Choosing kitchen cabinets

It is still possible to find an old fashioned kitchen with a huge central table, counters against the wall, perhaps a Welsh dresser, perhaps a pantry. Such a kitchen has great charm, but it seems it is not suited to the modern way of life. This must be so, because every kitchen update, remodeling or renovation begins with kitchen cabinets.

The choice is overwhelming. Do you want mostly under-counter units, or do you want mostly wall units? How many corners do you have to cope with? Will you have an island in the kitchen? Will you be using your kitchen cabinets to store mainly dry foods, or do you need more space for plates, dishes and glasses? Do you have too many small appliances? Will you want to store wine? Once you have drawn up a list of the items you need to store, and approximately how much space you will need for each, then you are ready to look for suitable kitchen cabinets.

A company like Door Store Kent can help you make all these decisions in no time at all. Their large inventory of base cupboards includes corner units, 2-5 drawer units, high and low level units (the latter with room for a drawer) a wine rack, and an angled end unit. All of these come with adjustable feet and hinges where necessary. There are also free-standing units like the five shelf larder unit, a broom cupboard, a four-shelf dresser unit and a universal appliance housing unit. There are units to go under sinks or cook-tops, and one which supports an oven.

The wall units include three options for corners: diagonal, angled and L-shaped; the last two do not have doors, just open shelving. There is an over the cooker hood unit, an over cupboard unit (to go over the broom cupboard and similar), a wall mounted wine storage rack and several configurations of regular wall cabinets.

Configuration is the first choice you have to make, but by no means the only one. Next you have to decide on the doors to go on all these cabinets. Of course, it is possible to use the cabinets as open shelving units, but that rather defeats the dual purpose of kitchen cabinets, namely to keep stuff out of sight and to keep it clean by eliminating dust and grease. So, doors really are a must. They are available in a wide range of color and finishes from smooth, neutral finishes, to a variety of natural wood finishes, to painted doors which can be plain, windowed, or paneled.

The style you choose will reflect the overall look you are trying to achieve in your new kitchen, which can be anything from traditional to ultra modern. The style you choose will depend on your taste and your life-style, whether you have a family, or whether you use the kitchen only occasionally.

Lastly, you need to choose the hardware with which to open you cabinets and drawers. DSK has a wide selection of drawer pulls and handles from sleek almost invisible attachments, to more elaborate items which make a statement and define your style.

Posted on 19th Jan 2012