Of all rooms in a home, the kitchen is considered the most important. In this room, meals are prepared, people gather to chat; kids do homework, and much more. As the heart of the home, the best way to add value to the property or simply enhance the home’s aesthetics is to invest money into this particular room. When entering the kitchen, the first thing people see is cabinets so if they are worn, damaged, or even outdated, the entire room suffers.
To transform the kitchen, having new cabinets installed or updating existing cabinets is the perfect project. If you want to buy new cabinets, be prepared to feel a little overwhelmed since there are so many options. Today, more types of woods are used than ever before. In addition to traditional woods such as oak, birch, maple, walnut, cherry, mahogany, and pine, we now see several types of exotic woods also being used for beautiful kitchen cabinets to include bamboo and teak.
If you decide to have new kitchen cabinets installed, you would first start by choosing the style that would enhance the room best but also cabinets that would add value to the home so if you were ever to sell, the return on investment would be high. As you begin the process of shopping for new kitchen cabinets, you will discover they are typically designed around four primary areas of the room. Of course, kitchen cabinets would also be chosen based on the size and configuration of the room.
1. Sink Area – First, cabinets would be installed around the sink area so you want to consider a material that would be easy to clean but also configuration and size of the cabinets so you end up with enough storage space but also room to work.
2. Cooking Area – Cabinets would also be installed around the stove. For this, consider the type of storage you would need and size. For instance, if you love to cook then it might be worth it to have cabinets above the stove designed specifically for spices.
3. Refrigerator Area – Many people prefer to have deep or wide cabinets installed above the refrigerator. With this, some of your bulkier items could be stored.
4. Prep Area – The last area for kitchen cabinet installation is over the countertop. These cabinets get the most attention so you want to pay close attention to design. You could always choose closed faced doors or if you wanted something special and a way of displaying dishes, then cabinets with a glass, Plexiglas, or mesh front would be ideal.
To save money but still have quality kitchen cabinets, you could purchase pre-manufactured or modular cabinets. These cabinets are already made and sitting in a warehouse waiting to be purchased. Typically, pre-manufactured or modular cabinets come in limited materials and designs although today you would have more options than a few years ago. The other option would be custom kitchen cabinets. While you would pay more, you would also end up with a multitude of materials, designs, and special features.
Most pre-manufactured or modular kitchen cabinets are 12 inches deep, excluding those over the refrigerator. For custom cabinets, depth choices include 12, 15, 18, 30, and 36 inches. Remember, when it comes to having new kitchen cabinets installed, there is no real right or wrong choice although you want to follow a few basic guidelines. Of course, the manufacturer or contractor would be available to help you along the way.
The goal is to choose material and a design to complement the architecture of the room but also provide needed storage. For instance, if the room has arched doorways and stucco walls, kitchen cabinets with a Tuscany or Spanish feel would be perfect of if the kitchen were modern you want cabinets with clean lines and a simplistic appearance. If you plan to sell the home in the future, along with choosing cabinets that you like, you also want to choose cabinets that would appeal to the greatest number of homebuyers.
