Culinary downsizing might be just the right recipe for people who rely on restaurants for most of their meals, but a growing number of gourmets are upgrading their home kitchens.
“Many people are cooking less and less, but there’s also the other half, who want a designer kitchen with state-of-the-art storage cabinets or a two-person working kitchen, with two of everything,” said Wayne Van Allen, owner of Dieckelmann’s Home Center in Kinderhook, N.Y.
“Cabinet-makers have increased their lines, so that new things are coming out all the time, making it easy to assemble your storage needs and get at everything.”
Because new homes are featuring higher ceilings, from 81/2 feet to 9 feet, or soaring spaces, cabinetry is taller, with more storage capacity.
“A standard 30-inch tall unit looks dwarfed on a 9-foot wall,” Van Allen said.
Taller 42-inch wall cabinets often feature a drawer or a series of pigeon-hole drawers at the base. Just about anything you own or can think of owning will fit in these combinations of cabinets.
To create extra space for food preparation or dining, consider a pull-out table. When not in use, it stores flush as part of the counter with a drawer front. This same concept is also designed as a detachable pull-out serving cart, with pop-up sides and shelving underneath. The cart can go where you need it, even the patio or dining room.
When counter space is at a premium, a pull-out chopping block of 11/2 -inch-thick hard maple is a possibility.
Deep, oversize drawers are standard for storing pots, pans and large bowls. The standard weight capacity for a drawer is up to 75 pounds, up from the previous 50-pound limit, according to Van Allen.
Hardware has also improved with the larger and heavier drawers. Ball bearings, which help a drawer open and close smoothly, work even better when the drawer is full. Drawer glides have been moved to the bottom from the sides of the drawer for optimum support.
Tilt-out vegetable bins and slide-out baskets are often combined in side-by-side with drawer units or in an island unit. Deep plastic trays, which allow air to circulate around produce, can be removed and carried to the sink or chopping block.
In creating a functional and fashionable kitchen, no space is wasted.
Narrow cabinets with vertical slots hold trays and cookie sheets. The redesigned Lazy Susan unit has shelves that project out into the room for better access.
A shallow, waterproofed tilt-down drawer installed in front of the sink keeps scrub pads, sponges and bottle brushes out of sight.
Plan on budgeting $5,000 to $15,000 for new kitchen cabinets, excluding appliances.
If you’re not ready for a full remodeling, change a cabinet or two at a time.
