Designing your dream project alongside your cabinet maker/designer can be an exciting task. Questions will inevitably come up along the way, and many decisions need to be made, either aesthetic and practical. You might even come across a dilemma such as this… For example: you’ve positioned every cabinet and appliance you need in your fully functioning kitchen and have an empty space or “gap” to fill. In the past, the easiest suggestion would usually be to add a wine rack or a tea towel cabinet. Don’t take the easy way out. Here are some my suggested do’s and don’ts when such a situation arises.
When building a bath room vanity, one trend over the last few years had been to incorporate an open “pigeon hole” cabinet (image below). A great way to store fresh towels. Apparently. While this design idea does look great, can you afford to be committed to such extreme tidiness on a daily basis? Why not put a door on such cabinets (are you really on such good terms with your feather duster?) Or perhaps utilize an extra set of drawers?
Open cabinets for towels really do look great. Bear in mind this look is only achieved if your towels are immaculately folded and organized.
Building cabinets to store a particular item locks you into storing that (and usually only that item) indefinitely. Try to keep your storage options flexible (i.e. wine racks can generally only be used for wine bottles). What happens if in the future, you decide to store your wine bottles elsewhere? Remember, you can always store your wine bottles flat in a standard cabinet if you desire. Having this flexibility means if your wine consumption tastes ever change, you can change your storage options to go with it.
Never store wine above a refrigerator, as the warmth from the back of the fridge can make it spoil. Wine prefers a cool and dark spot, away from direct sunlight.
So remember to try and incorporate some “future proofing” into your design. That way, your joinery will be fully functional while also being able to adapt to your lifestyle.
