Off the Wall

Do you have clients willing to sacrifice wall cabinet storage to capitalize on the view from their kitchens? Or those who simply prefer a modern flair over traditional styling, which may also lend itself to less traditional wall cabinetry?

If you answered yes to either of the above, congratulations! You have the opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone to create a space that truly offers function and expresses the desires and needs of your client. Remember, no two kitchen designs should ever be the same, as no two clients are exactly the same; each one has different tastes, needs and desires.

In recent years, we’ve been seeing more and more kitchens on exterior walls with huge expanses of glass to integrate the beauty of nature with the interior amenities of the home. But, for the kitchen to truly function as the nerve center, the area in which the majority of a family’s activity takes place, why not simply locate it in the center of the living space? Doing this allows ancillary activities to take place around it, creating an atmosphere of community.

The living spaces that stretch just beyond the kitchen could include the great room, dining area(s), study area, outdoor patio access, etc. With a design in which these all radiate from the kitchen, no one ever feels isolated.

We’ve seen open, integrated layouts for years, so centrally locating the kitchen within a home’s living area may well be the perfect answer for some of your clients. The key is to still make it functional, stylish and comfortable for the client’s lifestyle.
Now that you’re thinking about new design concepts, the challenge is to still create spaces that function superbly. How do you do this without as much wall cabinet storage as we’re accustomed to? Great design combined with innovative products provides solutions to make all of the pieces of the puzzle come together.

All-Inclusive Design

Islands become a key factor in today’s all-inclusive designs. By all-inclusive we’re talking about design that works for people of all ages and a multiplicity of tasks. One of the first and most critical functions of an island is that it directs traffic flow and distinguishes between functional meal prep stations and ancillary, social or other activities.

It is critical to keep prep areas compact and efficient; well thought-out appliance placement is one of the keys to maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of the space. When planning appliances, pay particular attention to which way the doors swing. You don’t want your clients constantly going around appliance doors to access adjacent counter space, or walking around the island to get from the refrigerator to the sink. And you certainly don’t want them to fall over the dishwasher door when clearing the table after a meal.

Dishwasher and microwave drawers have helped improve the appliance functionality in islands immensely. Single dishwasher drawers are fabulous for individuals with back problems or arthritis, or those who are in a wheelchair; if you have two sinks on the island, simply locate one by each with a standard drawer below for less utilized items. Take your cues from your client. Your client may have two or three eating areas in a space, so discuss which is going to be the most often used and focus the efficiency of your design based on those answers.

Once proper appliance placement is determined, how do you find a location for everything else that is easily accessible and as close to the point of use as possible, without wall cabinets? While you’re constantly being told to “think outside the box,” now we’ll encourage you to “think inside the box.” It is the interior of the cabinet that makes a kitchen function.
The greatest cabinet innovation in recent years has been the focus on improving the interior function of the box. It almost makes you wonder how we ever functioned with a standard base cabinet.