Your kitchen might not be your biggest room, but it's probably the one that's most central to everyday life: the place you eat your cereal, do your dishes, read your mail and spend a good number of lazy summer evenings with people you like, drinking white wine and talking. And, because yours is a large kitchen, it's probably the most distinctive room in your house, too, and in this you can take some credit, because this is a room that large homeowners usually design – or have designed – with more thought and care than any other. And for many of us, the problem is how to make it a space that's fully workable for daily life while still being comfortable and relaxing to live in. If you're having trouble getting your large kitchen to feel just right, the place to start is with your cabinets. Why? Because your cabinets are central to the creation of your kitchen's aesthetics and feel. In this article we're going to explore how you can use the right cabinetry to transform your large kitchen into a masterpiece of your everyday life.
Introduction: The Importance of Aesthetics in a Large Kitchen
The role of aesthetics in a large kitchen cannot be underestimated. In a space of this scale, every design choice we make casts a long shadow on what the room feels like as well as how it looks, making kitchen cabinets an integral element of the whole, a key part of the design and the tapestry of form and function that makes a space feel like home, for better or worse.
The search for the cabinetry that will best fit in a large kitchen is akin to a quest for harmony. It must suit the scale of the kitchen – neither too small an element to look out of place in the space nor too large an element to overwhelm the kitchen. It should unify the disparate elements of the kitchen – to make a composition out of the space. The cabinetry can also have a significant impact on the spatial effect, making a kitchen look bigger or more intimate.
Once we realise how central aesthetic considerations are to the design of kitchens, we can make choices about kitchen cabinets armed not only with a critical eye, but a creative heart. We can then begin to see not just the kitchen we have, but the kitchen we might have — and use that vision as a guide, to find kitchen cabinets that help us create a kitchen that functions but, more importantly, is ours.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Kitchen Cabinets
Making a choice on the kitchen cabinets for a large kitchen is not an easy task and there are a lot of things that need to be taken into conderation in order to make the right decision. The most important is the relation between the scale of the cabinetry and the scale of the kitchen. If the kitchen is large but the cabinets are too small, the result will be a feeling of emptiness and coldness. On the other hand, if the cabinets are too large or too numerous, the space will be overpowered and even smaller. To achieve a good look, the cabinets need to fit the scale of the kitchen in a way that the two are in balance.
The other equally vital function is what the cabinets do. The bigger a kitchen, the more important this becomes: cabinets should not just be beautiful, they should be the most efficient storage and access possible. Storage solutions and accessories can turn them from merely a place to put things in to part of the kitchen's workflow, and therefore an important element of both form and function.
Third, the cabinet type and design is very important to the kitchen design. The style of the house, your personal design style and the type of feeling you want to emit in the kitchen will affect the type of cabinets you choose. You could opt for modern, sleek cabinets that will make a statement or you could go for classic, timeless cabinets that will make the kitchen feel warm and sophisticated. It is totally up to you and totally based on your personal taste. Make sure the cabinet type fits your style and the overall kitchen design.
The Role of Size in Selecting the Perfect Kitchen Cabinet
The scale of the kitchen cabinetry is particularly important in an oversized kitchen because how the kitchen is visually perceived can be affected by the size of the cabinets. If the cabinets are too small for the space, they could get lost in such a large kitchen and don't make the visual impact needed to anchor it. If the cabinets are too large or too tall, they can overpower a kitchen and make the space feel cluttered and cramped. The best solution is to choose cabinets of a scale to the size of the kitchen and anchor the kitchen in a way that contributes to the visual balance and harmony of the space.
It's particularly important in larger kitchens with high ceilings. Taller cabinets can help fill the space, drawing the eye upward and making the most of the room's grand vertical dimensions. This can also be practical, creating extra storage space that is always at a premium in a kitchen. In kitchens with very high ceilings, a soffit or decorative moulding at the top of the cabinet can help to bridge the gap and create a feature that enhances the kitchen's architectural details.
Further, the cabinet layout needs to take into account how the kitchen will be used – so it can make sense that a larger kitchen makes it easier to create a situation where the flow from zone to zone is not optimal. That is, if your kitchen is big enough, it is more likely that the sink, stove and fridge areas are too far from each other to allow a smooth workflow. You can use the cabinets to create 'architectural' work zones in your kitchen to encourage the flow. Kitchen islands with more cabinets not only offer additional storage and workspace but also can serve to anchor a kitchen design.
How to Enhance Your Large Kitchen with the Right Kitchen Cabinets
Installing the perfect kitchen cabinets is a delicate balance between aesthetic sensibility and rational design. The first step to great design is to figure out the mood. Does your dream kitchen have the warm, inviting feel of a homey kitchen that begs for lingering? Or do you want a cool, streamlined kitchen that oozes sophisticated modernity? Whatever mood you choose for your kitchen, what you are really asking is: 'What kind of cabinets do I want to bring this mood into my kitchen?' Colour, cabinet materials and finishes are all important considerations that, when properly chosen, help to create the mood you want.
That means you must find a way to make form and function coexist. Storage features such as pull-out drawers, lazy Susans and built-in organisers, for example, can enhance the utility of the cabinets without detracting from their good looks. Large kitchens can accommodate a multitude of cabinet types. Base cabinetry, wall cabinetry and tall pantry cabinetry, for instance, can give you the flexibility you're looking for in terms of both function and visual appeal.
Lighting also plays a significant part in defining the beauty and function of our kitchen cabinets in a large kitchen. It can highlight the features of a cabinet by adding under-cabinet lights to illuminate our work spaces, making food prep easier, and emphasising the design of the cabinets. Incorporating lighting inside glass-front cabinets or open shelving can also make for an interesting visual, turning everyday dishes and glassware into decorative pieces.
Where to Find the Perfect Kitchen Cabinets for Your Large Kitchen
In the quest for the ideal kitchen cabinets for your large kitchen, you may find yourself going through a myriad of different places from custom cabinetry shops to home improvement outlets. Custom cabinets are designed and made basically to fit your kitchen dimensions and design preferences on a tailor-made basis. This option is more costly and takes time.
If you want something less expensive but still high-quality and stylish, there are many reputable cabinet manufacturers and retailers who offer a large selection of kitchen cabinets in different sizes, styles and finishes, and you can customise them to fit your kitchen space and design theme. Many retailers also offer design consultation to help see what different cabinet styles might look like in your space.
Sites on the web also provide design guides that help you choose your kitchen cabinets. Many even have design tools that let you play around with various styles and layouts in a digital model of your kitchen. This can help you make that final decision, with a visual reference that helps make sure your final choice will be one that will work for your kitchen and your needs.
Conclusion: Transform Your Large Kitchen with the Perfect Kitchen Cabinets
Your quest to become a master of aesthetics in your large kitchen reaches an apex in the selection of the right kitchen cabinets. They are not merely storage units. They are the anchor that turns your kitchen into a living, breathing statement about your style and taste. If you select and design your cabinets for scale, functionality and beauty, your kitchen will become a more inviting, inspiring place in which to cook and eat.
For a family-sized kitchen, it is the cabinets that are neither too froufrou nor too industrious, the ones that exact your personal aesthetic and meet your practical needs, whether through custom cabinetry that brings your vision to reality in all its details, or by selecting off-the-shelf products that are both beautiful and functional. In short, the best kitchen cabinets for a family-sized kitchen are the ones that make the heart of your home beat with pride.
Ultimately, the aesthetics of kitchen design is about how you make a kitchen work within the rhythm of daily life, and how each element – each cabinet – within the kitchen works towards the larger story of style and function. With the right kitchen cabinets, your large kitchen can be more than a cooking-and-eating space, but a design expression of you, a space for making and sharing memories.
