What to Include When Planning Custom Cabinetry
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When planning cabinetry there are so many options that not only elevate the overall look of your cabinets but will enhance your everyday life. following are just a few of the items to consider when designing custom cabinetry for your home.
Face frame cabinet. Image: Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
While there are a few different styles of cabinets all are constructed like a “box” and either the doors are affixed directly to the box or to a frame. Two of the most common and distinctly different types of cabinet styles are framed, aka face frame, and frameless. Face frame cabinets are when there is a frame affixed to the cabinet boxes which conceals the edges of the cabinet door. With your typical face frame cabinets, the doors are inset into the cabinets lending to a clean and tailored look. The frameless style is where the doors are attached directly to the cabinet box. Full overlay cabinets are where the doors, and drawers, conceal the entire cabinet box leaving only a 2mm reveal, this is called full overlay. The frameless cabinets are a popular choice for modern kitchens and bathrooms.
Full overlay cabinet. Pinterest Image
Panel ready appliances are nothing new, but we are seeing a resurgence of this popular cabinet option. Conceal your Refrigerator and dishwasher with custom cabinet panels for a clean and sleek look. While we are looking at kitchens there are nearly endless options for storage and organization! Because I have an affinity for dinnerware, we’ll start with adjustable pegs in pull pout drawers for all your dishware. For glassware you can either go with the adjustable pegs or adjustable dividers so that they don’t knock into each other and tuck away neatly in a drawer instead of shelving. Roll out shelving is one of my favorites especially for lower cabinetry if you’ve never had them you don’t know what you’re missing! Easy access and visibility so you don’t have to get down on the floor to reach to the back of the cabinet. Cookie sheet and tray dividers keep all your bakeware tidy. Hate hauling out that heavy stand mixer? Incorporating an easy lift shelf for your mixer is the perfect solution! There are so many more organization options that I simply can’t list them all!
Image: Chris Loves Julia
Next up we’re talking about a few ways to add lighting in your cabinetry. We all know about the led lighting under your upper cabinets but when planned out in advance you can have the led strips recessed into your upper cabinets so that you don’t have to see those ugly and bulky electrical strip looking lights. To highlight some lovely glassware, you can also use the recessed led strip for up lighting. The use of mini puck lights in cabinets with glass doors have been used for several years but now for a cleaner more modern look you can use the recessed strip lighting around the inside of the cabinet box. In bathrooms toe kick lighting is a great option especially for when you need to make that late night trip to the bathroom.
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Diving right into bathrooms if you have the counter space we love adding a countertop or stand-alone spa tower to help get your daily routine organized and at your fingertips. There are so many options and configurations but one of our favorite items to include here is a hair tool drawer to house curling irons, flat irons and hair dryers with cord keepers and an outlet! Of course, you need to include some shallow drawers for makeup palette’s as well as deeper drawers for those taller items. There should be plenty of room for those who like to stock up on favorite products as well toilet paper etc. A spa tower is not only functional but is an elegant way to keep your counters free from clutter. If not incorporating toe kick lighting add a drawer instead of a panel and maximize your storage even more!
Image: Terri Brien Interiors
In the laundry room there are the common features like built-in hampers, pull-out ironing boards drawers for laundry detergents and drying poles but there are so many more beyond these! If you are a household who has a lot of hand dry clothes you can incorporate rollout drying rod drawers, vertical or horizontal. Plan for a steam closet or if you have stacked washer and dryers put a pull-out hamper platform between your washer and dryer so you don’t have to hold your hamper up while taking your clothes out of the dryer.
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As we wrap up, I am leaving you with a few final tips for cabinet planning. Review your cabinet and architectural plans with your designer and contractor to ensure your doors and cabinet drawers have enough clearance and will not hit or rub up against each other, particularly at corners, accounting for knob and pull depth. Consider nearby appliance depth, including appliance handle projection. If you have pull-out drawers, be sure the cabinet doors can open wide enough to allow the drawers to roll out completely. Be sure that refrigerator doors open wide enough so that you can pull out crisping or other refrigerator drawers.
While we’ve covered a fair amount of custom cabinet features here there are still so many more options that we can help incorporate into your plans based on your family’s needs and lifestyle. This is just one of the many benefits of working with a designer early in your home renovation or build process. We take a deep dive to understand how you live and how to elevate your everyday.
