The l-shaped kitchen layout is efficient and modern. This layout offers an efficient and easy workspace and allows your cabinets and appliances to be installed along the right angled walls with the center open. There are many advantages of having this kind of layout.
The working triangle
An efficient kitchen must have the working triangle in mind. This means that you should be able to move from the sink, to the oven, and the refrigerator very easily at any one given time. The l-shaped kitchen is a proponent of this triangle and it has work stations set on different walls. This means that you will not have to walk too long so as to get to the various zones. This makes meal preparation very organized.
Multiple entrances
The l-shaped kitchens are usually tucked in corners and have open ends that allow one to have different exits and entries. This means that there will be an easy traffic flow all the time. When there is less traffic in the kitchen, it means you won’t have any jam even when you are entertaining. This translates to less stress and more room during meal preparation.
Open plan
Modern homes are quickly embracing the open plan living option. The l-shaped kitchen is the perfect option, especially if you have an open layout or if you are planning to remodel to an open plan. When you have an l-shaped kitchen, you only need to use two walls within the kitchen. In this way, you end up opening up more space. This is a great idea if you want the kitchen to open to another room such as the family room or dining trim. This design makes things easy when you are entertaining.
Maximize space
L-shaped kitchens keep space connected and therefore you have a lot of open space for rest of the activities. The space maximizes the open space and the workspace and you can incorporate tables and chairs. Cleaning becomes easy too.
The l-shaped kitchen is ideal for the medium and small kitchens. You can also adjust the cabinets and bench tops length.
There are also some disadvantages that are associated with this kitchen plan. The first one is the fact that it is not efficient for the larger kitchens. This is because the appliances will be too spread out within the kitchen thus reaching them can be rather hard. It is also not that easy to have many cooks at the same time within the kitchen.
The l-shaped kitchen plan is very versatile. It is visually appealing and functional too. It is always important to think things through as you make your kitchen shape selection so as to get the most out of it.
If your kitchen is small, then the l-shaped design will end up making it feel larger than it really is. If you use other kinds of kitchen designs on a small kitchen, it means that the space will be closed off making it feel tighter than it should. A smaller kitchen can always benefit from that additional room feeling.
It is always important to choose a practical design for your kitchen. L-shaped kitchen allows you to access valuable information that will help you in the decision making process. Here you can access tips and ideas that you can use within your home.
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With the number of home sales dropping, and the tighter restrictions in the mortgage industry, many homeowners are finding it harder than ever to sell their homes and upgrade to a larger home. Because of this trend, home renovation projects are on the rise as homeowners are finding ways to make their current homes more livable, while adding value to their home at the same time. The easiest way to add value and create the feel of a new home, is to renovate your kitchen.
In a kitchen renovation, the kitchen cabinets represent the largest expenditure in your remodeling budget. Since they are the centerpiece of your kitchen, many of the other decisions about your kitchen will be based off of your cabinet choice. Your countertop, appliance, and hardware decisions will depend on the style and layout of your kitchen cabinets.
The biggest issue with traditional, store bought cabinets is that it could take 8-10 weeks before delivery, so it is very important to make your cabinet selection prior to do starting any demolition or remodeling of your kitchen. There are cabinets available on-line, that could be delivered within 2-3 weeks, but it will depend on what style and construction you are looking for. We will talk about the differences in cabinets later on in the article.
Before looking at cabinets, it is important to come up with a target budget and a basic floor plan or layout. With the average kitchen remodel costing $40,000-50,000 it is important to accurately calculate all of the expenses involved with your project. While it may seem like a challenging project, even a DIY Homeowner with minimal experience can design and layout their own kitchen with accurate measurements and a couple of templates. This could save you a significant amount of money by not using a kitchen designer.
In the event that you think this is a project that you are comfortable tackling, you can either use a kitchen designer or go to one of the home improvement centers and take advantage of their free design services.
There are several factors that are going to affect the cost of your cabinets: cabinet brand, construction, wood type, and features. It is important to research all of your options. What you will find is that a higher price doesn’t always correspond with higher quality, and some of the lesser-known cabinet lines will actually have a stronger construction.
There are however, a few general kitchen cabinet buying tips that may help you in your kitchen cabinet research.
Kitchen Cabinet Wood Choices
Whether you are buying custom made cabinets, stock cabinets, or RTA cabinets, they will all offer a wide range of wood choices. Solid hardwood cabinets, such as Cherry, Maple, Birch, Hickory and Oak typically cost much more than laminate or veneer finished cabinets.
Face Framed Kitchen Cabinets
Face framed kitchen cabinet construction is the most prevalent kitchen cabinet construction type in the United States and usually it is lower cost. This construction technique involves the building of a kitchen cabinet face out of hardwood pieces. Typically the cabinet face is constructed using several 1″x 2″ vertical and horizontal hardwood pieces. The face frame is then married to the front of a particleboard or solid plywood kitchen cabinet box. It is highly recommended that you try to find cabinets that use solid wood or solid plywood for the cabinet box.
Particleboard and Fiberboard will have a tendency to sag or warp over time from moisture. Even mid-priced RTA cabinets are available that are made from solid Plywood sides. Hardwood or veneered/laminated cabinet doors and drawer faces, are then attached via hinges and roller mechanisms to the face frame and cabinet box.
Frameless (European-Style) Kitchen Cabinets
Frameless kitchen cabinet construction is becoming increasingly popular today as frameless kitchen cabinets are considered to be more contemporary. With frameless cabinets there is no face frame. The kitchen cabinet doors attach directly to the sides of the cabinet and are secured with pins and dowels. The advantages of this type of construction, is that there is wider access into the cabinet space and the hinges are completely hidden. Typically “ready-to-install” kitchen cabinets are constructed in this manner.
Kitchen Cabinet Finishes
There are many Kitchen cabinet finishes to choose from when using natural woods. Cabinet finishes include stain, paint and glazing options. In addition there are my types of distressing techniques that can also be employed on kitchen cabinet surfaces. Some options include Rasping, Antiquing and Rub-through.
There are also many types of laminates that you can choose from.
Kitchen Cabinet Sizes
Kitchen cabinets come in a variety of standard shapes and sizes, however custom sizes can also be easily specified and manufactured – at a price. Standards kitchen cabinet sizes, known as stock cabinets, are usually much more affordable then custom or semi-custom cabinets and usually have shorter lead times. Most manufacturers, unless custom built, stock universal sizes so if you have a kitchen designed at supply store or by a designer it will usually be transferable to another cabinet line.
Kitchen Cabinet Quality
If you plan on living in your home for many years, do not skimp on your kitchen cabinets. They are constantly used and abused, and only the sturdiest will stand the test of time.
The best kitchen cabinets employ solid frames, doors and drawers and are fully self-contained (closed backs), with reinforced corners. As I mentioned before, it is important to look for cabinets that have a plywood box versus particleboard or fiberboard. This is why it is important to look at all of the cabinet lines that are available, even cabinets that are sold on-line.
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When it comes to choosing the right kitchen cabinets, this decision has a great deal to do with how much you can do for yourself, how much you want to have pre-made for you and how much you can afford to spend on cabinets. In addition to these choices you also have to choose what kind of materials you would prefer to use, what style you want them to be in and the hardware that you want to finish them off with.
If you want to save money on a project, then you can choose to either make your own cabinets, refurbish your existing cabinets, or purchase unfinished kitchen cabinets. If you don’t know how to build kitchen cabinets and you are not a big DIY person, then you may want to consider one of the other options. You can refurbish your cabinets or strip painted kitchen cabinets and then stain or repaint them. If you want to purchase unfinished kitchen cabinets, then you can paint or stain them yourself, which will save you some money on your purchase. When choosing the right cabinets, you really should consider every option that is available to you.
If you have a larger budget, then you can purchase your cabinets from a retailer. You have plenty of options to choose from as well as dozens of brand names. With names like IKEA, Thomasville, Timberlake, Brookhaven and more, you will have a variety of different price ranges and materials to choose from. You will have to choose whether you would prefer to install your cabinets yourself or have a professional do it for you. Again, if you aren’t big on do it yourself projects, then it might me better to allow a professional to do it for you. It would be terrible to go through the process of choosing the right cabinets only to create a problem upon installation.
There are also the materials to consider when choosing your cabinets. You naturally have traditional options, such as cherry, maple or oak, but you also have less traditional options, such as plastic, particle board or even metal kitchen cabinets. Choosing cabinets that fit your taste and style is important, but you also want to ensure that there is some flow with the rest of your home. Choosing the right kitchen cabinets is all about what you want and about making your kitchen beautiful as well.
Brendan Williamson writes about kitchen cabinets [http://www.thekitchencabinetsreview.com/] for [http://www.thekitchencabinetsreview.com/]
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