An Architect’s Guide To: Kitchen Cabinetry

 

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The kitchen has always been the heart of the home. And while that may sound like a nostalgic vision of simpler times, kitchens remain essential multi-functional spaces used to eat, cook, entertain and congregate. As a result, it is important that they are well-executed, tailored to the client’s needs and highly functional for years to come. Yet with a million things going on at once, achieving this trifecta is a tricky science. From choosing the right materials and hardware, to achieving covert and minimal kitchens that respond to today’s space-saving demands, this is your ultimate guide.

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Primers

How to Specify: Kitchen Cabinetry

“The first thing we talked about is that architects often don’t specify kitchen cabinetry in the same way that you specify faucets or flooring. High-end premade kitchen cabinetry is still a growing industry. Much off-the-shelf cabinetry, like the kind available from IKEA, is typically used in home renovation projects and not in the higher-end or multiunit projects that architects typically work on. Premade cabinets have the big drawback that they come in a limited range of sizes, and kitchens have to be designed around them, as opposed to vice versa.” Check out the full story here.

Teal-painted MDF cabinets; via HGTV

How to Choose the Right Kitchen Cabinet Materials for Your Project

“Cabinetry can seem relatively superficial in comparison to the structural components of a building, but because kitchen cabinets take up well over a quarter of a kitchen remodel budget, it is imperative that architects and interior designers do their research before specifying this element. Arguably the most important part of picking out cabinetry — even more than style and functionality — is choosing the right material.” Check out the full story here.

Via Curbed

How to Select the Ideal Kitchen Hardware for a Contemporary Kitchen

“Picking the perfect cabinets for a project is hard enough, but the effort it takes to research, test and finally decide on the best piece of outward-facing cabinet hardware calls for even further inspection. While the main material for the cabinet door heavily contributes to a kitchen’s character, its hardware serves to accentuate that character further still. A key detail within one of the most important spaces of a residence, cabinet hardware sits squarely at the intersection of form and function, and making the right choice here can elevate the design of the entire kitchen.” Check out the full story here.

Inspiration

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: 8 Covert and Clutter-Free Kitchens

“Freedom is a well-designed, uncluttered kitchen. So much so that today’s minimalist kitchen dream is to have every element in clear view when needed, and otherwise, have it be invisible. Simple as that, right? While hardly simple, it’s not impossible. With the finesse and determination of bulthaup and other marvelous manufacturers, disarray can live only in its place — behind sliding panels, folding doors and wonderful walls adorned in molding. And with tucked, stowed and out-of-sight elements, already limited space is newly available to let life play out freely.” Check out the full story here.

Whiter Than White: The Minimalist Art of Achromatic Kitchen Cabinets

“Cooking begins with a clean slate. Achromatic kitchen cabinets are very popular, providing simple and neutral palettes to respond to. These are typically combined with a more textured countertop or backsplash. Exploring achromatic kitchens, we’ve drawn together a collection of white kitchen cabinets. Characterized by clean lines and ample brightness, these are often combined with materials like wood or steel. Together, the designs create inviting spaces to cook, dine and create.” Check out the full story here.

Case Studies

In Black Line Apartment, Arhitektura d.o.o. placed the library shelving and 18-foot kitchen unit along the two longitudinal walls of the living room

How One Architecture Firm Is Making Space-Saving Kitchens Sexier Than Ever

“Arhitektura d.o.o. is renowned for simple minimalist styles in the kitchen that extend throughout entire projects. Many of their contemporary apartment designs, such as Life After Madrid, Black Line Apartment and Folding Wall Apartment, successfully blend the kitchen into the overall layout of the project while maintaining total functionality. The team at Arhitektura do.o. spoke with Architizer about why they view an interior detail like cabinetry as a key element of a thoughtfully designed space and how they go about bringing it to reality.” Check out the full story here.

Toncelli Invisible features carbon fiber surfaces, a built-in touchscreen surface and push-to-open cabinetry; image via Toncelli.

Toncelli’s Futuristic Kitchens Are Made From Marble, Carbon Fiber and Petrified Wood

“With the Invisible range, Toncelli introduced carbon fiber — a material commonly used in complex aerospace engineering products — to the industry. Made up of a combination of woven filaments and a carbon matrix, the innovative composite is remarkably light, micro-thin and strong while guaranteeing resistance to changes in temperature, oxidization, rust and water. In addition, the material’s aesthetic prestige ensures the possibility of unique sculptural shapes, which are further enhanced by Invisible’s push-to-open cabinetry.” Check out the full story here.

 

Architizer's A+Product Awards is open for submissions, with the Extended Entry Deadline fast approaching on Friday, February 23rd. Get your products in front of the AEC industry’s most renowned designers by submitting today.