Convenient kitchen cabinets
Traditionally, in the kitchen area of each family, it is customary not only to cook food, but also to gather together for joint meals or tea parties, and sometimes to sit comfortably with friends and relatives. Therefore, here, in addition to kitchen furniture, comfortable upholstered furniture and decor items are needed.
Naturally, when the footage of the kitchen does not allow placing a dining table or upholstered furniture in it, they have to be moved to another room, for example, a living room. And if there is enough space to create comfort and optimality, the kitchen area is equipped with a dining table and comfortable furniture for gatherings.
In a small kitchen, you won't be able to put a comfortable oversized sofa or table for twelve people. But wardrobes and headsets are essential here. After all, you need to store food, fold dishes and cutlery on shelves and in cupboards, and cut food on a cutting table. What cabinets are needed in the kitchen will be discussed in our article.
How to choose kitchen furniture
Furniture in the kitchen carries not only a direct functional load, but also creates a certain mood with its appearance and colors. The optimal organization of the kitchen directly depends on which kitchen cabinets and drawers are provided in a particular headset. Therefore, it is better to choose a kitchen set according to the following parameters:
- the size of cabinets and cabinets;
- the form of the whole ensemble;
- the number and location of all available built-in elements;
- the quality of the material of manufacture;
- style and design.
In order to correctly calculate the dimensions of the purchased kitchen, you need to know exactly the footage of the room, as well as the height and width of the walls along which the set is supposed to be placed.
The standard dimensions for kitchen furniture are as follows:
- the lower modules are 60 centimeters deep, 85 to 90 centimeters in height;
- upper modules with a depth of 30 to 35 centimeters, in height from 72 to 75 centimeters.
However, these parameters are standard, and nowadays the range of produced kitchen furniture is very rich. Therefore, headsets are produced both with large parameters and with smaller ones. If you want to purchase furniture of non-standard parameters, you need to know for sure that it will fit in the kitchen room.
Kitchen sets differ in shape into three types - straight, L-shaped and U-shaped. The first type can be chosen if the furniture is purchased in a large kitchen, or in an office or guest room. The other two options fit into ordinary standard apartments without any problems.
The optimal organization of the kitchen set is possible if there is a working and washing table, pull-out drawers, cabinets with hinged doors, as well as a module in which a dish dryer is installed. It is easier to determine the number of each module in the set, based on personal preferences, needs, as well as the parameters of the headset itself.
Varieties of kitchen cabinet designs
Headsets, which include different types of cabinets, help to organize the space of the kitchen area as conveniently as possible. They are suspended, floor-standing, corner, and also in the form of pencil cases. Each of the types has both a certain functional load and design features. Each of the types should be analyzed in more detail.
Wall-mounted kitchen cabinets
The top row of the kitchen unit consists of wall cabinets. They are designed for storing dishes and food. Fume hoods can also be located in the top row of the kit. The design of this type of cabinet is indicative of its small size and light weight.
There are the following elements, without which no hinged module is produced:
- frame;
- facade;
- internal filling.
According to their design features, they can be divided into closed, open and combined. Closed cabinets are equipped with shelves and doors. If the cabinet type is open, then there are no doors in it. They often contain containers with spices or decorative ornaments. Combined, respectively, have elements of cabinets, both closed and open.
The dish drying cabinet is placed directly above the sink. Outwardly, it is no different from any closed cabinet. Inside, there is a drainer for clean dishes, as well as a tray that collects running water.
Floor row of kitchen cabinets
Floor cabinets are made in the form of pedestals with one or two doors. They are placed on the bottom row of the headset directly under the worktops and wash tables. Their distinctive feature from wall cabinets is their massiveness and large capacity.
Due to their functional characteristics, they are ideal for storing heavy crockery, for example:
- pots;
- frying pans;
- bowlers and so on.
Built-in household appliances are also installed in them. In addition, the floor row carries additional functionality, namely, it serves as a support for kitchen tables.
Floor elements come in the form of conventional cabinets for storing kitchen utensils, with shelves and drawers. In addition, there is a cabinet under the sink in the lower part of the headset. In this compartment, communications are hidden from prying eyes - water and sewer pipes, water purification filters and a water meter.
It also houses a trash can. The interior of this compartment is hollow, there are no shelves or drawers, and the back wall is also not provided.
Corner models
Corner cabinets are present in L-shaped headsets. The advantage of this type of cabinet is the optimization of a small kitchen space, as well as the most rational use of the free corner. The corner wardrobe is compact in size, while it has more spaciousness than a conventional wardrobe.
The corner cabinet can be equipped with a drawer and shelves. The model is usually produced with a swing door. Depending on the design features, as well as the location, the cabinet can be wall-mounted, a sink cabinet or a pencil case.
Kitchen pencil cases
The combined version of wall-mounted and floor-standing cabinets is a pencil case. All tiers of the kitchen unit perfectly coexist in it, the capacity is very high, because the height of such a module corresponds to the height of the upper row. In addition, the cabinet is solid, that is, the space in the middle is equipped with shelves, while there is free space between the upper and lower tiers of the cabinets.
Depending on how many sections in a particular cabinet, it can be single or multi-door. The functionality of such a module can be quite diverse - if there are a large number of shelves inside, it is convenient to store a lot of products here. cutlery, or even all kitchen utensils. If the cabinet is made hollow, a refrigerator can be hidden behind its facade.
Combined types of pencil cases are especially popular. In such modules, the upper and lower parts are allocated for storing food or dishes, and built-in household appliances are placed on the middle level.
Filling cabinets
Any of the kitchen cabinets carries a certain functional load and it depends on how correct the internal space in each of them is. Storage systems can be of a pull-out or pull-out nature.
To optimize the internal space of the modules, modern furniture production offers a large selection of elements that maximize the use of the internal space of the furniture.
These include:
- Mesh baskets. These are metal nets made in the shape of the letter P. They can be mounted both on the inside of the facade and on the side walls. Very convenient to use the empty space in the cabinet under the sink;
- The carousel is rotary. An axis is installed inside the cabinet; semicircular shelves are located on it with the possibility of rotation;
- Folding element. The set includes narrow drawers or rectangular shelves. They are fixed to the swivel mechanisms. The front row is fixed on the inner side of the front part. When the cabinet door is opened, the entire structure unfolds sequentially;
- Bottle holders. They are indicative of high rims and rather narrow width.
An important role when choosing a kitchen set is also played by what door opening systems it is equipped with. Systems are swing, lifting and retractable.
Hinged doors are used in the cabinets of the upper and lower rows. The mechanism in them is hinges, which can allow the door to be opened at a certain angle or completely. Some hinge models have built-in motion closers.
In wall cabinets, lifting mechanisms are often used. They are equipped with latches that allow the door to be held horizontally, as well as movement closers. The system is set to press a little, after which the door rises completely.
In retractable opening systems, roller or ball guides are used. The opening can be either full or partial.
Kitchen cabinet facades
The front part of any kitchen set is both an element of decor and a protective surface that allows you to preserve furniture for many years.Therefore, when choosing a kitchen in terms of the facade, it is important to pay attention to how moisture and heat resistant it is, what is the strength and reliability of the material, as well as the possibility of avoiding mechanical damage.
Kitchen sets are made from different materials - wood, chipboard, MDF and chipboard. In addition, manufacturers offer models in which the front parts are made of glass. The glass facade can be decorated using photo printing, sandblasting, or simply tinted with a special coating. However, these models of kitchen cabinets are quite expensive.
Kitchen furniture made of chipboard and MDF materials is additionally covered with a special layer that allows to extend the service life of the headset and maximally protect its modules from negative effects.
The coating can be in the form of a special film or plastic. Finishing with PVC foil has a number of undeniable advantages. These include moisture resistance, a rich assortment of colors and reliefs, affordable prices, as well as resistance to mechanical damage.
However, this type of coating also has a drawback - deformation and flaking from surfaces when exposed to high temperatures. Plastic facades also have both disadvantages and advantages.
The advantages include moisture resistance, ease of cleaning and washing, a wide range of colors and high heat resistance. In terms of practicality in operation, plastic trim is more profitable.
The disadvantages of this coating include - low impact resistance, it is not protected from some mechanical damage. For example, scratches remain when surfaces are treated with abrasive cleaning agents.
How to choose the right kitchen cabinet
Since the kitchen area is not only a place for cooking, but also a space where you can sit with your family for a delicious lunch or dinner, or gather friends for a small party, when choosing a kitchen unit, you should think carefully about all the criteria for the future acquisition, and also correlate them with the capacity of the kitchen area.
Compactness
In a small kitchen, you will not be able to use a large number of modules from the headset. So when choosing furniture in a store, you need to really assess the capacity of the kitchen area and buy only what you cannot do without.
The best choice for a small kitchen can be a corner set. Indeed, most of all items in the kitchen can be placed in a corner cabinet. If you plan to install a sink in the corner, then a rotary or roll-out storage system can be inserted under it.
The maximum number of devices can be hung on the walls on special hooks or hanging shelves. Cabinets, on the other hand, should not be purchased with a standard depth. It will not be possible to place equipment in such modules, but you can arrange dishes and food, and a lot.
An excellent purchase can be a mini-kitchen, where the required minimum of lockers and equipment can be easily accommodated on one wall panel. Convertible furniture will also help save room space.
Spaciousness
In a small kitchen, it is not easy to place all the necessary furniture, so that there is still free space. But after all, it is not always necessary to buy a lot of cabinets in order to accommodate all the kitchen utensils.
For example, a kitchen apron can fit a lot of devices and containers with bulk products or spices. For devices, it is enough to hang rails or wall magnetic strips on which metal objects are perfectly fixed. For jars, you can hang a narrow open shelf or even two.
The corner module will be a real salvation for a small kitchen area. In addition to its compactness, such a module is incredibly spacious, which means that you can place the maximum amount of utensils in it.
In the case when the tabletop of the desktop is taken out of the boundaries of the headset, you can build in its drawers inside. This option can be either purchased immediately or ordered later and optimized for space.
Strength
The most durable kitchen furniture products are undoubtedly those made from natural wood. However, the cost of a headset made of wood is much higher than that of other materials. At the same time, many of the artificial materials can now compete with natural wood in terms of strength and other important parameters.
Products made from MDF are more expensive than furniture made from chipboard, but they have much more natural impurities. The most durable option for kitchen furniture is the plastic coated MDF option.
A cheaper option is a headset made of DSL material, also with a plastic coating. This type of coating may be scratched by the use of abrasive cleaners, but it is stronger and more durable than film. The film can deform and peel off under the influence of high temperatures, which is inevitable in the kitchen.
Uniform style
In order for the new kitchen to be in harmony with the general style of an apartment or house, you should carefully study all kinds of exhibition samples before purchasing it. It is also worth paying attention to what features the home has.
For example, high-tech furniture is unlikely to fit into a house made of wood. When choosing the style of kitchen furniture, you need to think about what other interior items will be in the room. If a single style is conceived, then household appliances should also be selected appropriately, or they should be built into the headset and hidden by panels.
As a rule, before buying new furniture for the kitchen, the owners make repairs. In this case, it will not be difficult to select all the components in accordance with a single style.
Where and how to place correctly
Correct placement of pieces of furniture in the kitchen area will optimize its space and make working on it comfortable. To begin with, you should draw up a drawing and place all the pieces of furniture on it. So it will be possible to visually assess the location of each module.
It is imperative to measure the area of the room and the height of the walls. On the plan, you will need to mark all the places where the windows, the door to the room, communications are located. And already based on this, draw up a layout.
In any layout of the kitchen area, you need to take into account the standard rules:
- within two meters from each other, it is necessary to place a refrigerator, a sink and a stove, since these are the main areas of work in the kitchen;
- the gas stove should not be located close to the window. This way you can avoid drafts and the risk of fire;
- the hood should be placed exactly above the stove, at a height of 60 to 80 centimeters;
- countertops should be in a place convenient for the hostess and be of a certain height;
- the depth of the countertop should be no more than 60 centimeters;
- It is worth choosing a deep sink, the mixer should be placed at a height that will allow you to substitute a large high pan under it;
- modular kitchens are more convenient, since they can be transformed to any size of the room;
- the refrigerator must be located in a place where its open door will not become an obstacle to access to the tabletop;
- It is desirable to arrange all modules so that they are within one step.
If the rule of the golden triangle is observed in the arrangement, it will be much easier to place a new kitchen set with maximum convenience.
Video: choosing the right kitchen filling