, and this can provide great convenience on an ongoing basis.

Cabinet Style

If you would prefer kitchen cabinets that have a rich, dark finish, one of your best bets might be to choose cherry wood. To go really exotic with your kitchen cabinets, you could choose bamboo or mahogany, and you might want to stain or lacquer your cabinets so they have a terrific sleek finish. This will also add to their long-term appeal and resistance to any kind of chipping or cracking. These days however, stained and lacquered cabinets are not as popular as the textured look, which is featured in woodgrain cabinets having brushed finishes. This provides a much more natural look to your kitchen, and it’s great if you’re looking for a rustic decor and a country-style kitchen.

Cabinet Hardware Accessories

You might think of your cabinetry hardware as the jewelry which adorns your kitchen cabinets, and it provides much the same appeal as jewelry does on a person, highlighting certain features and calling attention to specific areas. You should make a point of requesting totally adjustable door hardware which will allow your installation expert to adjust the doors, so as to keep the gap uniform between doors.

It’s also best to use recessed bottoms or a valence, so that under-cabinet light fixtures can be concealed. You can definitely get high-quality features on your hardware accessories without investing in luxury cabinets. Semi-customized cabinets are moderately priced, and they can provide a whole range of features which help to organize your kitchen contents, for instance pullout pantries and spice organizers.

One other thing you should pay some attention to is the dead space which exists in the back corner of most kitchen cabinets. Sometimes this is a blind corner which is completely closed off, so you may not even be aware that it exists. You can actually purchase pie-corner base cabinets which pull out and make use of this space, or you can have an old-fashioned Lazy Susan installed, which will bring all your stored items within easy accessibility.

Take your time in choosing the hardware which you want installed on your kitchen cabinets, because the right hardware can add definite appeal and functionality, and hardware accessories can be something that you actually take great pride in.