Kitchen cabinets: types, dimensions and functional features

Wall cabinet with shelves

The most popular storage element in the kitchen is a row of cabinets that are located above the work area. They usually contain dry foods, dishes, and medicines. In a small kitchen, you should use the space as ergonomically as possible, and tall kitchen cabinets up to the ceiling are a good way. The more often shelves are installed in them, the better: storing dishes in a stack is not always convenient. We recommend placing items that are used least often on the top shelves.

The photo shows an unusual wall cabinet with sliding fronts. This is an excellent solution for small kitchens: hinged doors are not always convenient and take up more space.

Organizing the interior space of the kitchen

Inside the kitchen you need to place all the necessary elements - a dining table and chairs, a kitchen set and household appliances. To make the space functional and comfortable, the organization of the interior space of the kitchen is thought out in advance. It is important to take into account the size and shape of the kitchen, and the features of its layout.

Optimal placement of kitchen cabinets in kitchens of different sizes

Kitchen cabinets and cabinets are divided into lower and upper . The lower ones store large dishes or household appliances - pots, pans, blenders, mixers, multicookers. Such cabinets differ in capacity and are installed on the floor. The upper ones are used for storing dishes and small kitchen utensils. They are hung above worktops.

What cabinets are needed in the kitchen:

1. In a small kitchen (less than 6 sq. m.) install a kitchen set consisting of 3 lower cabinets and 3 upper ones. As a rule, this is a linear layout option, in which all elements are installed along one wall. This kitchen is compact and leaves room for a dining group. To make it convenient to store kitchen utensils in cabinets, use dividers, organizers and cutlery trays.

2. In standard kitchens with an area of ​​8-10 square meters. m place straight and corner cabinets. The lower tier consists of two large ones with two doors, the upper one consists of cabinets of different shapes and configurations (this could be a cupboard, a corner storage cabinet, an open shelf for decoration). Such kitchens are distinguished by their capacity; for convenience, they are equipped with built-in household appliances.

3. In large kitchens (over 10 sq. m) install kitchen cabinets in the shape of the letter “P” or “L”. It is recommended to purchase an island kitchen - it is equipped with an additional countertop where dishes are stored or where a sink or household appliances are mounted. On a large area there are no restrictions on the shape and number of kitchen cabinets.

Drainer

Another traditional filling for kitchen cabinets. The dryer is usually located above the sink behind the front doors: hidden dishes look more aesthetically pleasing than those placed in plain sight. Sometimes the drying cupboard does not have a bottom and water from wet plates flows directly into the sink. Otherwise, a pallet must be used. One of the best ways to keep your cupboard open is to install a door with a lifting mechanism that will stay up and out of the way when moving around the kitchen.

The dish dryer can also be located in the lower cabinet. It is more rational to use a deep drawer for this.

The photo shows a metal dryer, which is installed in the lower kitchen cabinet. This filling is optimal for dishwasher owners: clean plates can be removed immediately without getting up or reaching to the top tier.

"Stuffing" for the kitchen

The modern kitchen is increasingly being integrated into the living environment; it is rightly called the new living room of the 21st century.
This is facilitated by design, thoughtful organization of work areas and storage areas, and clever mechanisms that increase comfort. A kitchen consists of many components. Everything is important: the layout of the cabinets, materials, color, appliances, accessories, but most of all, high-quality fittings and “fillings”. These are the components produced by Blum, Grass (both Austria), Kessebhmer, Hettich, Hailo, Vauth-Sagel (all Germany), Salice, Vibo (both Italy). They are equipped with kitchens of all European and many domestic ones, “Announcement”, “Atlas-Lux”, “Dryad”, “Eurocomfort”, “Kitchens Maria”, “Kitchen Courtyard”, “Legna”, “Resurs-M” (kitchens under the trading brand Giulia Novars), “Sputnik Style”, “Stylish Kitchens”, “Forema-Kitchens”, “Edel”, “Ekomebel”, “Elt”, Virs (all Russia).

Storage boxes differ not only in their format, but also in the most varied internal organization. In order not to fragment the front design, not one, but two drawers are hidden behind the facade (1, 3). A handle with a “leash” allows you to open the inner top drawer at the same time as the bottom one. By unfastening the “leash”, you can detach the top drawer if you don’t currently need it. In the cooking area, from an ergonomic point of view, it is more rational to place cutlery and frequently used dishes not in the upper cabinets, but under the countertop, on which food is mainly prepared (2).

When planning a kitchen, today special emphasis is placed on wide-format (900, 1000, 1200 mm) drawers that extend to the full depth. They can withstand a weight of 30-80 kg, so you can store everything in them, from small items to heavy utensils. Depending on the design of the drawers, roller or ball guides with partial or full extension are used. In order to protect the fronts and sides of drawers from premature wear, and your hearing from irritating slamming, it is wiser to order drawers equipped with a soft-closing system integrated into the guides, which performs two functions. The mechanism “holds out” the drawer until it closes completely and slows it down on the last 2-3 cm of the way, carefully and silently bringing the front to the body. Each hardware manufacturer has developed its own systems.

You can open the drawer using an electric drive (Easys system - for Hettich, Servo-Drive - for Blum, Sensotronic - for Grass) by lightly pressing any point on the front panel, and close it with just a touch.

There are many solutions

Hettich Before purchasing kitchen furniture, don’t be lazy and go to furniture showrooms, look at everything that is in the showrooms, and think about what fittings your kitchen will be equipped with, consult with a consultant, ask what systems they can offer you. Find out what load the box can withstand, pay attention to the sides (this is especially true for the bottom drawers): they should not be very low, otherwise packages, cans and boxes may fall out. And if household utensils are also secured in drawers using dividers or liners, this will only be beneficial. It is more convenient to keep cutlery and constantly used accessories in full-drawers under the countertop in the cooking area and be sure to use separator systems for this.

Experts advise that when planning a kitchen, provide for five zones (storage of supplies, placement of dishes and utensils, washing, food preparation and cooking) and adapt each zone as much as possible to personal needs and your own operating mode. And to expand the usable space, there are many ways - for example, using drawers with high side and back walls. The drawers will become more spacious if you use a system of single or double longitudinal (round or rectangular in cross-section) rails that will secure the contents, as well as extending the side walls with inserts (glass, translucent acrylic or metal).

4.Le-Mans tilt-and-slide mechanism. The configuration of the shelves allows you to make maximum use of the cabinet space. 5.The lifting door of the upper cabinet can be kept open during operation. 6.The Cosario tray combines attractive design and new technologies. It is mounted under a wall cabinet. Movable dividers allow you to organize the tray as you wish, a built-in light element illuminates the bottom of the cabinet when closed, and illuminates the contents when open.

Hardware manufacturers have developed dozens of plug-in systems for organizing order in drawers - original organizers-inserts.

Corners and hard-to-reach areas in both lower and upper kitchen modules can be made functionally useful and easily accessible if equipped with rotating elements (Kessebhmer, Vauth-Sagel, Vibo). These are rotating metal baskets, “carousels”, built-in columns and semi-columns with carousel mechanisms.

In addition to the refrigerator, other places are required to store food supplies. Tall narrow pencil cases with static shelves were replaced by column cabinets equipped with baskets with a lattice, glass or plastic bottom and attached to a frame - all this forms a single complex that moves out along with the facade as one large box. They provide side access to products. Such storage systems can be built under the countertop, into free-standing cabinets or directly into the kitchen front.

7.When fully opened, the retractable storage system can be rotated either to the right or to the left. 8. Hettich movable trays above the sides ensure efficient use of internal space. 9.The universal system of dividers makes it possible to divide the box into several cells of different sizes.

The body width of the built-in columns offered by Vauth-Sagel is 300, 400, 600mm, and the installation depth is 500mm. At the same time, the height of the frame varies between 1200-2350mm.

Swing columns are also modernized: either they are equipped with retractable mesh shelves or baskets, or internal rounded ones are added to the outer rectangular baskets, which are attached to the doors. Swinging open, the doors with baskets push forward two more rows of baskets for everyone to see.

Wall cabinets continue to actively “participate” in the life of the kitchen. Thanks to lifting mechanisms with an integrated soft-closing function, the doors of wall cabinets (horizontal folding, sliding flap, lifting door), equipped with a damper, rise smoothly and silently. The mechanisms securely fix the door in any position from 45 and above.

For more details, see “IVD”, No. 4, p.
98, or website ivd.ru.

Cabinet above the hood

In small kitchens, in order not to lose useful space, you want to fill every free centimeter. When ordering kitchen furniture, you should think about the hood in advance: there is unused space on the sides of the air vent, but a cabinet with internal filling solves this problem. The pipe hidden behind the facades does not spoil the view, and small items can be stored on the shelves.

Drawers

The lower cabinets usually contain heavy objects - pots, cereal supplies, household appliances. Roll-out drawers are installed under the countertop of the kitchen unit, thanks to which you don’t have to sit down and look for the necessary utensils on the shelves. Such devices are expensive, especially if they extend to the very end. The structures can be located both under the sink, where it is rational to store detergents, and under the hob.

By ordering drawers separately, you can save money and get ergonomic kitchen contents.

How to choose the right cabinet for the kitchen individually and by element

Most sets of kitchen furniture are formed according to a modular principle - ready-made drawings are used for their manufacture. This means that you can assemble your own kitchen from the drawers of different sets. When choosing, it is recommended to pay attention to the following:

1. Cabinet dimensions . Take into account width, height, depth. If the kitchen is standard, then choose modular cabinets with standard sizes. If you want to stand out and purchase a unique kitchen, it is better to consult with a sales consultant. The same principle is used if the kitchen has a non-standard layout.
2. Set of cabinets. If modular cabinets are not enough, you can always purchase additional cabinets or separate drawers. The main thing is to think in advance about what will be stored and where.
3. Material of manufacture . To buy a kitchen that will last forever, it is recommended to take a closer look at solid natural wood or multiplex. Such cabinets will last a long time and fit into any interior. For budget kitchens, chipboard is used.

If you want to equip your kitchen with built-in appliances, it is important to select cabinets of suitable sizes in advance. In the cabinet under the countertop there is an oven, dishwasher or washing machine.

To decorate the kitchen, open hanging shelves are purchased - souvenirs, paintings, and family photographs are placed on them.

Cutlery tray

A tray is a small drawer divided into compartments for storing spoons, forks and knives. Thanks to this organizer, placed inside the kitchen cabinet, the appliances are always in their place, easily accessible and do not take up space on the countertop. The tray can serve as a dryer: it prevents moisture from entering the bottom of the drawer. The most economical material is plastic, but pathogenic bacteria accumulate on its surface over time. The plastic filling needs to be washed and dried well, and over time, replaced with a new one. A wooden tray looks more noble, but only dry utensils should be placed in it.

The photo shows a kitchen set with built-in organizers and drawers for cutlery.

Area under the sink

An excellent solution for convenient cooking is a retractable garbage container. It can be built into a kitchen cabinet under the sink so that when the door is opened, the bucket comes out. There are models with a lid that rises automatically or after pressing the pedal. In addition to the trash can, you can store household chemicals under the sink using metal baskets - built-in or free-standing.

Carousel

It is not easy to manage space wisely in a corner kitchen: access to the spacious cabinet in the very corner is difficult due to its depth. One obvious way to solve this problem is to equip a carousel. Thanks to the rotating design, the path to the dishes will be greatly simplified. When purchasing a carousel, you should pay special attention to the quality and thickness of the metal, the reliability of the rotating mechanisms and the reputation of the manufacturer - the service life of the kitchen filling will depend on these factors.

The photo shows an example of a rotating carousel, which makes it easier to access the necessary things. The set is equipped with a special double door and internal lighting.

Standard layout of kitchen furniture

• the upper part of the kitchen cabinets acts as a cutting tabletop and a support for the sink - this is the so-called “modular layout”;
• two-level arrangement of cabinets - in this case, dishes (except cast iron) are placed on the upper tier, and rarely used items can be stored on the cabinets themselves;

Read: Red kitchen (105 interior photos). A combination of bright colors in the kitchen.

You can often find sets where the vertical side edge of the outer cabinet is beveled - this is done in order to leave the entrance to the room free. The doors of such furniture, as a rule, are either sliding or hinged.

In order to ensure the comfort and functionality of the kitchen, you can use one of the classic layouts of the kitchen set:

• linear. Wardrobes and bedside tables are installed close to each other in one line;
• corner To place the set, two walls of the room are used at once - the sink is located in the corner;
• P - shaped. Suitable only for kitchens with large areas.

Corner pull-out system

A special design called a “locomotive” will allow you to make maximum use of the angle. Its rectangular shape is more ergonomic than a round carousel, so the kitchen cabinet space does not remain empty. When opening, the shelves slide out one by one, and when closing, they snap into place in the reverse order.

You can also use the corner using a system of drawers: their number will depend on the height of the dishes.

Kitchen cabinet fronts

The front part of any kitchen set is both a decorative element and a protective surface that allows you to preserve the furniture for many years. Therefore, when choosing a kitchen in terms of facade, it is important to pay attention to how moisture and heat resistant it is, what is the strength and reliability of the material, as well as the ability to avoid mechanical damage.

It looks interesting if one of the sides is located along the window - the tabletop on the windowsill is used as a work or dining table.

Kitchen sets are made from different materials - wood, chipboard, MDF and chipboard. In addition, manufacturers offer models in which the façade parts are made of glass. The glass facade can be decorated using photo printing, sandblasting, or simply tinted with a special coating. However, such models of kitchen cabinets are quite expensive.

Kitchen furniture made from chipboard and MDF materials is additionally covered with a special layer, which allows you to extend the service life of the set and maximally protect its modules from negative influences.

If you don’t want to lose a single centimeter, order a built-in kitchen made to measure.

The coating can be in the form of a special film or plastic. Finishing with PVC film has a number of undeniable advantages. These include moisture resistance, a wide range of colors and reliefs, affordable prices, as well as resistance to mechanical damage.

However, this type of coating also has a drawback - deformation and peeling from surfaces when exposed to high temperatures. Plastic facades also have both disadvantages and advantages.

The main thing when arranging is to preserve space and add functionality.

The advantages include moisture resistance, ease of cleaning and washing, a large selection of colors and high heat resistance. In terms of practicality in operation, plastic finishing is more profitable.

The disadvantages of this coating include low impact resistance and is not protected from some mechanical damage. For example, scratches remain when surfaces are treated with abrasive cleaning agents.

Bottle storage

The modern filling of kitchen cabinets meets any needs of apartment owners. To store sauces, oils and wine collections, many cabinets have special shelves for bottles. It’s successful if you manage to use a narrow space that is usually empty. With the help of metal dividers and shelves, it is easy to organize a minibar or store oil for a long time, which must be kept away from sunlight.

Backlight

The internal content is limited not only to a variety of containers for kitchen utensils, but also to a lighting system that makes it easier to access items. The most original lighting – with automatic switching on at the moment of opening. To find such a system, you should contact companies that supply high-quality furniture fittings. This type of lighting performs not only a practical, but also a decorative function. The most economical are LED strips, which are compact and can be installed in any area of ​​the cabinet.

Every electrical appliance, including lighting, must have a power source. It is important to think about its location in advance, before ordering a kitchen set.

The photo shows kitchen furniture, where the lighting of the interior plays a decorative role, complementing the main lighting and adding lightness to the set.