Planning Your New Kitchen

Top 10 Cabinetry Dos and Donts

The kitchen is the heart of the home. But an organized, functional kitchen takes extra planning. We've put together a list of the top ten things you'll want to keep in mind for your new home or kitchen remodel. Here's how to get started.

1. Drawers

Don't forget the drawers. Consider adding a few extra drawers to your base cabinets. Drawers are great for utensils, measuring cups, towels and hot pads, and even tupperware. Balance the location of drawers throughout the kitchen.

2. Spices and Cooking Oil

Do think about spices as part of your cooking routine. Even if you don't cook much, there are probably a few essential spices you use. If you love to cook, you may have an entire shelf full or more. There are some great ways to organize all those little bottles, like a pull-out pantry, spice drawer, or spice drawer insert.

3. Recyling and Trash

Don't leave the trash visible. Think about where you'll want recycling and trash centers.

A 15" or 18" wide base cabinet can hold both a trash and a recycling bin, making sorting easy. You'll probably want this pull out next to the sink for ease of use. If your area requires sorting of recycles ahead of time, you may even want two pull-outs, for a total of four bins.

4. Wine and Dine

Do store the wine - and add some visual appeal. If you enjoy a wine with dinner, consider adding a wine rack either in the upper cabinetry or perhaps integrated into the island. A built-in wine rack can be a great place to store room temperature wine, and can even be combined with a built in wine cooler in a Butler's Pantry.

5. Pull Out Shelves

Don't bend and reach when you can pull. Pull out shelves can be helpful in base cabinets for hard to reach items. But they do cut down on storage space just a bit, so keep that in mind when selecting. Pull out shelves can be included in all base cabinets, or in selected cabinets, depending on your needs.

6. Easy to See

Do keep things visible. Glass Doors on upper cabinets can lighten and brighten the kitchen - and make it easier to see where everything is stored. Glass doors are often recommended for easy living universal design kitchens. But glass cabinet doors can be costly, depending on the style of glass and the number of doors.

7. Lower Cabinets

Don't get too high. Standard upper cabinets are 18" above the kitchen countertop surface. But cabinets can be as low as 15" above countertops. Ask your builder about lowering the upper cabinets if reaching for common items is challenging.

8. Glasses and Dishware

Do keep your routine in mind. For many people, glasses are located near the refrigerator, and dishes near the cooktop. Think about what you'll use each area of the kitchen for, and design the cabinet layout accordingly.

9. Under the Sink

Don't stuff those bags under the sink, or worse, in the garbage. A plastic bag door storage unit keeps those plastic bags tucked away and ready for reuse. The plastic tray is perfect for hiding away sponges and cleaning pads without damaging the cabinet.

10. Pots and Pans

Do keep the pots and pans organized - and easy to reach. A base pot and pan organizer is perfect for easy placement of all those cooking utensils. The entire unit pulls out. Large pans sit in the base, and upper shelves are perfect for lids, frying pans, and smaller sauce pans. The unit is easy to use.

Planning ahead with your kitchen design will make your new kitchen that much more functional and enjoyable. Ask your builder what types of features are included, and what you might want to think about adding based on your cooking and entertaining style.

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