kitchen cabinet designs are plans or drawings to showing the looks and functions or workings of kitchen cabinets before construction.
When planning a full kitchen renovation, cabinet design is one of the most important choices, especially as cabinetry is typically the single biggest investment you’ll make.
Your experience in the kitchen space depends on how well the architect or engineer designs or organises the cabinetry. This has a lot of effect most especially if you have a small space and hence a design mistake is not an easy one to remedy. Furthermore, there are endless styles and designs to choose from, making the design process a little harder to navigate.
A common thread emerged: Designers and architects tend to design layouts that echo the architectural style of the home, generally speaking.
Work Triangle
The work triangle is a concept used to determine efficient kitchen layouts that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional. It creates a clear path between the area for food preparation (stove top), the cleaning area (sink) and the food storage area (refrigerator). This is because the primary tasks falls between the cook top, the sink and the refrigerator. Hence, these three points and the imaginary lines between them makes up the work triangle. The idea is that when these three elements are close (but not too close) to one another, the kitchen will be easy and efficient to use, cutting down on wasted steps.
AVAILABLE LAYOUTS FOR KITCHEN CABINET DESIGNS
Getting your layout right is the most important factor in ensuring a functional and practical cooking area. Whether your space is small and cramped or large and expansive, a clever layout will make all the difference in helping you to get the most out of the space. However, there is a lot more to layout than just placing furniture and cabinetry: ergonomics has a huge role to play as well. Ergonomics is the science of designing the environment to fit the people that use them, not the people to fit the environment. Getting the heights right, ensuring enough space for comfortable movement, placement of appliances and ease of use are all going to factor in your enjoyment of the room.
The following layout are the generally available popular standards;
1. The One Wall Kitchen Cabinet Designs
In a one-wall kitchen cabinet layout, all of the cabinets, countertops, and major work services are arrayed along one wall. The other three sides of the kitchen are open and often face living areas. Major work services include the refrigerator, sink, and stove or oven. A dishwasher is often included as a major service. If it plugs in or is plumbed in, and it’s necessary, it’s more than likely a major service. Things that can be moved aren’t included—items like a microwave or coffee maker.
Pros
- Inexpensive: Limited counter space means lower costs, as counters tend to run up kitchen budgets considerably. Fewer wall and base cabinets are used, too.
- Easier DIY Options: Because you do not have to join up counters or other complex work, the one-wall design is the easiest for the do-it-yourself homeowner to undertake. Usually, a single countertop with one sink cutout is used.
- Compact Design: The one-wall layout is the best way to create space in the rest of your space. Also, because the layout footprint is minimal, you can use more space for living areas.
- Good Workflow: All of the major cooking functions are kept within a few feet of each other. You never have to move very far with a one-wall layout.
Cons
- Lower Perceived Value: Unless the house requires the one-wall design, many homebuyers may have a difficult time accepting it. So, selling the home may be more difficult.
- Lower Resale Value: Resale values are lower for minimal spaces simply because homebuyers place such a high premium on the kitchen nowadays.
- Fewer Countertops: You do save money on countertops—but this means having fewer countertops for cooking. If you love to cook, no doubt you will find yourself adding rollaway kitchen islands or putting cutting boards over the sink as impromptu counter space.
- Design Decisions: The one-wall design does bring up new decisions by virtue of its compact size. For instance, where do all of your cabinets go? Since you have so little space, you have fewer places to put them. Yet if you cut back on cabinets, you have less storage space.
2. The Galley Kitchen Cabinet Designs
A galley kitchen cabinet is defined by two rows of cabinetry that face one another with a narrow walkway in between. It is a long, narrow kitchen layout with services on one or both sides. An aisle runs down the center of a galley kitchen. Sometimes, the galley kitchen dead-ends at one end or it can be a pass-through kitchen.The name is derived from the kitchen area of boats, where space is very limited.
Pros
- Space and cost savers
- Tight cluster of essential kitchen services. The layout keeps the major services such as water, electrical, and gas clustered in the same area using the work triangle. Hence it makes it easier for plumbers and electricians to install or service appliances.
- Good use of classic kitchen triangle design
- Less kitchen flooring to purchase and install
- Perfect for do-it-yourself remodeling
- Lower cost on cabinets and counters means more money for other items
Cons
- Not good for more than two cooks at a time. It’s too tight for multiple cooks to work at the same time since the space is narrow.
- Less countertop and storage space
- Lower resale value
- Standard sink configurations recommended
- Hard to fit larger size appliances
- Poor traffic flow when it’s a dead-end galley kitchen (open only on one end)
3. The L-Shaped Kitchen Cabinet Designs
L Shaped Kitchen Cabinet is the most common and efficient kitchen layout in lots of modern homes. It’s a great proponent of the working triangle. With work stations set out on two different walls in L-shaped kitchens, you don’t have to walk too far to reach different zones, making meal prep more organised!
L-shaped kitchens are tucked into corners and usually have two open ends which allows for different entries and exits. This means traffic can flow freely through the space. A free flowing kitchen can be really beneficial when entertaining because less traffic jams mean more room and less stress when preparing food!
Pros
- Great for corner space
- Efficient for small and medium kitchen spaces
- You can adjust benchtops and cabinets Furtto length
- Minimal through traffic
- Easy working triangle
- Perfect for open plan designs
Cons
- Not efficient for large kitchens because appliances are too spread out
- Not as easy for multiple cooks
4. The U-Shaped Kitchen Cabinet Designs
A U-shaped kitchen cabinet contains an arrangement of different units positioned on three adjacent walls that makes it appear to form the shape of the letter u. It is a common layout that features built-in cabinetry, countertops and appliances on three sides, with a fourth side left open or featuring an opening or entry door. In larger spaces with enough width, U-shape kitchens are often outfitted with a freestanding island or seating. In smaller spaces, a peninsula may be attached to one side to provide seating and extra counter space while leaving a clearing for moving in and out of the kitchen.
Pros
- The U-shape Design promotes less traffic
- More Counter Surface
- Helps the Kitchen to be a more Sociable place
- Makes daily kitchen tasks more efficient and less time-consuming
- A large amount of worktop space which can be very practical for food preparation, cooking and baking.
- A large amount of storage space from the cabinets at positions around the room.
- The option of adding a seating area, depending on the size of the kitchen. This could include a breakfast bar or a corner seating unit, or even a dining table.
- Can Turn a Kitchen into an Entertainment Area: Given that you have enough space, it’s possible to make your kitchen livelier and inviting with the existence of a center island. Space for a central island in some larger areas.
- Optimization of the Kitchen Work Triangle: Practical layout that keeps the centre of the room free for traffic flow, particularly between the fridge, sink and the oven, th three key points of the kitchen.
Cons:
- Using cabinets on all three adjacent walls can significantly limit your floor area
- It can make your floor looked small
- Opening the base cabinets can be a challenge if you have a smaller space.
5. The Island Kitchen Cabinet Designs
Island Kitchen Cabinet is a layout that comes with island table. Island table is a freestanding cabinet which can either match your existing design or compliment it. An island can have stools around it, for extra seating and include integral storage drawers or cabinets and can be used to house your cooking appliances. Hence, this layout is achieved by adding an Island to an L Shape or U Shape layout
Pros
- Increases counter space for small appliances and prep space
- Offers addition storage for cooking utensils and specialty tools
- Adds seating options with bar stools or dining chairs along one or more sides
- Creates defined space in an open concept home
Cons
- Disruption in room flow if the island interrupts the work triangle
- Appliance placement problems because the island can be hard to vent and requires special wiring and plumbing
- Budget problems if the island is too large or if the finishes are too costly
- Space constrictions in tight kitchens
Becomes the heart of the kitchen and where everyone spends their time
6. The Peninsula Kitchen Cabinet Designs
Peninsula Kitchen designs offer all the same benefits of an island – extra workspace, smart storage solutions, and a place to socialise – but the difference is a peninsula can scale to fit into kitchens of many sizes.
A peninsula is similar to an island in that it’s a unit with a worktop, but instead of standing free in the middle of your kitchen, the designer attaches one end to the wall. A peninsula is accessible from three sides (unlike an island’s four) and serves as an extension of your layout, and can help separate spaces in an open plan kitchen.
A peninsula-style kitchen differs from an L or U-shape kitchen because the peninsula must protrude from the wall, leaving three sides exposed, whereas some L or U-shape layout have most sides flush against the wall, leaving only one side exposed. The Extra Storage Kitchen Cabinet is a very good example of the peninsula layout.
Pros
- More counter space: comparing it to a kitchen island, a peninsula offers more worktop real estate. An island needs a pathway all around it, while a peninsula can sit in the same place and connect to a wall. So what would be a small patch of walkway becomes an additional kitchen worktop area instead.
- More storage: A peninsula can include extra cupboards and drawers.
- Suitable for small kitchens: Unlike an island, which would need to be of a certain size to be worthwhile, peninsulas can be short or long, and so fit into small kitchens as well as big ones.
- Furthermore, peninsula kitchens can offer more space along the island.
- Peninsula kitchens can help provide more definition and separation. You can place the peninsula in this type of layout to act as a room divider. Not only does this help you further define the kitchen and cooking space, but it also allows you to add a little more separation between the kitchen and the living room or dining room area.
Cons
- Peninsula kitchens can be prone to traffic jams: One of the biggest drawbacks to peninsula kitchens is that they can be prone to traffic jams, especially around the lower or corner cabinets. When you use them as a room divider, they also tend to limit entry into the kitchen as there is often only one way in or out in this case.
- They can have tight corners: Because a peninsula tends to jut out of a wall or counter, they can have tight corners. This can make cabinets, storage, and access to those areas difficult. You can resolve this too with proper design and layout considerations.
- Peninsula kitchens can be less efficient for larger kitchens: Although additional counter space is usually a good thing, especially in larger kitchens, peninsulas can sometimes be less efficient in them. Depending on where you place them, they can disrupt the space and get in the way.