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Kitchen Cabinet Plans
Zoonar RF
Before getting started on any kitchen cabinet design project, you may want to create or purchase kitchen cabinet plans to determine the optimum design and layout of your kitchen cabinets.
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There are many resources available to create these plans—you can find them everywhere from national home improvement stores to independent design firms. Some are free, but some custom plans require purchasing. The one you use may depend on your individual ideas for your kitchen redesign (and, of course, your budget).
Once you have determined your design resource, you will need to determine the exact measurements of your kitchen space so the design plan can be as accurate as possible. This will ultimately save you a great deal of time and money as it can eliminate potential mistakes in the installation of your actual cabinets. You will need to include any and all appliances in your kitchen cabinet plans so to ensure that the cabinets fit correctly around them when installed.
While determining the layout of your cabinets in your plan, consider a couple of key tips. Above all else, kitchens are workspaces. Try to design your cabinet layout to provide the best work triangle between the refrigerator, the sink and the stove; this facilitates the flow that most chefs desire in their workspace. This is especially important if your kitchen is smaller. In the case of a kitchen with small square footage, knowing the shape of your kitchen—U-shaped, L-shaped, galley, or island layout—will help determine how best the kitchen cabinets can be laid out to maximize the efficiency of your workspace.
Since many modern kitchen plans include open concept designs with no separation between the kitchen and other living spaces in the home, you may consider breaking your kitchen cabinet design plans into "zones," separating the work spaces from the storage spaces and the gathering spaces of your kitchen.
Finally, no matter which design source your plans come from, they should reflect your own personal style and budget. Plans should include any specialty furniture or appliances that you want in your kitchen—whether it's a built-in bookshelf to house all of your favorite cookbooks, or a built-in wine fridge to house all of your favorite wines. Custom plans lead the way to custom installations, which lead the way to your own unique dream kitchen.
