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Kitchen Cabinets
What choices are available?
The three main cabinet categories are base, wall, and tall or special-use. Because it's more economical to build with standardized dimensions, sizes tend to be consistent from line to line. Cabinet sizes must also match standard fixtures and appliances.Base cabinets. Base cabinets combine storage space with working surface. Though usually equipped with only one top drawer, some base cabinets have three or four drawers, making them particularly useful near the sink, range, or refrigerator. "Sink" units have a false drawer front or a tilt-out drawer at the top.
Standard dimensions are 24 inches deep by 341?2 inches high; the addition of a countertop raises them to 36 inches. In width, base cabinets range from about 9 to 48 inches, increasing in increments of 3 inches from 9 to 36 inches and in increments of 6 inches after that.
Wall cabinets. Usually screwed to studs in the walls, these cabinets can also be hung from ceiling joists over peninsula and island installations. Wall cabinets come as single or double units and in various specialty configurations.
Typically 12 inches deep, wall cabinets can vary in width from about 9 to 48 inches. Though the most frequently used heights are 15, 18, and 30 inches, units actually range from 12 to 36 or more inches high. The shorter cabinets are typically mounted above refrigerators, ranges, and sinks. The tallest ones extend to high soffits or ceilings.
Special-use units. Manufacturers also produce a variety of special-purpose cabinets. You can buy cabinets with cutouts for sinks, built-in ranges, wall ovens, or microwaves. Island and pantry units also fall into this category.
Perhaps more options exist for corners than for any other kitchen cabinet space. These include angled units with larger doors, double-door units that provide full access to the L-shaped space, and lazy Susans or slide-out accessories that bring items forward from the back recesses of the space.
Getting help
The cabinets are only part of the puzzle. When you buy them, some of what you're paying for is varying degrees of help with the design.A designer will help you figure out how you'll use the kitchen. Some retailers will give you a questionnaire to pinpoint what's unsatisfactory about your current kitchen, how often you do any specialty cooking, whether your guests always end up in the kitchen, whether you buy food in bulk, and other clues to a final design that really suits the way you live.
Pick a "look," then shop for it; compare features, craftsmanship, budget, and cost. Some designers represent a particular line, so shop around to get an idea of what's currently available.
Your existing floor plan is the best aid you can offer a designer. Some staff designers in showrooms will do a new cabinet plan for you, applying the charge against the purchase price of the cabinets. Some showrooms use computer renderings to help customers visualize the finished kitchen -- with prices for different cabinet options just a keystroke away.
