"Cabinetry"

Cabinetry is often described as the most important facet of a kitchen, but that axiom is particularly true in our case. For reasons already stated, the kitchen is much too small and will remain so. The counter we love so much takes up quite a bit of room, and in order to fit it into a much too small space, the original homeowner held the base cabinets in his counter to a depth of only twenty inches. After much analysis, I can do no more than bow to his wisdom.

I was once going to move the sink, split the counter, and install fake beams and custom-made lighting, but this design, though much more innovative than what I feel obliged to go with, creates as many problems as it solves, mostly because of its reducing the one substantial counter we have from a 31" depth to only 20".

Given these many restrictions, the only thing I can think to do with these confined quarters is to make of it a jewel box. It need not be overly ornate, but it must, to my mind, be highly crafted. My first thought was Greene and Greene, but as our plans have evolved, I have found myself yearning for less. In designing our cabinetry, the one thing I found myself consistently writing in the margins was "simple elegance."

I believe this kitchen should have as much "wow" as I am able to provide for it, but that this "wow factor" must come from cabinetry made so well that even the least sophisticated will know at once that no factory ever produced such work. But, even so, the cabinetry must quietly do its job. To achieve this I will avoid raised panels and elaborate crown molding and opt, instead, for Shaker-like panel doors which I will hang on unadorned butt hinges set into cockbead in such a way that the hinge knuckles almost disappear into the wood. To latch the doors I will use rare earth magnets which I will hide in the wood in such a manner that only another woodworker will ever be able to figure out what in heck keeps the doors closed.

I do not like, and will not make, cabinets with adjustable shelving. Studies have shown that well over ninety-five percent of those who are obliged to use such cabinetry arrange the shelves one time (usually to industry standards) and then never again. But they are obliged to look at a row of holes they will never use. It costs more to make cabinets with fixed shelving (time being money), but the result is a stronger, more aesthetically pleasing cabinet. Also, I have decided to change the concept of having to cover shelves with Contact Paper of some sort, as it is often an annoying process, which is why, no matter how badly it subsequently deteriorates, people rarely replace the shelf paper. Therefore, as a note of unexpected elegance, all of the interior shelves and all of the drawer bottoms will be covered with Formica.

Freed of the necessity of making my own lanterns, we have opted for lighting we will purchase and install ourselves. Despite the regulations now being promulgated for kitchens, we still find Fluorescent lighting to be a flickering abomination that does little more than give headaches to those obliged to work in it. We have decided upon incandescent lighting. I will also design, build, and install my own hood, which will include stained glass inserts for a source of ambient lighting. For as long as we have been married, the first thing we do each day is to turn on the hood light in the kitchen, and it remains on until we go to bed. Now we will make of this light source a bit of magic.

Finally, I will replace the existing pass through doors into the kitchen with new doors of my own design.

Joseph

NEXT WEEK: "Where Do We Go From Here?"