When you are faced with the choice of furniture for the kitchen, you need to approach it as seriously as possible. Kitchen with a ceiling or standard cabinets with a lower height? How to combine design, comfort and functionality into one solution?
Remember: correctly selected furniture is the heart of the interior, the most functional and spacious touch in your everyday life.
I would like to note that the masses of mournful specialists are categorically against kitchens with high cabinets, especially in small spaces. They explain this by the fact that tall furniture puts pressure on the owner.
However, in fact, a small or large area does not play a big role in the final decision - it all depends on your needs, because you will then have to create culinary masterpieces, communicate with family, or just sit with a book in this room. We will tell you in our article how to combine functionality and design into a single whole, what are the advantages and disadvantages of ceiling-mounted cabinets.
Advantages of tall cabinets
When you are a thrifty housewife/host, you can never run out of storage space. In this case, furniture under the ceiling is the ideal solution, where every corner is involved in the work.
If small, non-functional cabinets collect dust and dirt on their surface, then these problems do not exist in tall cabinets, and all the little things are inaccessible to prying eyes.
The issue of free space deserves special attention. When using tall cabinets, it is not wasted, and even a small kitchen will appear larger and the ceilings will appear higher. You can also save on wall decoration - the furniture will completely cover them.
In the absence of a pantry, deep cabinets located under the ceiling - mezzanines - will help in storing canned food for the winter, seasonal items, and various household equipment.
Tall cabinets are also convenient for built-in appliances, such as an oven or microwave oven, which significantly saves free space in an apartment or house.
Clueless storage spaces
In fact, the upper part of the tall cabinets are kitchen mezzanines, on which things of the penultimate necessity are traditionally stored: rarely used equipment and utensils, ceremonial gift sets of dishes, supplies of tablecloths, containers and cans, and the like. On the one hand, it’s convenient that there is a place to put all these things. On the other hand, there is a high probability that you will no longer have to use anything sent so far away. That is, such storage spaces only motivate people to clutter their home.
It is better to store at the top those things that are used extremely rarely.
Disadvantages of tall cabinets
Tall cabinets also have their downsides. For example, the housewife’s short stature will not allow her to reach the desired shelf. The solution to this problem is a small stepladder or chair, or an alternative is to place rarely used items on the top shelves so that you don’t have to reach for them often.
In fact, this drawback is hardly worth considering as significant. If the owner is short, some kind of footrest will probably help him reach the top shelves and ordinary standard cabinets. And if you still have to install it, then this minus of high furniture does not play a big role.
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Understanding the pros and cons will help you make a decision. It is important to mentally imagine the result, think carefully about everything and only then make a choice.
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Types of facades
Decorating kitchen furniture is a significant moment, because the mood in the room depends on the atmosphere: both working and relaxing. By all rules, a designed set is a unity of style and ergonomics.
If the cabinets are equipped with hinged doors, replacing door hinges that provide a larger opening angle will help improve their functionality - this way you will protect yourself from constantly opening the doors while cooking, protect yourself from hitting the facade and get more free space. This option is convenient in corner kitchens.
Lately, cabinets with lifting fronts have become increasingly popular - when opened, the door either rises completely to the top or partially folds. If desired, such a facade can be installed instead of hinged doors - this will be a wonderful solution, especially if there are large compartments. Although this pleasure is more expensive, they are the most convenient to use.
Secrets to expanding a narrow space
The recommendations below can help out if the room has an elongated rectangular shape and you need to somehow smooth out this drawback.
- If the room is very narrow, you can make sliding sliding doors instead of standard cabinet doors.
- It is better to make a two-row set to order and make it built-in.
- Replace your swing door with a smaller sliding or accordion door.
- Unload the space by moving away from the upper cabinets to one of the rows.
- Beautifully decorate the adjacent wall to distract attention from the elongated narrow shape of the room.
- Use the effects of visual expansion of space. Create diagonal or horizontal lines, for example by laying down a striped rug or wallpaper with a horizontal pattern on the third wall.
Deciding on handles
Increasingly, models of facades without protruding handles are being installed on tall cabinets, replacing them with more modern options.
The most convenient and safest solution can rightfully be considered facades with hidden mechanisms that allow you to open any door with one touch of your elbow, hand, shoulder, etc. This is especially true in the kitchen, for example during cooking or cleaning, when your hands are busy. Such mechanisms have a number of advantages:
- silent opening;
- the absence of protruding handles and smooth closing using closers minimizes the risk of injury;
- the kitchen becomes visually more spacious and lighter.
Perhaps you decide that the furniture will quickly become dirty from constant touching? Perhaps, but no more than ordinary pens. With all this, it will be much easier to clean the facade; fortunately, there are now a lot of different detergents and cleaning products that, even with prolonged use, do not damage the surfaces of the furniture.
If you are not ready to completely give up handles, use elements that match the furniture or are made of a similar material. This way they will blend into the surface without spoiling the look and making the kitchen more perfect and modern.
If you still want to feel at least some semblance of handles, but the prospect of banging various parts of the body against them is not appealing, use some semblance of them - recesses along the edges of the facades . They can be called handles, but they do not protrude outwards, but into the inside of the door. This solution will at the same time allow you not to give up old habits, and will make the kitchen more attractive.
How to make a choice
Three types of facades are used for wall cabinets:
- blind - suitable for kitchens made in those styles where a smooth, flat surface is the leading element. Such facades have no joints or gaps and are made of various types of wood (acacia, pine, oak, alder, oak, beech), chipboard, MDF (wrapped in plastic or PVC film, veneered with natural stone or painted);
- glazed ones always look good, give the interior elegance and sophistication, they can be combined with elements from other materials. Glass can be frosted or transparent, colored or engraved. The big advantage is practicality and ease of maintenance.
- open - the shelves themselves. It is easy to get the necessary item, but it is worth considering that all kitchen utensils are in plain sight and covered with dust.
Tall cabinets can be:
- Open.
- Closed.
- Combined.
The combined option, in contrast to a completely closed or open one, allows you to simultaneously hide the little things of everyday use behind the doors, while at the same time display your favorite things on open shelves or make frequently used items easily accessible.
What types of designs does a wall cabinet typically provide? These are shelves, a stand for dishes, containers for containers and doors, and pull-out baskets. You yourself choose the contents for your closet, but it is worth noting that it is not practical to install complex systems in wall cabinets; it is better to do this on the lower floors.
If shelves are a mandatory component, then not all cabinets have a dish rack. You can order it immediately with furniture, or you can, in principle, buy it later - there are a lot of different models that will suit you.
The container for containers can be located between columns or near the cabinet. It is increasingly appearing in modern headsets, it is convenient and practical: by pulling it out, you can easily get the necessary item, since the contents are completely visible.
Fold containers are indispensable for the housewife and are very convenient for storing a variety of jars and bags. Such devices are lightweight and allow you to keep spices, salt and pepper shakers fully sorted.
Pull-out baskets are relevant for both corner kitchens and columnar cabinets. The catch remains that it is difficult to get the necessary thing from the upper basket, but you can again use a sliding stepladder and store rarely used items on the upper tier.
By the way, today you won’t surprise anyone with cabinets near the wall. If space allows, you can experiment and install them, for example, in the center of the kitchen, thus dividing the room into working and dining areas.
This solution will be stylish and modern, and will also provide some advantage: furniture that is located away from the work area looks much cleaner and tidier, needs less cleaning, and, accordingly, its service life increases.
Features of a two-row layout
In the West, a two-row kitchen is called a “galley.” This concept originally referred to a kitchen area on a ship or aircraft, which was intended only for preparing food. This idea of a compact and convenient organization of a work area is today adapted to the realities of ordinary apartments and houses.
This solution can be successful for both small and spacious kitchens.
Depending on the area of the room and its architectural features, a kitchen with a two-row layout can be:
- a separate technical room intended only for food preparation;
- combined with the dining room, if in addition to the two-line set there is still room for a dining table;
- combined with dining room and living room.
Installation of wall cabinets
There is nothing complicated in installing such cabinets; installation is carried out in a standard way:
- we assemble the set itself according to the manufacturer’s instructions;
- we drill holes in the wall, hammer in dowels, and cut self-tapping screws into them;
- fasten the back wall of the cabinet box to the hinges;
- we hang the facades.
Cabinets can be hung not only on hinges. A more reliable option is installation on a metal rail, when the fasteners are attached to the box itself, and then cling to the wall to a fixed profile (see photo)
If there are uneven walls, ceilings or floors, installation difficulties may occur. First of all, these are gaps that can form between the ceiling and the cabinet, so before installation you need to carefully measure and think through everything in order to avoid annoying mistakes.
By the way, in the case of an uneven ceiling, the desire to install high cabinets can be saved by a stretch fabric, which will hide all the imperfections and level the surface of the ceiling.
You can watch the installation of a corner kitchen under the ceiling in the video:
KITCHEN INSTALLATION. Kitchen-living room with ceiling. Corner kitchen white mat. Acrylic table top. Kitchens Kyiv.
Risk of structural collapse
Ceiling cabinets are not only large in size, but also significant in weight, and therefore the risk of the entire structure collapsing increases. To avoid this, it is necessary to use especially strong canopies, and also trust the installation only to highly qualified specialists who can reliably assess the condition of the walls.
Note! You should order furniture exclusively from the factory, since a technologist works there who deals with the safety of the structure and also develops the features of its fastening.
Care should be taken to ensure the strength of the structure to avoid collapse.
Ventilation
It often and very often happens that when installing ventilation, builders make gross mistakes, which then negatively affect the health of the customer.
How not to do it, but 90% do it:
The hood box is connected to a round pipe and walled up in the channel leading to the ventilation shaft. And since a check valve is installed on the hood, there is basically no air exchange when the hood is turned off. A channel with a diameter of 100 mm is often used, but such a cross-sectional area simply does not allow the kitchen to be ventilated.
Most apartments and private houses today are equipped with gas stoves, which during operation emit large amounts of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is difficult to detect - it has neither color nor odor. An open window is powerless - there is practically no air convection when the hood is not working. What to do in this case?
The first step for ventilation is to enlarge the hole for the rectangular cover. We will need two channels: we will connect the hood to one of them, the second will serve as ventilation when the hood is turned off.
The air exchange in the kitchen must exceed 100 m3/h, so a 12.5 cm air duct must be used for the hood. Thus, the treated air will be removed up to 350 m3/h.
You will feel the results of proper ventilation immediately:
- feeling comfortable in the kitchen
- lack of stuffiness
- the operating hood is much quieter
First of all, the kitchen should be safe, and only then beautiful and functional. If in a room with standard cabinets the ventilation hole is accessible and located above them, then in a kitchen under the ceiling the ventilation scheme should be thought out in advance.
Closed vent
The kitchen unit box under the ceiling completely blocks access to ventilation. Even if you keep the ventilation grille open and decide not to connect the hood, the cabinets will block or significantly impede air circulation in the room. And ventilation will not help much here, since in the cold season (as well as during the day) it is extremely uncomfortable to keep the window open all the time.
A blocked vent may prevent air circulation in the room.
How to hide pipes in the kitchen
The pipes that are inevitably present in the kitchen clearly do not decorate it: sewer, water, gas, and heating pipelines are and will be - this is a necessity. However, to visually hide them or at least reduce their number, you can use the following techniques.
Water and sewer
- Decorate with special sleeves.
- Place the pipes in a box under the sink - this way you will hide communications from prying eyes and, if necessary, provide free access to them.
There is also a hidden method when pipes are laid in special channels (grooves) in the walls. However, for this type of structure this is not the best option - they are more likely than others to leak, and to fix them you will have to break the wall.
If you really want to, use permanent connections, this will reduce the risk of leakage. For sewer pipes, the grooves are needed wider and deeper.
It is permissible to lay only new pipes in the grooves. In plastic structures for hot water, compensators must be provided that are responsible for the thermal expansion of the pipes.
Radiator
- Various colors.
- A plastic or wooden cabinet installed end-to-end to the window sill. However, it is worth remembering that wood absorbs moisture, and due to evaporation it often becomes deformed and cracks.
- Special screen for heating with a lattice structure (metal, plastic). The grille does not retain heat and distributes it freely throughout the room.
Heating system pipes
Most often they are laid in the floor using a hidden method. In a wooden floor - between the bars, in a concrete floor - between the screeds immediately before pouring. To prevent heat from dissipating through the concrete, the pipes are insulated with a heat insulator. Special linings mask the exit point of the pipeline.
Gas pipes
- Various decorations (from painting and sleeves to decoupage).
- Installation of special boxes (plasterboard, plywood, plastic, chipboard are used).
- Wiring inside the cabinet.
It is strictly forbidden to use a private method!
Ventilation pipes
When planning a kitchen with a ceiling, the ventilation system must be taken into account first. Otherwise, problems may arise, for example, the cabinets will be higher than the ventilation duct and simply close it.
- The gap between the ceiling and the cabinets can be closed with a cornice, and the pipe can be hidden there from the ventilation.
- Make cuts in the side walls of the furniture cabinets and place the pipe inside.
- Install a plasterboard box along the location of the ventilation duct and hide the pipe inside it.
If all of the above options do not suit you, and the appearance of various pipelines is annoying, you can resort to the method of painting, painting or decoupage.
Photo ideas
Ventilation grille
Kitchen design and decoration
If your kitchen is designed in modern style , then cabinets up to the ceiling will fit perfectly into the interior. Using different combinations of kitchen fronts, you can visually expand the kitchen, raise the ceiling or combine styles. In a small room, it is better to use a set with a glossy finish - this way the furniture will be easier to perceive.
In a classic-style , cabinets styled like wood with glass fronts will look good. With high ceilings, additional lighting is often necessary.
As an option, make the upper compartments blank, imitating mezzanines, cover them with a cornice and install lighting elements (LED strip, LED lamp). This way the room is zoned, and the light is not scattered into unnecessary space.
Don’t forget about color - if for a large kitchen you can afford to choose a dark set, then for a small room it is better to use soft light colors. This is important - the right choice of color directly affects the visual perception of the kitchen.
The English or Provence kitchen style involves combined open shelves with glazed or blind compartments. If the upper part of the compartments consists of open shelves, you can style them with curtains - the best option for rustic interiors. For low ceilings, preference is given to entirely glazed facades or the top of cabinets - this allows you to visually expand the room and raise the ceiling.
Modern kitchens with ceilings combine horizontals and verticals, with the goal of changing the proportions of the room. Even kitchens with low ceilings deserve to have horizontal lines - an excessive number of verticals will narrow and lengthen the room . In a small kitchen, it is better to use open or glazed facades on the lower floor of a wall cabinet, and solid ones on the upper floor.
What makes up the height of the lower tier
To determine what the final height of the tabletop will be, you need to take into account the height of the legs, the body parameters of the lower cabinet, and the thickness of the tabletop. To make the work convenient, it is not recommended to make the height of the lower part of the kitchen more than 90 cm - in most cases, higher values are unnecessary.
In addition, do not forget about the parameters of built-in equipment, which have their own height tolerance.
Tall cabinets in a small kitchen
Tall cabinets for a small kitchen couldn’t be more relevant - they allow you to increase the space, visually raise the ceiling, and at the same time have maximum capacity and functionality.
To ensure that the cabinets do not seem cluttered, it is necessary to choose the right color palette.
Use light colors, let them be unobtrusive. The glossy surface of the facades will reflect light, enlarging the room - as an option, you can also install a glass apron.
And if the color of the furniture is matched to the walls, then the set will literally hide behind the shade.
Try to minimize the amount of different decor, instead use additional lighting. Spotlights along the perimeter of the ceiling or LED strip focus attention on the illuminated areas.
Rising or sliding doors in the set and the absence of protruding handles will bring your kitchen to the ideal.
Why are mezzanines needed?
In the kitchen, all dishes, household appliances, tools and fixtures can be divided into two categories: “needed every day” and “needed several times a year.” It is more practical to store items from the second category in the very top, less accessible tier of cabinets.
Many housewives will agree that there simply are no “extra” cabinets and shelves in the kitchen. If the set has a mezzanine, then this is where the ceremonial service, baking dishes for Easter cakes and a drying rack for greens will be stored. The third tier plays an important functional role, as well as an aesthetic one.
Kitchen in white
Do you want to transform your kitchen so that you don't want to leave? Use white in the interior of the room - it has remained a popular option for many years, although it is the most neutral and simple.
This is especially true when using tall cabinets - white color allows you to expand the space, gives a feeling of lightness, gives inspiration and encourages you to dream.
A white kitchen can be decorated in several styles at once, for example, classic and modern. Don’t be afraid to experiment - add a touch of modernity to the classics, and the room will sparkle with new colors.
Glossy surfaces, metal handles, glass parts simply will not allow the kitchen to be monotonous and boring.
When using tall cabinets, it is very convenient to place additional lighting, for example, modern style lamps. This option will not only be interesting and useful, but it will help achieve a harmonious mixture of styles.
Variety of materials
When choosing the material from which kitchen furniture will be made, take into account the characteristics of the room: high humidity, easy contamination, high temperatures in the cooking area.
- Natural wood - furniture made from solid wood is expensive, but it will be of high quality, durable and also completely environmentally friendly. Wood furniture works best in refined and elegant classic interiors. Species with the best characteristics: oak, walnut, ash, alder, cherry.
- MDF - the service life of this material is slightly shorter than that of wood, but it costs much less. One of the most popular alternatives to wood. And painted MDF can be any color.
- Chipboard and its variety laminated chipboard are even more economical versions, consisting of slabs made of compressed sawdust and impregnation. These are moisture-resistant and mechanically resistant materials. It is worth paying attention to them if the issue of saving comes first.
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Among façade coatings, plastic and acrylic surfaces are popular. They are easy to clean and are not afraid of moisture and aggressive environmental influences. And acrylic creates a spectacular light glow, especially if the surface is glossy, which further visually expands the space. Another popular coating is enamel. It costs more, but offers the largest selection of colors and the possibility of decoration, for example, with patina or milling. The most economical option is PVC film. Choose the material and color according to the principle: matte and dark ones show more dirt and fingerprints than light and glossy ones.
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Kitchen materials guide: which one is better?
