Custom Cabinetry Otsego

One of the most dramatic ways to give your kitchen a new look is to change your cabinets. When you start to plan your upcoming project, take the time to visit a local cabinet shop, like Danner’s just north of Otsego.  The owner will gladly offer suggestions for your custom cabinet design.  You want to glean from him any tips, suggestions and clever solutions he’s accumulated over the years, as he has solved problems for other customers.  Many custom cabinet builders have a vast amount of photos of the cabinets they have built.  Looking at those photos may stimulate an idea or two.

Quality custom cabinetry might not be as expensive as you think.  When you deal with a smaller cabinet maker, his passion is greater and you might get a better cabinet for less money than what you would pay at a fancy store.

There are many other advantages to custom cabinets.  A skilled cabinet maker can include all sorts of special inserts, shelves, drawers, etc. that meet a specific requirement for your use. Kitchen storage is one of the most challenging design issues in your house.  It is also one of the most important.  Good kitchen storage makes this important room more efficient and more fun.

Cabinetry plays a key role in your kitchen.  There is definitely a big push for ease of access and storage in a cabinet.  The beauty of custom cabinetry is the ability to utilize almost every nook and cranny so that there’s no wasted space.  Storage accessories such as pull-outs, drawer organizers, built in spice racks and built-in lazy susans make kitchens accessible, convenient and efficient. Custom cabinetry will give you a much greater selection of finish options, trims, and cabinet storage configurations available also.

One of the principles of kitchen design in Otsego is creating an efficient and comfortable pattern of movement through the kitchen.  The “work triangle,” as it is known, is the shortest walking distance between the three primary work points-the refrigerator, primary cooking surface, and primary food preparation sink.  It is important to emphasize “primary” because many kitchens today feature multiple cooking surfaces and sinks.

Experts recommend that the work triangle should cover a route of no more than 26 feet, with no single leg of the triangle shorter than four feet or longer than nine feet.  If the kitchen features islands or peninsulas, they should not intersect the work triangle by more than one foot.  If the kitchen has only one sink, it should be located between or across from the cooking surface, preparation area or refrigerator.  And, if two cooks are working at a time, two work triangles should be in place, although one leg of both triangles can be shared.

A kitchen design professional will advise you on the many, time-tested guidelines to help ensure efficiency, safety and comfort.  These basic planning principles run the gamut and include how much space to leave for walkways, work aisles, seating and counters.  They also cover minimum cabinet frontage depending on kitchen size, appliance placement, ventilation, counter heights, work center configurations and a host of other important considerations.